Ahhh, country music, such a contentious genre. How often have you heard the phrase “oh yeah, I listen to every genre except country” from some random frat dude? Far too often I say, country is great!
That is, a lot of country is great, certainly the post-2001 bro-country movement gets grating on the ears, but that’s not all of what country is.
Today I’ll be sharing with you some of my favourite country albums, songs, and artists to help better acquaint you all with the wonders of the genre.
Must listen albums
Here are a handful of albums that are absolute essentials of the genre, ranked of course.
5. Dreaming my Dreams – Waylon Jennings: 8.5
Just, a deeply pleasant album, an icon of the genre talking about the burden of expectations, the history that came before him, life and love, all with a rich and warm voice that could melt butter.
This isn’t the fanciest, most intricate album out there. It’s not perfectly sculpted. It is, however, comfortable in the same way your father’s one pot after work meal of choice is.
I know in these early days it may feel like I’m just giving out 8.5s, but I’m not, I just had a really good week. An 8.5 means something special, a real treat of an album like this one.
4. Red Headed Stranger – Willie Nelson: 8.75
The man they couldn’t hang is such a classic outlaw moniker, that it only fits that the man himself could make art of this quality.
Red Headed Stranger is a beautiful album. When you think of really good classic country sounds many of you are probably just jumping to Johnny Cash, but this is what should come to mind. It’s both timeless and dated in its cowboy atmosphere.
Willie Nelson doesn’t rush here, he doesn’t beat anything into you, he just tells you story upon story. His voice may not be as rich as Waylon Jennings’, as stony as Johnny Cash’s, or as ‘country’ as what Merle Haggard could do, but it’s sure and steady in it’s own way, and it fits perfectly with his simple guitar style.
3. At Folsom Prison – Johnny Cash: 9.5
Bar none, this is my favourite live album. I come back to every song on here from time to time (except dirty old egg sucking dog because it makes me too sad). It’s everything a live album should be and it’s everything country should be.
The energy is there, the catalogue is there, the audience interaction is there, the charisma is there… You can really tell that the prisoners he’s singing to feel the words he’s saying. He’s never condescending, he sings as though he were one of them.
This albums is at times beautifully sad (Send a Picture of Mother, Dark as a Dungeon, the Wall), at times thrilling (Cocaine Blues, Folsom Prison Blues, 25 Minutes to Go), even silly (Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart).
Excellent guitar work, excellent vocals, and outstanding stage presence. What more could you want?
1 (Tie). Car Wheels on a Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams: 10
It’s very rare for me to find a perfect album at this point, I think I mostly ruined myself for it by burning through the catalogues of my favourite 60s/70s rock stars so fast. All but 3 of my 13 10/10 albums I listened to within my first 100 (Revolver, London Calling, Led Zeppelin IV, etc…) and I went almost 450 albums without finding a single 10 in the bunch, until I came upon this one.
I wasn’t expecting to fall in love in the Uber on my way to my late April haircut, but fall in love I did. From the very first seconds of the blissfully satisfied Right in Time I was hooked, no chance of escape.
This is a perfect album, and I really don’t say that lightly. Every track makes me feel strong emotions. Williams’ drunken drawl somehow turns into the most beautiful instrument in the world (I know I talk a lot about the vocals in this post, but’s it’s country, generally the instruments aren’t doing much beyond quiet accompaniment). She’s deeply depressed, she’s in pure comfort, her stomach is burning with spite; all of these facts I felt deep in my soul at different points listening to this album. Every song is excellent and well worth your time, but my personal favourite is the gut-wrenching Drunken Angel.
Please, give it a listen.
1 (Tie). The Trinity Session – Cowboy Junkies: 10
It probably says something about me that my two favourite country albums are both technically “alt country”, but I’m not introspective enough to comment on that.
This one came to me straight out of my mom’s driving playlist. It’s been a part of my life for as long as I’ve consciously remembered music, I adore it.
According to some folks online (who never make this stuff), Miles Davis once said that “It’s not the notes you play, it’s the notes you don’t play,” and nowhere is that clearer then here. This is an album that makes you feel the weight of silence and emptiness, this is the album you listen to when you’re completely alone and going crazy from the isolation. It won’t help you feel any better, but its still what you do.
Few of the songs on this album are wholly original, but hell, there aren’t better cover artists. Michael Timmins knows how to bend songs in such away that you can’t help but stare in awe.
As beautifully haunting as Margo Timmins’ voice is, it’s only part of the equation. Between Alan Anton’s steady bass, Michael’s relaxed guitar, and Peter Timmins’ measured drums, a perfect setting is staged. On that stage is Margo’s voice, but also Jeff Bird’s anguished harmonica.
Perfection.
Song reccomendations
God, it’s hard to follow a list like that. Oh well, here we go (dw about the order)
- Mining for Gold – Cowboy Junkies
- My Proud Mountains – Townes Van Zandt
- Jackson – Johnny Cash
- Fightin’ Side of Me – Merle Haggard
- Working Girl – Dolly Parton
- Angel from Montgomery – John Prine OR Bonnie Raitt
- The Lone Prairie – Sam Shackleton
- Something in the Orange – Zach Bryan
- Nothin’ – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
- I Don’t Remember Loving You – John Conlee
Hope you like 🙂
Garnet's Gems 
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