Here’s one last salute to 2009, a mix of songs that made it a little more pleasant. When I was putting this together, I was struck by the age of the artists, as it favors the over-40 crowd, but that’s where I am these days.
The elders represented are still making interesting choices, from Levon Helm’s best album not with the Band to Rosanne Cash putting her stamp on her father’s view of the classics to Robert Earl Keen rocking out harder than ever to the Hot Club of Cowtown still doing Bob Wills proud.
These 21 tracks fit onto one seemingly ancient compact disc and, along with the previous mix I offered in July, provides my view of some of the best of the past twelve months. Enjoy.
1) Levon Helm, “Tennessee Jed,” Electric Dirt (Vanguard)
2) Son Volt, “Jukebox of Steel,” American Central Dust (Rounder)
3) Chuck Prophet, “American Man,” ¡Let Freedom Ring! (Yep Roc)
4) Bettysoo, “Never Knew No Love,” Heat Sin Water Skin
5) Drive-By Truckers, “When the Well Runs Dry,” The Fine Print (New West)
6) Buddy & Julie Miller, “Gasoline and Matches,” Written In Chalk (New West)
7) Patty Loveless, “A Handful of Dust,” Mountain Soul II (Saguaro Road)
8) Avett Brothers, “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise,” I and Love and You (American)
9) Lyle Lovett, “Pantry,” Natural Forces (Lost Highway)
10) Dave Rawlings Machine, “To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High),” A Friend of a Friend (Acony)
11) Two High String Band, “High On the Ohio,” Hot Texas Bluegrass Burrito
12) Elvis Costello, “Hidden Shame,” Secret, Profane and Sugarcane (Hear Music)
13) Radney Foster, “Forgiveness,” Revival (Devil’s River)
14) Hector Ward & the Big Time, “Dirty Soul Shaker,” Freightline Funk
15) Robert Earl Keen, “Throwin’ Rocks,” The Rose Hotel (Lost Highway)
16) Shannon McNally & Hot Sauce, “Lonesome, Ornery and Mean,” Coldwater
17) Guy Clark, “Somedays You Write the Song,” Somedays the Song Writes You (Dualtone)
18) Rosanne Cash, “I’m Movin’ On,” The List (Manhattan)
19) Hot Club of Cowtown, “Can’t Go On This Way,” Wishful Thinking (Gold Strike)
20) Michael Martin Murphey, “Carolina in the Pines,” Buckaroo Blue Grass (Rural Rhythm)
21) Steve Earle, “Lungs,” Townes (New West)
This article appears in 2009.