Top 10 Country Albums of 2000

By JIM PATTERSON
The Associated Press - December 27, 2000

Copyright 2000 - 2004 The Associated Press.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The reason most of the country music albums on this
Top 10 list for 2000 are somewhat obscure isn’t complex: Most are more raw than is fashionable, and three are folk records.

Some critical leeway was applied: Emmylou Harris’ fine ``Red Dirt Girl’’ wasn’t counted because musically she’s strayed so far away. But John Hiatt’s bluesy ``Crossing Muddy Waters’’ was - although it’s a stretch. ``Good Old Boys,’’ listed at No. 8, was released in 1999, but it got so little publicity, it hardly matters.

1. ``The Hardest Part’’ (MCA) - Allison Moorer

As good an album as was made in any music genre in 2000. Moorer traces the
arc of a love affair to a tragic conclusion. The songwriting is exquisite, and Moorer’s sultry alto conveys the weight of the world. A classic.

2. ``American III: Solitary Man’’ (American Recordings) - Johnny Cash

The legendary Man in Black continues an artistic renaissance, aided by producer Rick Rubin. Cash reaches into the catalogs of Neil Diamond, David Alan Coe, U2, Will Oldham and Nick Cave to make an old-fashioned folk album. He also writes four new songs, including ``Before My Time,’’ a charming love song to his wife. But the key songs are Oldham’s ``I See a Darkness,’’ where two old friends search for meaning in life, and Cave’s ``Mercy Seat,’’ a devastating portrait of an execution. Cash isn’t just still around - he’s breaking new ground. Hallelujah.

3. ``I Hope You Dance ‘’ (MCA) - Lee Ann Womack

Womack proves that pop country isn’t such a bad thing, as long as it’s good pop country. The album includes the rocking single ``Ashes by Now.’’ On other songs, Womack gives deserving alternative country songwriters some exposure. ``I Hope You Dance’’ was single of the year.

4. ``Big Mon: The Songs of Bill Monroe’’ (Skaggs Family Records) - Ricky
Skaggs and Friends

If you took a thorough look at all the great bluegrass music released in 2000, you might knock off half the other entries on this list to make room for them. But at least pick up this tribute to Bill Monroe. It has stars like the Dixie Chicks and John Fogerty, and the artists sound like they are enjoying themselves immensely. If this is your first direct brush with Monroe’s music, prepare to discover something truly great.

5. ``Play it Loud’’ (Virgin) - Chris Cagle

This brash Texan hit immediately with the urgent single ``My Love Goes On and On,’’ and there is better stuff on the album. Cagle has a strong streak of Southern Rock, and he can sing the requisite love songs without sounding like a wimp. Mostly, he’s got passion, an ingredient sorely lacking in many other male country singers now on the charts.

6. ``Pocketful of Soul’’ (Courageous Chicken) - Jason Ringenberg

The leader of the punk country band Jason & The Scorchers tones it down for a solo folk album, and sounds like he’s found a whole new career. Ringenberg’s
songwriting is the real revelation. He tackles history in ``The Price of Progress,’’ lionizes bar singers in ``Last of the Neon Cowboys’’ and does a tribute to his daughter that will bring a tear to your eye. Then there’s the hoe-down instrumental and the gospel song with the killer power-pop guitar riff. It’s all great.

7. ``Crossing Muddy Waters’’ (Vanguard) - John Hiatt

This is country blues, with one of America’s best rock songwriters stripping away the electric guitars and replacing them with an acoustic trio. Mostly tales of men at the end of their rope, ``Crossing Muddy Waters’’ is as soulful as a Mississippi John Hurt record and as verbally articulate as Elvis Costello.

8. ``Good Old Boys’’ (Rounder) - John Hartford

Another folkie outing, this by the guy best known for writing ``Gentle on My Mind.’’ Hartford is quirky as ever, basing one song on an elderly, unmarried couple he knew who liked to sit around outside nude in the summertime. The heart of the album is the 10-minute opus ``The Cross-Eyed Child,’’ his emotional tribute to Bill Monroe. Hartford lengthens the song with raps about Monroe’s life, which are as good as the song itself.

9. ``Fearless’’ (Mercury) - Terri Clark

A straightforward country singer tries to branch out a bit - reason enough for applause in such a conservative industry. But Clark pulls it off, with the help of co-writers including Mary Chapin Carpenter and Kim Richey. Sometimes this sounds a little too much like Carpenter’s brand of thoughtful pop, but that’s not such a bad thing. Queue up ``Getting There’’ for a refreshing blend of lyrics that say something, Beatles-like production touches and melody, and a singer who means what she’s saying.

10. ``Super Colossal Bluegrass Hits’’ (Unknown) - Various Artists

A taste of the future. This CD, subtitled ``Bluegrass Interpretations of Rock Classics, ’’ isn’t a major, or even minor, record company release. Some fans put together their own CD and apparently started handing out copies around Nashville. Its artwork features blurry stills from the film ``Deliverance.’’ There’s great stuff on it, all of it available on regular albums. Sam Bush does a winning take on Elvis Costello’s ``Everyday I Write the Book,’’ Maura O’Connell does The Beatles’ ``I Will’’ and Tim O’Brien performs a pair of Bob Dylan songs. This is a great concept that one of those corporate giants could have done. Lesson: Great music is always swirling around, and all we have to do is make an effort to find it.

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