BEST OF 2008 SO FAR

This is my third list of the year. It is based on releases through June 17th. The Truckers are still number one and it will take a great album to knock them off the pedestal. The highest debut is Old 97's at #4. Other notable debuts are My Morning Jacket at #8, Sonny Landreth at #11 and John Hiatt at #14. Anyway as always leave comments and tell me what an idiot or genius I am. I've been called a lot worse. The list follows:

1) Drive By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
2) Tift Merrit - Another Country
3) Hayes Carll - Trouble in Mind
4) Old 97's - Blame it on Gravity
5) The Waybacks - Loaded
6) Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
7) Shawn Mullins - Honeydew
8) My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
9) The Whigs - Mission Control
10) Ashton Shepherd - Sounds so Good
11) Sonny Landreth - From the Reach
12) Justin Townes Earle - The Good Life
13) Griffin House - Flying Upside Down
14) John Hiatt - Same Old Man
15) The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
16) The Steeldrivers - The Steeldrivers
17) Band of Heathens - Self-Titled
18) John D. Hale - Lost
19) The Waifs - Sundirtwater
20) Gary Louris - Vagabonds
21) Sierra Hull - Secrets
22) South Austin Jug Band - Strange Invitation
23) Eleven Hundred Springs - Country Jam
24) Jim Lauderdale - Honey Songs
25) Black Crowes - Warpaint
26) Del McCoury Band - Moneyland
27) Chatham County Line - IV
28) Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet - Self-Titled
29) Allison Moorer - Mockingbird
30) R.E.M. - Accelerate
31) Railroad Earth - Amen Corner
32) Widespread Panic - Free Somehow
33) Jeb Loy Nichols - Days are Mighty
34) Stephen Malkmus - Real Emotional Trash
35) Mando Saenz - Bucket
36) The Weepies - Hideaway
37) Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin'
38) North Mississippi All-Stars - Hernando
39) Ralston Bowles - Rally at the Texas Hotel
40) Tim O'brien - Chameleon
41) Paul Thorn - Long Way from Tupelo
42) George Strait - Troubadour
43) American Gun - The Mean and the Machine
44) Wes Charlton - World on Fire
45) Twilight Hotel - Highway Prayer
46) Black Mountain - In the Future
47) Rhonda Vincent - Good Thing Goin'
48) Carlene Carter - Stronger
49) James McMurtry - Just us Kids
50) Jackie Greene - Giving Up the Ghost
51) Willie Nelson - Moment of Forever
52) Austin Collins - Roses are Black
53) Langhorne Slim - Self-Titled
54) The Hollyfelds - Saratoga
55) Malcom Holcombe - Gamblin' House
56) Jason Collett - Here's to Being There
57) Ben Sollee - Learning to Bend
58) Firewater - The Golden Hour
59) Tab Benoit - Night Train to Nashville
60) Marah - Angels of Destruction

Settin'' the Woods on Fire: This Week's Charts

This is a periodic feature in which I post on AWT the top albums and debuts in the airplay charts from Americana Music Assoc., XM Cross Country and FMQB Non-Commercial Adult Alternative chart. I haven't posted the charts in six weeks because there was not a ton of movement for a while. Now that here have been a rash of Spring releases things are shaken up a bit. Links to all of these charts are found to the right in the AWT favorite links list.

Americana Music Association - Airplay Week of May 19th
1) Hayes Carll - Trouble in Mind
2) James McMurtry - Just us Kids
3) Van Morrison - Keep it Simple
4) Paul Thorn - A Long Way from Tupelo
5) Old 97's - Blame it on Gravity
6) Tim O'Brien - Chameleon
7) John Hiatt- Same Old Man
8) Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers
9) Justin Townes Earle - The Good Life
10) Waybacks - Loaded

Debuts
Railroad Earth - Amen Corner

XM Ch.12 Cross Country - Cross Checking week of May 19th
1) James McMurtry - Just Us Kids
2) Waybacks - Loaded
3) Shurman - Waiting For The Sunset
4) Jim Lauderdale & The Dream Players - Honey Songs
5) Carlene Carter - Stronger
6) Stone Coyotes - VIII
7) Matt King - Rube
8) Justin Townes Earle - The Good Life
9) Tim O'Brien - Chameleon
10)Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers

Debuts
47) Girls, Guns & Glory - Inverted Valentine
48) Guy Forsyth - Calico Girl

FMQB AAA Non-Commercial - Airplay Week of May 19th

1) DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE - Narrow Stairs
2) OLD 97S - Blame It On Gravity
3) R.E.M. - Accelerate
4) ELVIS COSTELLO - Momofuku
5) BLACK KEYS - Magic Potion
6) COLDPLAY - Viva La Vida
7) AIMEE MANN - Smilers
8) JACKIE GREENE - Giving Up The Ghost
9) STEVE WINWOOD - Nine Lives
10) VAN MORRISON - Keep it Simple

Debuts:
24) James Hunter the Hard Way
25) Mason Jennings - In the Ever

BEST OF 2008 SO FAR

This is my first list of the year. As was the case lase year, I will probably rearrange it a few times. I'll add to it each month, but eventually I will cap it. How big will the list get? I have no idea but probably not over 60. The list includes releases through March. Early April releases will be in the next list. As you can see the Truckers are number one and it will take a great album to knock them off the pedestal. Anyway as always leave comments and tell me what an idiot or genius I am. I've been called a lot worse. One criticism I expect to here is the omission of the Kathleen Edwards album. Well I must confess a bias, I went to see her right after Failer came out, and I thought she was a bitch. So I swore never to buy anything of hers again. Well, here it goes:

1) Drive By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
2) Tift Merrit - Another Country
3) The Waybacks - Loaded
4) Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
5) Shawn Mullins - Honeydew
6) The Whigs - Mission Control
7) Justin Townes Earle - The Good Life
8) Gary Louris - Vagabonds
9) The Steeldrivers - The Steeldrivers
10) Allison Moorer - Mockingbird
11) The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
12) Jim Lauderdale - Honey Songs
13) Stephen Malkmus - Real Emotional Trash
14) Ashton Shepherd - Sounds so Good
15) Mando Saenz - Bucket
16) Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin'
17) Carlene Carter - Stronger
18) Widespread Panic - Free Somehow
19) Black Crowes - Warpaint
20) American Gun - The Mean and the Machine
21) North Mississippi All-Stars - Hernando
22) Twilight Hotel - Highway Prayer
23) Black Mountain - In the Future
24) Paul Thorn - Long Way from Tupelo
25) Rhonda Vincent - Good Thing Goin'
26) Willie Nelson - Moment of Forever
27) The Hollyfelds - Saratoga
28) Malcom Holcombe - Gamblin' House
29) Jason Collett - Here's to Being There
30) Marah - Angels of Destruction

Settin'' the Woods on Fire: This Week's Charts

This is a periodic feature in which I post on AWT the top albums and debuts in the airplay charts from Americana Music Assoc., XM Cross Country and FMQB Non-Commercial Adult Alternative chart. Links to all of these charts are found to the right in the AWT favorite links list.

Americana Music Association - Airplay Week of March 17th
1) Tift Merrit - Another Country
2) Paul Thorn - A Long Way From Tupelo
3) Drive-By-Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
4) Willie Nelson - Moment of Forever
5) The Steeldrivers - The Steeldrivers
6) Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers
7) Bodeans - Still
8) James McMurtry - Just Us Kids
9) Mando Saenz - Bucket
10) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand

Debuts
29) Waybacks - Loaded
32) Erci Bibb - Get on Board
37) Tim O'Brien - Chameleon

XM Ch.12 Cross Country - Cross Checking week of March 17th
1) Paul Thorn - A Long Way From Tupelo
2) The Deep Dark Woods - Hang Me Oh Hang Me
3) Drive By Truckers - Brighter than Creation's Dark
4) Webb Wilder - Born to be Wilder
5) The Steeldrivers - The Steeldrivers
6) Band of Heathens - Live at Antone's
7) South Austin Jug Band - Strange Invitation
8) Willie Nelson - Moment of Forever
9) Scotty Moore - The Mighty Handful Vol. 1
10) Malcolm Holcombe - Gamblin' House

Debuts
44) Justin Townes Earle - The Good Life
45) Carlene Carter - Stronger
46) James McMurtry - Just Us Kids

FMQB AAA Non-Commercial - Airplay Week of March 17th
1) Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers
2) Cat Power - Jukebox
3) Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static
4) Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
5) Jackie Greene - Giving Up the Ghost
6) Tift Merrit - Another Country
7) Drive By Truckers - Brighter than Creation's Dark
8) Gary Louris - Vagabonds
9) Jim White - Transnormal Skippers
10) R.E.M. - Accelerate

Debuts:
19) Van Morrison - Keep it Simple
24) Billy Bragg - Mr. Love and Justice

The Waybacks Neo-Traditionalism

"Tradition in Transition" is the title of the cover article in next to last No Depression It focuses on how young bands such as Crooked Still, The Avett Brothers, Uncle Earl and Chris Thile's new project the Punch Brothers are innovatively changing traditional acoustic music. A couple of bands that aren't as young as the subjects of the ND article that also fit the bill are The Steeldrivers and the subject of this post, The Waybacks.

The Waybacks new album Loaded is remarkable. Releasing on Compass Records March 25th it was produced by Byron House and features guest appearances by Sam Bush among others. The album represents a new direction for the band that is largely the influence of touring with Bob Weir and Ratdog. Loaded mixes their frenetic traditional sound with the free form eclectic influences of Weir along with, Honky-Tonk, Irish and Swing. The Band started out as an acoustic side project for San Francisco Bay area electric guitar player James Nash. They used to be a five piece outfit that played as many traditional tunes as originals. Though they were their own versions to say the least, which made them favorites of the Merlefest dance stage for the last few years. They dropped two original members and recently added excellent fiddle player and songwriter Warren Hood. Also, they are no longer just acoustic. Nash shows off his electric chops with great results on this album. The creative overflow on the album is evidenced by the fact that all of the songs on are original. So mark the 25th on your calendar and pick this one up.



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