March
08   Kelly Willis     Cradle Of Love
This track and Kelly's voice just fit together perfectly. Hear it on the radio and you will wish it was on tape/CD so you can play it again. I picked this after hearing it just once.

15   The Tractors     Linda Lou
Typical Tractors, with lyrics like 'She had a yodel in her walk/A swing like a new back door'. Turn it up and try to keep your feet still while listening , you will not manage it.

22   Brooks & Dunn     South Of Santa Fe
Brooks & Dunn at their best. If they carry on like this they be CMA Duo of the year for the eight year.

29   Kenny Chesney     She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy
Country Music has always been comfortable with a sense of humor, although sometimes humour can be used to hide a poor song. That is not the case here.

April
05   Chad Brock     Evangeline
Now that spring has arrived and you can open your car window without getting frostbite we need a happy upbeat song. This it is. (Puzzled Nashville readers should at this point remember this is a UK site)

12   Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Rondstadt     After The Gold Rush
This is the old Neil Young song redone. Listen to the vocal harmony and try and work out how it (and the rest of the album) could have been left in a basement for the last five years.

19   Dixie Chicks     Tonight The Heartaches On Me
The Chicks will not need any help from me to have a hit with this(currently #36). A traditional sound brought up to date, but not by too much.

26   Deana Carter     Angels Working Overtime
Some songs take a while to grow on you, others work first time. This one worked for me even when half heard on the radio from another room in a noisy house!

May
03   Steve Earle & Del McCoury Band     Dixieland
Steve has looked to bluegrass for this album, but this track heads off in an traditional Irish direction with some fine playing from the Del McCourey Band.

10   George Strait     Write This Down
George is still on top form after who knows how many albums, showing that he can effortlessly deliver lyrics that would defeat many a lesser singer

17   Patty Loveless & Vince Gill     My Kind Of Woman, My Kind Of Man
It would be a miracle if this wasn't good, bringing together as it does two of todays best vocalists. Previously Patty and Vince have sung background vocals on each others album, but here is a full duet

24   Shedaisy     Little Good Byes
They are bound to be compared to the Dixie Chicks (not in itself a bad thing), but they are different. An excellent debut well worth a listen.

31   Sherrie Austin     Never Been Kissed
An up tempo song with a powerful chorus which stays in your head all day after hearing it.

June
07   Kenny Rodgers     She Rides Wild Horses
Kennys voice is spot on. Anyone who tries to write him off as 80's country had better take a listen.

14   Sara Evans     Fool, I'm A Woman
Sara at last getting the attention she Deserves. 'The Crying Game' has been remixed for the UK and is on daytime radio, this however is her latest US release.

21   Shania Twain     You've Got A Way
This, the last track on Shania's latest CD, is also the most 'country' vocal on the album. Written by Shania and husband Mutt it should silence the 'Twains not country' crowd. Note: This is the original US version, not the UK remixed version.

28   Chad Brock     Lightening does the work
Not the first time Chad has appeared in this list, but this is too good to ignore just because of that!. Must get a Chad Brock page on the site soon.

July
05   Alabama     20th Century
Having been around and successful for a greater part of the century than most other current acts Alabama must surely be the right group for this song. Fairly upbeat and thought provoking enough without getting heavy.

12   Claudia Church     Home In My Heart, North Carolina
What can I say about this? Simply it passed the 'rewind test' with flying colours. (Rewind-test: A song so good that when I hear it the first time I immediately rewind the tape to hear it again)

19   Dwight Yoakam     Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Covering well know songs is always risky. Stick with the same style and people say 'why did he bother', change the style they cry 'why did he do that to a good song?'. No problems here though, Dwight knows just what he is doing.

26   The Wilkinsons     Yodellin' Blues
Nobody yodels in country songs nowadays. Fortunately nobody explained this to the Wilkinsons, giving Amanda chance to do something a little different.

August
02   Dixie Chicks     Ready To Run
This single is released ahead of the new CD 'Fly'. Will the Chicks sell out to the pop market? Not if this is anything to go by, the vocals are excellent, but just wait for that instrumental break.

09   David Ball     I Want To With You
A good lively, upbeat song which passed the rewind test with flying colours.

16   Brad Paisly     Me Neither
Clever and humourus lyric writing paints a great picture of an unsuccesful, but quick witted, cowboy.

23   Shedaisy     What A Woman Needs
An excellent song with fantastic harmonies. While the instrumentals are good you get the feeling if you took them away the song would still be as strong

September
06   Ricky Scaggs     The Darkest Hour
From the man who once had difficulty getting a recording contract because he was 'too country'! Ricky keeps on turning out quality material in his usual style. Singing and picking are both first class

13   Pam Tillis     After A Kiss
Pams distinctive voice on top form on this up tempo song from the up coming film 'Happy Texas'

20   Montgomery Gentry     Hillbilly Shoes
Oops! With so many record companies try to give the music a squeaky clean and up market image, here is some which yells 'fun' and 'Honky Tonk'. Enjoy!

27   Mindy McReady     All I Want Is Everything
A Lively up tempo sound with an infectious hook, Had Mindy and all the musicians just had a suprise pay rise? So much going on you could be forgiven for expecting a good old Dukes of Hazzard 'Yee-Haa' at the end.

October
04   Doug Stone     Take A Letter, Maria
A cover version with a solid country sound. An acoustic guitar intro to get your attention and the into a lively sound which will stay in your head all day.

11   Leanne Rimmes     Big Deal
This song starts slow but quickly builds to a peak, and then stays there. Give it a listen.

18   Steve Holey     Don't Make Me Beg
Different! A swing sound with a hard driving beat and excellent instrumentals. Now why don't we hear more music like this?

25   Alan Jackson     She Just Started Liking Cheating Songs
Another cover version. Alan has easily avoided any temptation to go over the top, and recorded it in his own easy, understated way. Also great touches on the guitar play.

November
01   Faith Hill     Breathe
Faith's first entry on this list. The song has borrowed the highly produced style from pop-crossover, but still easily earns its place here. Faith manages to hold her own and deliver the song with feeling.

08   Asleep At The Wheel & Dixie Chicks     Roly Poly
The Chicks again? Well, this is more the style of Asleep At The Wheel than Dixie Chicks (the second swing track on the list in 4 weeks!), but the two work so well together on this lively track, but the Chicks are already at home with fiddles.

15   Toby Keith     How Do You Like Me Now
A song does not need to tell a story to be good, although Nashville has a tradition of producing ones that do. Here is a good tale of how many an artist who has made it big must feel about the doubters along the way.

22   Gary Allen     Loving You Against My Will
An excellent example of the country ballad. Nothing more needs to be said.

29   Baibi     Sweet Loving In The Night Time
Where have all the songs like this been? A lively upbeat song that takes you back to the styles of the 70's and 80's. Listen and your feet will not stay still!

December
06   Sammy Kershaw     Me And Maxine
A lively, catchy song which will surely find its way on to many radio stations playlists.

13   Alison Krauss     Stay
Alisons previous CD was a hard act to follow, this song manages it by combining Alisons amazing voice plus skillful playing.

20   Clint Black & Steve Wariner     Been There
Clint and Steve work well together and provide excellent vocals. Being from Clint's D'electrified album means acoustic instrumental only. Lots of harmonica, in fact so much that that the vocals stop half way through and leave the rest to the band!

27   Keith Urban     It's A Love Thing
A lively up beat song that will get your feet tapping and, be warned, will stay in your head all day.