January 12 - Release Highlights

While not a complete list here a a couple of releases I am excited about:

Ray Wylie Hubbard - A. Enlightenment, B. Endarkment (Hint: There Is No C) (Bordello) Here is an excerpt from the press release. (I'm sure it will be the dark but entertaining effprt we expet from him.)

Ray Wylie Hubbard will release A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is no C) on January 12, 2010 on Bordello Records with marketing and distribution provided by Thirty Tigers/RED. The album was produced by Hubbard with help from George Reiff. With a keen eye for observation and a wise man's knowledge, Ray Wylie Hubbard composes and performs a dozen songs that couldn't spring from anywhere else but out of his fertile rock and roll bluesy poet-in-the-blistering-heat southern noggin. "I like to look at both enlightenment and endarkenment," he declares. "I feel comfortable observing each." A. Enlightenment
B. Endarkenment demonstrates the kind of talent that every great songwriter yearns for. Throughout the album, his focus remains on the song- constructing and performing stories set to music that resonate in a way that is completely his own.

Vampire Weekend - Contra - The best new indie band of 2008. This should have the quirkiness and understated World Music influences fo there previous release.

Cousins:

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. 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

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 og February 25th
1) Tift Merrit - Another Countrymu
2) Willie Nelson - Moment of Forever
3) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
4) Drive-By-Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
5) Paul Thorn - A Long Way From Tupelo
6) Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer
7) Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade
8) Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin'
9) Mando Saenz - Bucket
10)Allison Moorer - Mockingbird

Debuts
18) Jim Lauderdale - Honey Songs
30) South Austin Jug Band - Strange Invitation
31) Belleville Outfit - Wonderin'
33) Waifs - Sundirtwater
35) Big John Mills - That

XM Ch.12 Cross Country - Cross Checking week of Feb. 25th
1) Bleu Edmondson - Lost Boy
2) Matt Powell - New Kind of Something
3) Tift Merrit - Another Country
4) Paul Thorn - A Long Way From Tupelo
5) Blue Rodeo - Small Miracles
6) Russell Smith & the Amazing Rythm Aces - Midnight Communion
7) The Deep Dark Woods - Hang Me Oh Hang Me
8) Javelinas - Seven Sisters
9) Drive By Truckers - Brighter that Creation's Dark
10) Tim Carroll - The Devil is a Busy Man

Debuts
None

FMQB AAA Non-Commercial - Airplay Week of Feb. 25th
1) Cat Power - Jukebox
2) Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static
3) Nada Surf - Lucky
4) Tift Merrit - Another Country
5) Joe Jackson - Rain
6) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
7) Sheryl Crow - Detours
8) Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
9) Drive By Truckers - Brighter that Creation's Dark
10) Gary Louris - Vagabonds

Debuts:
26) Counting Crows - Warpaint

1-29 Addendum Oop!! I missed one!!!

A shout out to my buddy Large Benjamin who informed me of this new release that is garnering a lot of buzz. VW's sound is infectious this should be good release.

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend