Country Music, Willie Nelson 2010

2010 album from the Country legend. On Country Music, Willie Nelson goes back to his roots with a songbook of classic Americana. The album was recorded in Nashville, TN and produced by T Bone Burnett. Nelson wrote one track on the album, 'Man With The Blues' and, with T Bone Burnett, co-arranged three traditional songs, 'Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down', 'I Am A Pilgrim,' and 'Nobody's Fault But Mine.' The album also features many popular old-time/Bluegrass/Folk songs including Ernest Tubb's 'Seaman's Blues', Merle Travis' 'Dark As A Dungeon' and Doc Watson's 'Freight Train Boogie'. Willie Nelson collaborated with many musicians on Country Music including old-time banjo master Riley Baugus, double bassist Dennis Crouch, and T Bone himself, all musicians featured on Raising Sand, the 2009 Grammy Award-winning Album of the Year by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Amazon

Court Yard Hounds, Court Yard Hounds 2010

Emily Robison and Martie Maguire of The Dixie Chicks are releasing new music under the moniker Court Yard Hounds. The Court Yard Hounds profoundly evocative songs tell stories woven into melodies that are both individual and universal. Robison is the lead vocalist and primary writer on most of the tracks, although Maguire takes over the lead on her own solo composition, "Gracefully". The new music spans sounds of folk, country, rock and Americana and includes a collaboration with Jakob Dylan on "See You in the Spring", the wry tale of a couple from the northernmost and southernmost parts of the country who find their biggest obstacle is climatic.

Texas also asserts itself more contentedly in "The Coast", which celebrates neither the east nor west but south coast, and Skyline, which was inspired by the view of San Antonio from Robison's loft. Faster paced songs range from the self-doubting levity of "Then Again" to the fiery outrage of "Ain't No Son", a song about an angry, disapproving father. Fairytale speaks to romantic enchantment, while there's no happily-ever-after in sight in the breakup songs "April's Love" and "It Didn't Make a Sound". Amazon

Solo: Songs My Dad Loved , Ricky Skaggs 2009

2009 release, the first ever 'solo' album from Ricky Skaggs. No studio musicians. No guest artists. Just Ricky Skaggs doing what Ricky Skaggs does best. Highly regarded as an award winning Country and Bluegrass music master, Skaggs is legendary for bringing renewed hope and vitality to the Country music mainstream in the early 1980's with scores of #1 hits and numerous awards and for his triumphant return to his first love, bluegrass, with his successful Skaggs Family Records label. But the true story behind his remarkable career can be traced back to the first music he remembers hearing: the songs his dad loved. From a child prodigy to one of today's musical heroes, Ricky Skaggs continues to inspire his audiences with the heritage and the history of the old time songs embedded deep in his soul by his father. Skaggs Family

2009 release from the four-time Grammy Award winner and former American Idol winner. Carrie has come a long way since her AI days including selling more than 10 million albums, garnering ACM and CMA awards and becoming the first Country artist in history to achieve 10 #1 singles from her first two albums. To top that all off, she was also recently inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame! This 2009 album includes the first single 'Cowboy Casanova'. (Sony)

Well known for their vivacious personalities and sense of musical adventure, the Curb Records duo displays their more pensive side on the hit 'Fight Like a Girl.' The song engaged country radio and served to whet appetites for Kristy and Kelley's new project, a well-crafted collection that finds the talented twosome hitting their stride as songwriters and vocalists. Several years of touring have given them an extra measure of confidence in what they wanted to say and how best to say it. (Curb records)

2009 release from the Scottish-born Canadian Country artist, his fifth album overall. Reid was nominated for the 2008 Juno Award for Country Recording Of The Year and was named Male Artist Of The Year at the 2008 CCMA Awards. 10 tracks including the single 'A Woman Like You'. Universal

Tim McGraw has sold over 40 million units and dominated the charts with 30 #1 singles. He's won three Grammys, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards, 10 American Music Awards, three People's Choice Awards and numerous others. The first single from Southern Voice, 'It's A Business Doing Pleasure With You', is an up-tempo, tongue-in-cheek tale about the price paid for loving a woman who loves designer labels, penned by Nickelback's Chad Kroeger and singer-songwriter Brett James. Amazon

As always, Patty Loveless connects with listeners, singing about their joys and sorrows. Sleepless Nights is her newly recorded homage to the classic country hits of the '50s, '60s, and '70s. She personally selected each song, country classics first made popular by George Jones, Hank Locklin, Porter Wagoner, Webb Pierce, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Conway Twitty. Born and bred country, Patty's pure crooning on these favorites is yearning and melancholy, enhanced only by sparse accompaniment. The new sessions feature several legendary band members: guitarist Harold Bradley, who played on the original hits of Patsy Cline and Roy Orbison; blind pianist Pig Robbins, an equally legendary session musician for decades: and the brilliant Al Perkins (ex-Flying Burrito Brothers and Manassas member) who plays steel guitar on many tracks. Amazon

2009 album from the Country Music favorite. Martina McBride's illustrious career has produced 22 Top 10 hits, 18 million albums sold, four CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Awards, three ACM Top Female Vocalist Awards, and a Grammy Award. Since her debut album, she has consistently produced timely and thought provoking music and Shine, continues Martina's musical legacy. The 11-song collection is the first producing collaboration between Dann Huff (Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban) and McBride, and has already spawned a Top 20 smash with 'Ride'. Amazon

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Keith Urban is an artist in all aspects of the word. He carefully crafts the songs he records, tweaking lyrics and melodies until they are just right. Keith might argue that a song is never perfect, but judging from the rapid success of his latest single, "Sweet Thing," fans do not agree. After only ten weeks on the chart, the lead single from Keith's March 31st release, Defying Gravity, has already cracked the Top-10!

"Defying Gravity comes from the lyrics of a song on the album and it just struck me at the time as a phrase that really defined the joyous, optimistic and uplifting spirit that seemed to show itself while making the album," says Keith. Amazon

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