Each year, country music puts out some outstanding albums. AboutCountry Staff writer Jack Lowe gives us his choices for the Top 10 Albums for 2006.
Why did I pick this artist/cd as my first choice? First of all, Taylor is a true talent in every sense of the word. True, she is only 16 years old, but she has packed a lot in that 16 years. She taught herself to play the 12 string guitar, no simple task to learn. She also wrote, or co-wrote all of the 11 songs on her debut CD. And her first single,
"Tim McGraw," has been in the top 20 for several weeks. Not too bad for a newcomer who is up against some really stiff competition. I believe that we are going to be hearing a lot more from this very talented young lady in the future!
This is the first CD from Toby Keith that's released on his own Show Dog record label. The style of this CD is a throwback to the kind of music he was recording in the 1990's. With hits like, "Crash Here Tonight," "Little Too Late" and the bar room anthem "Get Drunk And Be Somebody." This is one of the better CD's from Toby Keith in a while. He had total control over all the songs chosen for this CD, and it shows.
This is the 9th studio album from Lonestar. So far it's only produced the title track as it's first single. I'm sure that we will be hearing a lot more from this CD in 2007. It's filled with more of those great power ballads that you've come to know and love from those four guys from Texas.
A CD that tends to sound a lot more rock than country, Jake Owen's
Startin' With Me is packed with one great song after another. The first single,
"Yee haw" was an instant radio favorite. His follow up single is the title track, which is a song about facing past life mistakes and making changes. All in all a very good CD.
All you really need to see is the name Alabama, and that pretty much says all that needs to be said. This 3-CD set was released back in January of 2006 and is the most comprehensive Alabama collection to date. With never before heard live recordings, a 1973 demo from Randy Owens, the 1982 version of
"Christmas In Dixie" with spoken Christmas wishes from the band members at the end of the song, as well as a truck load of hits. Even if you already have all their other CD's, your collection isn't complete without this one!
This CD lives up to its title. But it also has some really heart warming ballads as well. It's only produced one single thus far, the very tropical sounding
"I Don't Know What She Said." It's a great CD to listen to, especially on a long drive with lots of open road. Crank this one up, and watch your speed.
2006 saw the coming together of to very unlikely and different performers. The Wreckers are comprised of Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp. Michelle with her background in rock, and Jessica with her strong background in country.
But these two women came together and composed one of the best CD's of the year. Fluctuating between soft rock and country, this CD is very cohesive from one track to the next. I don't know if there will be a follow up. But if not, this was a fantastic one shot offering!
This CD was their 4th studio release, and a departure in the sound that made the Dixie Chicks famous. With a more 70's pop oriented sound, the much anticipated Chicks CD took off like a rocket in May, but soon ran out of gas. It produced 2 singles. The edgy
"Not Ready To Make Nice" and the forgettable
"Everybody Knows." All in all it was a good CD, but it seemed to have fallen way short of the hype leading up to it's release. That doesn't take anything away from the fact that this is a very solid CD worth being heard.
OK, so everyone remembers her 2003 hit
"Can You Hear Me When I Talk To You." Well, this CD is a little more revved up with a much more youth oriented country/pop sound. Released on Squeeze Records, it wasn't available through most popular retail outlets, but was, and is for sale on her personal website as well as the record label's site. It's a fun, high energy CD with a lot of toe tapping catchy songs.
Bonnie Nichols is an independent artist from Alaska. I fell in love with this CD the first time I heard her sing. It's released on Open Session Records, and can be purchased from her website at
BonnieNichols.com She writes and sings from a perspective of maturity that only comes from living life and experiencing all it has to offer, both good and bad. Her vocal style reminds me a lot of Kathy Mattea.
Sounding more like soft pop than country, this is a very good CD!
