Best of 2009

I listened to so many amazing recordings this year! While 2009 sucked on dozens of levels, one thing it did not lack was great music. Nevertheless, I am sticking to my personal policy of not having a "top ten" list. Only three releases this year really stuck with me, here in the wee hours of New Year's Eve, each for their own reasons.

"Dirt Town City Limits" by Mat d and the Profane Saints has to be my favorite release of 2009. Solid writing and in-yer-face vocals by Mat, backed up by a road band that absolutely kicks ass. Mat gets props from me on many levels, from the way he lives his life to the way he just never seems to be satisfied. If I was gonna be trapped on a party bus full of strippers taking a road trip from Austin to Vegas, this would be the cd I'd take along.

"Cotton" by Sam Baker is thoughtful, brilliant, and handcrafted by some of the finest session players in Americana. The third release of a deep and moving trilogy of cds by Sam, "Cotton" was Number One on the Euro Americana charts for 2009, but did not receive anywhere near the attention it deserved from what is becoming a rather incestuous Americana awards system here at home. Shame on you, Nashville, somebody seriously needs to slap the wax outta your ears.

"Some Days the Song Writes You" by Guy Clark was notable for many things, not the least of which is the mentoring by Guy on this album of many up-and-coming songwriters. While each song on this album was powerful, spooky "The Guitar" and the reflective "Hemingway's Whiskey" are my personal favorites.

While these are what I consider to be the best original Americana releases for 2009, the rest of the field leaves me encouraged for the future of the genre. Lots of fine music being written and performed out there, so the bar gets a bit higher every year. Happy New Year everybody, here's hoping the blue moon tonight brings us a bit of luck for the new decade!