1. Come Sundown – Bobby Bare
2. One Microphone – Angela Easterling
3. Pancho and Lefty – Tommy Alverson
4. Blue Water – Josh Williams
5. Patches – George Jones and B.B. King
6. Little Bitty – Alan Jackson
7. Plenty Good Lovin’ – Charley Pride
8. Tennessee Tea – Joe Diffie
9. You Can Still Wear White – Matt Kennon
10. Lonesome Yodel Blues – Delmore Brothers
11. It Gets Late So Early – Lefty Frizzell
12. Blue Clear Sky – George Strait
13. Confessin’ My Love – Mark Chesnutt
14. Already Spent – Jeff Bates
15. Ballad of the Devil’s Backbone Tavern – Todd Snider
16. We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds – Vern Gosdin
17. The Angels Rejoiced – Dolly Parton and Sonya Isaacs
18. Trains Make Me Lonesome – George Strait
19. All Shook Up – Elvis Presley
20. Off the Record – Aaron Watson

If you’re so inclined, give it a try for yourself and share the results below. Most doctors agree that filling your ears with good music now will minimize the post-schlock hangover come Monday morning.

1. Mark Chesnutt – Halfway Back to Birmingham
2. Adam Carroll and Michael O’Connor – Tired of Myself
3. Bruce Robison – Go to Your Heart
4. Moot Davis – One of a Kind
5. The Maddox Brothers and Rose – Sally Let Your Bangs Hang Down
6. Jeff Carson – Scars and All
7. Randy Travis – Send My Body
8. Townes Van Zandt – Talking Thunderbird Blues
9. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Jimmy Martin
10. Steve Young – Shopping for Dresses
11. Jerry Seinfeld – Chinese People
12. George Strait – One Night at a Time
13. Miss Leslie & Her Juke-Jointers – Love Will Find You
14. George Jones – It’s All In My Mind
15. Kris Kristofferson – Johnny Lobo
16. Tim McGraw – She Never Lets It Go to Her Heart
17. Montgomery Gentry – Break My Heart Again
18. Patty Loveless – (We Are All) Children of Abraham
19. Gary Allan – Don’t Leave Her Lonely Too Long
20. Alan Jackson – If You Want to Make Me Happy

That’s the question Mark Chesnutt had to consider in choosing songs for Outlaw, his upcoming cover album. Given that Chesnutt is about as fine a vocalist as anyone could rightly desire, and his Waylon-inspired 2004 album Savin’ the Honk Tonk was an absolute knockout, I’m pretty excited to hear the new project. The appropriately ’70s-centric track listing was recently posted to the singer’s Facebook page, and is reposted below.

What do you think of the song choices? If Chesnutt were to record a second installment, what other outlaw classics would you hope to see included?

1. Black Rose (Billy Joe Shaver)
Recorded by: Billy Joe Shaver, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Doug Kershaw

2. Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound (Hank Williams Jr.)
Recorded by: Hank Williams Jr.

3. Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line (Ivy J. Bryant Jr.)
Recorded by: Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr., Roger Miller

4. A Couple More Years (with Amber Digby) (Dennis Locorriere, Shel Silverstein)
Recorded by: Waylon Jennings, Dr. Hook

5. Need A Little Time Off For Bad Behavior (David Allan Coe, Bobby Keel, Larry Latimer)
Recorded by: David Allan Coe

6. Sunday Morning Coming Down (Kris Kristofferson)
Recorded by: Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Ray Stevens, Bobby Bare, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson

7. Are You Ready For The Country (Neil Young)
Recorded by: Neil Young, Waylon Jennings

8. Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again) (Kris Kristofferson)
Recorded by: Kris Kristofferson, Bobby Bare, Waylon Jennings, Roger Miller, Tompall Glaser, Willie Nelson

9. Country State Of Mind (Roger Alan Wade, Hank Williams Jr.)
Recorded by: Hank Williams Jr.

10. Freedom To Stay (Bill Hoover)
Recorded by: Waylon Jennings

11. Bloody Mary Morning (Willie Nelson)
Recorded by: Willie Nelson

12. Desperados Waiting For A Train (Guy Clark)
Recorded by: Guy Clark, Jerry Jeff Walker, The Highwaymen, Willie Nelson, David Allan Coe, Waylon Jennings

I’d love for you to chime in with some of your own recent discoveries. They can be new artists and albums or simply things you’ve been paying more attention to lately.

• Newfound Road – To be frank, I’m often underwhelmed by the voices of bluegrass frontmen. No such problem here. All Music Guide says Newfound Road singer Tim Shelton “comes powerfully out of the gate on the band’s fifth recording with his trademark rich, chesty baritone roar.” It doesn’t hurt that the musicianship and song selection on their latest, Same Old Place, is also darn near flawless.
• Two Dollar Pistols – I discovered them belatedly (already broken up) and wrote about them here.
• Fred Eaglesmith – I don’t know what took me so long, but after one listen to the double-disc Ralph’s Last Show: Live in Santa Cruz, I was hooked. Really smart, clever songwriting.
• Shenandoah – I wasn’t listening to country radio back when they were getting played, so many of their 15 Favorites were new to me. Marty Raybon’s voice is something else.
• Holly Williams – I somehow missed her 2004 debut, so Here With Me was a revelation. As far as I’m concerned, hers was one of the most complete albums released this year.
• Wayne Hancock – For a long time, I let reports that he does pretty much the same thing every album keep me from expanding my collection beyond the first two. Having finally taken the plunge, though, I can say that while his work may be a bit repetitive at times, it’s all more than worthwhile.
• Gary Floater – Best country singer ever.
• The Stellas – There was plenty of talent on the 2009 season of Can You Duet, but none of the acts impressed me more than Canadian husband-wife duo The Stellas. I wrote about their debut EP here.
• Tracy Byrd – I already had a handful of Byrd albums, but finally completed my collection.
• Travis Tritt – Same deal as with T-Byrd.
• Grant Langston – It’s always nice to happen upon a like-minded smartass.
• Angela Easterling – I wrote about BlackTop Road here.
• Patty Loveless – With the help of Blake Boldt’s ranking of her discography, I’ve filled in the most essential gaps. Just a couple (low-ranking but surely worthwhile) albums remain. I’ll get around to them.
• Derek Hoke – I wrote about Goodbye Rock N Roll here.
• Brady Seals – I checked out his new album on Jim Malec’s recommendation and discovered a collection very much in the vein of ’90s Joe Diffie in full-on party mode, which is just fine by me.

So, what was new to you this year?

I don’t give a hoot for fans who think their favorite artists are beyond reproach. To my mind, the ability to find fault (or at least acknowledge the possibility that fault might reasonably be found) with our favorite artists is a sign of character. That’s why I like positive reviews that include negative points and vice versa – maybe the most provocative arguments come from either end, but the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

It’s in that spirit that I name my least favorite song by my favorite artist. My favorite artist – admittedly a choice based more in sentiment than in my current listening habits – is Randy Travis. And “I’ll Be Right Here Loving You,” a song written by Jeffrey Steele and T.W. Hale and recorded for Travis’ 1999 album A Man Ain’t Made of Stone, is utterly grating. The spoken verses disjointedly list a bunch of worldly complications and concerns, then the choruses try to set things right by proclaiming that “As long as this world’s spinning, like it’s supposed to do/I’ll be right here loving you.” But little does Travis know that the lady has probably already skipped to the next track by the time the chorus arrives to assuage her fears, so obnoxious are those verses. Here, have a taste:

Politicians, coalitions
Unionism, opposition
Activism, communism
Skepticism, new vision, down with the old tradition

Vandalism, terrorism
Ammunition, demolition
Darwinism, religion
A lot of people making catastrophic predictions

Did Steele and Hale just string together a bunch of words from the glossary of a social studies book? How can a song this drab get recorded twice in the span of a couple years (Rhett Akins had it on his 1998 album too) as better material languishes in obscurity? Could it have happened at any time other than the end of the ’90s, when the approach of a new millennium set doomsday prophesying to a fever pitch? Why, Randy? Why?

The Travis partisan in me must mention that although A Man Ain’t Made of Stone is almost undoubtedly his worst overall album, those scared off by the atrocious “I’ll Be Right Here Loving You” will miss worthwhile tracks like “A Man Ain’t Made of Stone,” “A Heartache in the Works” (Chet Biggers/Melba Montgomery), “Once You’ve Heard the Truth” (Leslie Satcher/Chuck Jones) and “Day One” (Jimmy Yeary/Max D. Barnes). So I wouldn’t necessarily skip the whole thing. Just be sure to skip track 8.

The question(s) of the day:

What’s your least favorite song by your favorite artist? And why?

I took one recommendation per person, and when more than one song was recommended from the same album I pretty much just went with whichever one I liked best. A few tracks don’t appear because they’re not on Amazon or the albums haven’t yet been released. But don’t let that keep you from checking out the new Guy Clark as soon as it’s available. Seriously, don’t miss that one; it’s a peach.

These are just 30 second clips, so it shouldn’t take long at all to listen to what other readers are enjoying and possibly discover a few new things for yourself. If a song piques your interest, you can support the artist (and kick back a few pennies to help defray the costs of running this site) by purchasing the MP3 from the player below.

This was fun. We should do it again sometime.

The volume of new music released this year has been a bit overwhelming – to me, at least – so here’s an attempt to cut through some of the chaff: Let’s make a killer 2009 playlist. If you want to pitch in and let your voice be heard, just recommend one excellent track from an album released this year. Feel free to comment on other people’s choices, too, but try to make your pick something from an album that hasn’t already been used, so we’ll end up with a nice, well-rounded list of top-shelf material.

I’ll start with “Taste of the Truth,” the delightful Rebecca Lynn Howard penned title track of Gene Watson’s new album (reviewed by Occasional Hope at My Kind of Country week before last). Watson hasn’t lost a step over the years, and Howard’s weeper sounds like exactly the sort of material he was made to sing. It’s just one of many fine performances on the disc, but it’s my favorite at the moment, so that’s my pick.

Okay, your turn. What’s a great song from 2009 so far? Choose carefully, as you can only name one.

What’s the last song you heard?

Surprisingly, I’ve heard no music at all today, so my last song was David Ball’s “When the Devil Wants to Wrestle.” I had the Amigo album playing in the kitchen while I was burning my dinner on the stove last night.

If you decide to give it a shot, I recommend choosing an artist with a decently-sized discography (lots of song titles) and either flipping through your own music collection or looking up a list of their songs online to help you along. I think you’ll find it a surprisingly interesting exercise. If possible, try to do an artist someone else hasn’t already done… just to keep things interesting.

Without further ado, here’s mine: 

My Life According to Merle Haggard

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions.

Pick your artist:
Merle Haggard

Are you a male or female:
The Son of Hickory Holler’s Tramp

Describe yourself:
I’m a Lonesome Fugitive

How do you feel:
I Can’t Hold Myself in Line

Describe where you currently live:
Somewhere on Skid Row

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Back to the Barrooms Again

Your favorite form of transportation:
I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink

Your best friend:
Seeing Eye Dog

You and your best friends are:
Worried, Unhappy, Lonesome and Sorry

What’s the weather like:
Chill Factor

Favorite time of day:
It’s Been a Great Afternoon

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
What Happened?

What is life to you:
Waiting For a Train

Your relationship:
If You’ve Got the Money (I’ve Got the Time)

Your fear:
Are the Good Times Really Over

What is the best advice you have to give:
Don’t Get Married

Thought for the Day:
Set My Chickens Free

How I would like to die:
Way Back in the Mountains

My soul’s present condition:
Holding Things Together

My motto:
I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am

There are quite a few major albums set to come out in the second half of 2009, which also means that there are quite a few lead singles hitting radio now. I don’t know if I’m getting old and cranky or if all of Nashville has signed some pact to lead with the blandest stuff possible in 2009, but wow, this is discouraging.

Recent singles that have bored (and sometimes disappointed) me, many from artists I count among my mainstream favorites:

Gary Allan – “Today”
George Strait – “Living for the Night”
Jamey Johnson – “My Way to You”
Joe Nichols – “Believers”
Sara Evans – “Feels Just Like a Love Song”
Blaine Larsen – “It Did”
Brooks & Dunn – “Indian Summer”
Miranda Lambert – “Dead Flowers”

If it were up to me, I think I might scrap these artists’ new singles and release the following songs from their most recent albums in order to give them time to rethink their new material. Granted, this is pretty far-fetched since some of their “most recent albums” came 3 or 4 years ago, but humor me for a minute anyway:

Gary Allan – “Half of My Mistakes”
George Strait – “House With No Doors”
Jamey Johnson – “Women”
Joe Nichols – “My Whiskey Years”
Sara Evans – “Missing Missouri”
Blaine Larsen – “Let Alone You”
Brooks & Dunn – “Ballad of Jerry Jeff Walker”
Miranda Lambert – “Dry Town”

Whose new material has disappointed you? If you had to pull one more single from that artist’s last studio album to buy them time to work on the new stuff, which song would you choose?