After the dark and chilling themes of 2006's BLACK CADILLAC, which saw Rosanne Cash dealing with the deaths of her mother, Vivian Liberto, her father, Johnny Cash, and her stepmother, June Carter Cash -- all of whom passed within a two-year one might assume that her next project would move into an even deeper level of bleakness, but with THE LIST, it's immediately clear that she has instead found a more measured place to stand. It's a lovely and redemptive outing that looks back to go forward. When Cash turned 18, her father, alarmed that his daughter only knew the songs that were getting played on the radio, gave her a list of what he considered 100 essential American songs; Cash kept that list, and now she's drawn on it for this wonderfully nuanced outing that brims with a kind of redemptive timelessness. THE LIST is a renewal and a testament to life, and it belongs to her father as much as it belongs to her, a beautiful restatement of her father's passions, only now, they've become his daughter's treasures, as well. It's an affirming story, but that's all it would be if Cash didn't sing her heart out here. The opener, a version of Jimmie Rodgers' "Miss the Mississippi and You," is full of comfortable grace and sentiment, and Cash keeps that fine emotional tone throughout this set. Songs like the folk classic "500 Miles" feel at once both lovingly rendered and reborn for a new century in Cash's hands. There's also her fine rendering of Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country," a nice turn at Harlan Howard's "Heartaches by the Number" (which features Elvis Costello), a calm but still spooky duet with Jeff Tweedy on the faux-murder ballad "Long Black Veil," and a duet with Bruce Springsteen on Hal David and Paul Hampton's "Sea of Heartbreak." Cash sings with a calm, measured authority, and all these the songs fit together with the same sort of refreshing resignation and care.

  Natural Forces CD
  by Lyle Lovett
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. Retreating to generally quieter territory after the somewhat splashy IT'S NOT BIG IT'S LARGE, Lyle Lovett also backs away from original tunes on NATURAL FORCES, choosing to devote the bulk of the 11-track album to other writers. Covers are common for Lovett, but not since 1998's STEP INSIDE THIS HOUSE has he spent so much time singing other's songs, and he revisits some of the same composers as before, picking tunes from Townes Van Zandt and Vince Bell, while co-writing "It's Rock and Roll" with Robert Earl Keen. As before, Lyle gravitates toward gentle, moody songs, with Tommy Elskes' slyly sarcastic blues, "Bohemia," being the liveliest of the bunch, opting to give NATURAL FORCES some humor and tempo through his originals, particularly the bawdy, rollicking "Pantry" and the dirty jump blues "Farmer Brown/Chicken Reel." These aren't scattered throughout the release; rather, they act as anchors to a record that wanders down its own quiet, idiosyncratic path.

Audio Mixer: Nathaniel Kunkel.


  Southern Voice CD
  by Tim Mcgraw
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Based on title alone, it would seem that SOUTHERN VOICE picks up on the harder country edges of LET IT GO, but that's not the case: this is Tim McGraw's rockiest album yet, opening with a slow, spacy crawl called "Still" that would not be out of place on a record by a U2 knockoff and taking the occasional detour to Nickelback territory on the Chad Kroeger co-written "It's a Business Doing Pleasure with You." That tune bristles with Kroeger's barely veiled, unwitting hostility, something that the big-hearted McGraw doesn't wear well and it's something he wisely side-steps on the rest of the record, choosing to mine a sentimental, meditative vein, musing on major changes in his life and wondering what will happen after he's gone. Such big themes fit both the big, atmospheric rock sounds and the reflective acoustic ballads well, creating an inward vibe that is occasionally punctuated by a rocker, like the laundry list of great Southern names on the title track.

Recording information: NRG Recording Studios, North Hollywood, CA; Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA.


  American Ride CD
  by Toby Keith
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With most contemporary country artists, you could guarantee that a song called "American Ride" would be a slice of jingoism, but Toby Keith isn't like most country singers. His "American Ride" casts a cynical eye at desperate housewives and wannabe pop stars, not celebrating down-home values but wondering where we're all headed on this American Ride at the end of the 2000s, a sentiment not all that far removed from some of Keith's previous social commentary, which makes it a mild surprise that it is the only song here that doesn't come from his own pen. As superb and striking as it is, it's not necessarily a good keystone for the rest of the record, which does have a few tougher numbers that pick up on the lean, mean vibe of 2008's THAT DON'T MAKE ME A BAD GUY -- "Every Dog Has Its Day," the sly "If I Had One," and the heavy blues stomp "Loaded" -- but spends more time on the softer side, even when he kicks up a bit of dust on the dancefloor on "You Can't Read My Mind" or does a funny, respectful salute to military life on "Ballad of Balad." In other words, the real touchstone for the rest of the record is "Tender as I Wanna Be," where he lets his guard down and lets the romance flow. This doesn't turn AMERICAN RIDE into a schizophrenic jumble, as Keith has always balanced these two extremes, but after spending a little bit more time swaggering than wooing, he's back to crooning and it's amiable and appealing.

  #1's... And Then Some CD
  by Brooks & Dunn
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Three weeks before the release of this double-disc best-of-and-then-some collection, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, who as Brooks & Dunn were one of the most successful duos in country music history, decided to call it a day after 19 years, 40 singles (half of which topped the country charts), ten studio albums, and a slew of awards. As far as the industry was concerned, they went out on top. #1s... AND THEN SOME contains 30 tracks spread over two discs and includes two new songs. Disc One opens with Ronnie Dunn and Terry McBride's barroom/stadium rock killer "Honky Tonk Stomp," which features special guest guitar blazer Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, and Disc Two opens with the pair's own "Indian Summer," a midtempo ballad that's as fine a summation of their collective career as listeners are likely to get. Dozens of familiar cuts are here, from B & D's first smash "Boot Scootin' Boogie" to the gorgeous cover of B.W. Stevenson's "My Maria" plus a slew of other hits and B-side--including "Cowgirls Don't Cry" and "If You See Him/If You See Her," both with Reba McEntire. While it's true that many of these tracks have been collected on the two previous hits collections, this is the first time that all the Number Ones have been in one place, and it's the best argument there is for the legacy they leave behind.

  Twang CD
  by George Strait
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Perhaps even more impressive than George Strait's astounding number of platinum albums and chart-topping singles is his uncompromising consistency; TWANG is yet another welcome set of same sort of finely crafted, traditionally-rooted country music that Strait spent decades refining. That said, there are a few surprises. One is that the veteran singer wrote several songs on TWANG with his son Bubba, including the steel guitar-laden hit single weeper "Living for the Night." Additionally, "El Rey" marks the first time that Strait recorded a complete song in Spanish. Tracked in Key West, Florida, the album reflects the area's relaxed attitude, with Strait's trademark warm vocals wrapping themselves around the top-notch material with an easy confidence and down-home spirit.

  50 Number Ones CD
  by George Strait
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From the early 1980s onward, there's been no greater champion of traditional country-music values in the mainstream (and none more successful) than George Strait. Like a virtual Ramones of country, he's remained unshakeable in his devotion to a straightforward, no-frills aesthetic of which he's become the unquestioned standard-bearer. This populist stance has accordingly resounded with huge numbers of listeners; if you thought it was impressive when Alabama released a hits collection containing 40 Number One country hits, try Strait's 50 NUMBER ONES on for size. In keeping with Strait's singular approach, the passage of time is difficult to notice here. From the wistful 1982 lost-love tale "Fool Hearted Memory" to the one new song, 2004's "I Hate Everything," Strait's amiable mix of honky-tonk, Western Swing, and bar-room ballads is remarkably consistent, providing the perfect framework for each sentiment just as comfortably as his warm, inviting voice serves the songs. Unlike many artists' best-of collections, there's no chronological peak beyond which the hits stop coming; 50 NUMBER ONES contains just as many latter-day smashes as early chart-toppers, a testament to the remarkable staying power and clarity of vision that make George Strait a star.

  Hank Williams Revealed: The Unreleased Recordings CD
  by Hank Williams
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3-CD set. 54 tracks drawn from his recordings for the Mother's Best Flour Company in 1951. This set includes more conversation, and each disc includes a complete show with many highlights.

Hank Williams Revealed is just as good as the previous set, re-mastered superbly, the big difference is fewer singles and 3 complete shows in their place. I have supplied a link to an older release from Readers Digest that also includes 3 complete shows. It's titled The Legendary Hank WilliamsThe Legendary Hank Williams - 4 CD Set It's a 4 CD set. The first 3 are identical to the CD's in the first box set "Unreleased Recordings".

The fourth CD is three complete shows. No new material except that the shows are complete and include all the dialog and all three are different than any of the three in the new box set "Revealed". I don't know how many copies are still available, so if you're interested, I would act fast. Thanks to all who had a hand in this Mothers Best project, I think they got it right on this project.

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