CMT Blog: Archive

Here's the question I am probably asked the most: "Have you heard anything good lately?" And if you'd ask me that now, I'd have a lot of recommendations for you.

Lately I keep going back to Tift Merritt's Another Country (due Feb. 26). Her voice is wonderfully soothing, and she makes sure that every word counts. I like her perspective too - taking risks and getting past the bumps in the road. She's a native of North Carolina, but now living in New York City - much like Ryan Adams. Ryan and I are the same age, but when his band Whiskeytown released the album Strangers Almanac in 1997, I didn't quite know what to make of it. What can I say, I was really innocent back then, which makes me even more enthusiastic about the double-disc reissue (due March 4), with a bunch of bonus tracks I'd never heard before. My favorite cuts are "Dancing With the Women at the Bar," which I consider one of the best songs in his extensive catalog, and a sturdy cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams."

Two of my favorite country artists from my high school days are back with solid albums too. Carlene Carter's Stronger (due March 4) shows her songwriting is still in peak form. I was relieved, too, because I used to play her big hit, "Every Little Thing," all the time. This was when I was just getting into country music, and Kathy Mattea happened to be one of the first country concerts I saw. When I heard she was making an album about coal mining (Coal, due April 1), I figured I'd listen to it once and file it forever. Surprise! It's really good. Marty Stuart lends his expert producing skill.

Also in my pile, I just received Kathleen Edwards' new album, Asking For Flowers (due March 4) and Ricky Skaggs' tribute to Bill Monroe, Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947 (due March 25). Just in time for a weekend road trip. Farther down the road, I'm looking forward to Dierks Bentley's Greatest Hits (due May 6) as well.

In case you missed it, here's a playlist of some pretty cool songs I've heard lately.

http://blog.cmt.com/2008-01-29/my-favorite-songs-of-the-year-so-far/