#GreatAlbums1990s – #SteveEarle – #IFeelAlright (1996). After a stint in jail on drug charges, Earle wasted no time getting musically back on track with the acoustic Train a Comin’ then this set of countrified roots rock. “Feel Alright,” “Hard-Core Troubadour” and “The Unrepentant” all rock hard, with guitars thick as molasses barrelling on down. Earle’s outlaw spirit is (understandably) muted compared to the 80s, but otherwise the disc was a solid return to form. #GreatCountryAlbums, #Americana

#GreatAlbums1990s – #TheMavericks – #WhatACryingShame (1994). Led by Raul Malo’s resonant vocals, this Miami country combo brought a dose of good ole honky tonk to a genre obsessed with stadium overkill at the time. Echoes of George Jones run through memorable tunes like “There Goes My Heart” and “Neon Blue.” Malo’s keening voice touches a Roy Orbison nerve on the title track, “I Should Have Been True” and Jesse Winchester’s “O What a Thrill.”

#1990s, #GreatCountryAlbums, #Roots, #Americana

#GreatAlbums1990s - #EmmylouHarris - #WreckingBall (1995). Americana's First Lady cracks and swoons her way through stark emotional anthems further weighted by the swampy brew of Daniel Lanois's production. In a decade when big-money country felt more devoted to spectacle than tradition, Harris provided a much needed reminder of the aching (as opposed to "achy") heart beating its way through American roots music.

#1990s, #Albums, #Reviews, #Music, #GreatCountryAlbums #Americana

#GreatAlbums1990s - #JohnnyCash – #AmericanRecordings (1994). The comeback of the decade saw Cash reinventing his approach on this stripped-down acoustic set – the first of several Rick Rubin productions to come. “Delia’s Gone,” a gruesome murder ballad, becomes palatable in Cash’s stately delivery, and Nick Lowe’s stark “The Beast in Me” feels like the confessions of a man exorcising the past. Cash never sounded more brutally honest.
#Albums, #Music, #GreatCountryAlbums, #Americana

#GreatAlbums1990s - #IrisDeMent – #InfamousAngel (1992). Iris has one of those piercing voices steeped in tradition, suggesting she isn’t so much summoning ghosts of the past as living with them among the ruins. Her Arkansas roots twine through “Let the Mystery Be” (familiar to fans of The Leftovers), “Our Town” and the howlingly plaintive “When Love Was Young.” She gives over the final track to her Mom – who quit dreams of fame to raise 14 children. #GreatCountryAlbums, #Reviews, #Americana

#WillieNelson – #RedHeadedStranger (1975). Willie defied the country establishment with this low-key concept album about the search for meaning and the wages of violence. Willie conceived a loose song cycle around “Red Headed Stranger,” a 50s outlaw standard, writing and selecting other pieces to fill out the narrative. Sparsely produced, the album defied the slickness of 70s Nashville to become a major hit.
#GreatAlbums1970s, #GreatCountryAlbums #Country, #Americana

Great Albums – 1970s: #DollyParton - #CoatOfManyColors (1971). Parton being such a chipper entertainer makes it easy to overlook her stellar artistry. She’s a first-rate songwriter with a flair for homespun truths but also a wicked sense of irony—like how Mama sews her way to domestic sainthood on the first track, only to run off her daughter’s beau on the second. “My Blue Tears” is pure country harmony, and “Here I Am” veers toward rock.
#GreatAlbums1970s, #Album, #Country #GreatCountryAlbums

Great Albums – 1970s: #LorettaLynn – #CoalMinersDaughter (1971). The autobiographical title track will forever stand out on this LP, but Lynn is also a fine interpreter of classics like Glen Campbell’s “Less of Me” and Kristofferson’s “For the Good Times.” Lynn’s down-to-earth charisma and feel for common emotions raises her above the pack of 70s Nashville hit makers, giving this LP a lasting appeal beyond country music conventions.
#GreatAlbums1970s, #CountryMusic #GreatCountryAlbums

#GreatAlbums1960s: Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison (1967). The crowd crackles with laughter as Johnny jokes with them and heckles a guard for a glass of water. Cash’s humanity infuses songs about hopeless prisoners, sad widows and troubled miners – and someone achieves immortality with an approving hoot after Johnny sings, “I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.” The extended Legacy Edition is the one to get. #ClassicAlbums,, #Album #Vinyl, #Country, #JohnnyCash #GreatCountryAlbums

#GreatAlbums1960s, Merle Haggard – I’m a Lonesome Fugitive (1967). In 1959, San Quentin prisoner A45200 saw Johnny Cash perform and decided to reform himself. Eight years later Haggard, the ex-con, had become king of the Bakersfield sound – back-to-basics country with a common touch. The title track and “Life in Prison” (“I’d rather die than live to lose my mind”) take glory out of crime and put humanity back in.

#music, #album, #country, #Americana, #MerleHaggard #GreatCountryAlbums

#GreatAlbums1960s, Patsy Cline – Showcase (1961). Cline’s voice was a sophisticated instrument able to convey downhome simplicity and sultry sophistication. “I Fall to Pieces,” “Crazy” and “Walkin’ After Midnight” are the showstoppers—but country chestnuts “The Wayward Wind” and “San Antonio Rose,” plus Cole Porter’s “True Love” make this a proper album. An artist at her creative peak, supported by Nashville’s A-Team.  #GreatCountryAlbums #music, #country, #Nashville, #PatsyCline

#GreatAlbums1960s, Loretta Lynn – Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’ (1967). Lynn sang with bell-like clarity about everyday joys and troubles. The title track has a woman rejecting sex from her drunk husband, a feminine twist on cryin’ & drinkin’ tropes. “I Got Caught” shows double standards in the lying and cheating game—ugly truths with a common touch. Nashville’s A-Team supports Owen Bradley’s production on a modern country landmark. #music, #album, #country, #LorettaLynn #GreatCountryAlbums