Jennifer Webb's Top 10 Country Albums of 2008

Good ole King George was back with Troubadour, and I'm sure this album will be on many people's list of favorites. One of the things I like in an artist is consistency and it's been obvious for quite a while now that George Strait has that down pat. He doesn't try to change his sound or image just to fit what's popular at present. The songs on this album are comfortable for older / newer fans alike and will definitely stand the test of time.
Compare Prices

Cadillac Sky's music is a refreshing mixture of bluegrass, acoustic, and anything else they feel like throwing in to their songs. Gravity's Our Enemy not only has the obvious fast and slow songs, but there are also three wonderful instrumentals included: "My Precious Waltz," "Thank You Esteban," and "The Majestic Swan." What I like about the instrumentals is that the members have a chance to showcase their playing instead of having all the focus be on vocals (though they are just as good).
Compare Prices

Chris Knight has been a favorite of mine from the Americana side of the "Texas Country" scene since the first time I heard one of his songs. What is great about Heart Of Stone is that you can tell there's a shift in the way he wrote most of the lyrics as compared to past works. However, all of this is without him changing the overall feeling fans have come to expect from his music. There's some dirt and grit to his songs, which only makes me want to listen to him some more.
Compare Prices

It seems that with this self-titled release, the Randy Rogers Band has managed to step up their musical game one hundred and ten percent. The band of course deserves praise, but so does the producer - Radney Foster. He's worked with many artists this year but did such a top-notch job on this album.
Compare Prices

This is a group that has managed to completely take me by surprise starting in the beginning of the year and lasting until the end of the year. Lead vocalist Chris Stapleton's soulful voice mixed in with a traditional bluegrass sound is what makes makes their music different from what many would call the "usual" way of doing things.
Compare Prices

Words cannot express how happy I was to see / hear that Lee Ann Womack stuck with a traditional country sound again on Call Me Crazy. I've always thought her voice was well-suited for a classic sound and does she ever sound great on these twelve songs. Guest vocalists include George Strait and Keith Urban, which are nice treats for the listeners.
Compare Prices

Traditional, honky-tonkin' country music - how sweet the sound. There are a few great stand-out tracks including "Going On Later On," "If The Devil Brought You Roses," and Mark's cover of the Charlie Rich song "Rollin' With The Flow." There's also a song with a great Waylon Jennings sound to it and the title is "Long Way To Go." Mark Chesnutt is another artist whose music has generally been consistent throughout the years.
Compare Prices

Ashton Shepherd sings songs just like she talks - and that's as country as can be. In my opinion, many of today's female country stars could be taught a lesson from this newcomer and one of those lessons is: Stay true to your roots and don't be afraid to show how country you really are. The traditional sound is fantastic.
Compare Prices

The guys in the Eli Young Band really seemed to get things right on their second album and can count on me as a big fan. Though many of their songs have a heavy rock influence, to me that's a positive instead of a negative. Producing jolts of electricity thrown in over country-style lyrics makes for a great overall sound as proven with Jet Black And Jealous.
Compare Prices

With an album like this, Andy Griggs deserves to be included in my Top 10 list. I feel like his recently-released music is not getting the attention it deserves and that's sad for somone so talented to not be recognized as much as he was in the past. 'The Good Life' contains songs suited perfectly for not only Andy's voice, but his personality too and there's a good mix of uptempo songs / ballads to go around. It's well-balanced with something for just about anyone.
Compare Prices