Dave Alvin - Eleven Eleven

This CD has spent more time in my player than just about any other this year. From the rockin' "Harlan County Line" to the humorous "What's Up With Your Brother" (a duet with Phil), there isn't a bad song here. Great guitar playing, a solid band and Dave's deep vocals. What else could you ask for?

Across The Borderline - Lie To me

Across The Borderline is a project featuring the amazing duet of BettySoo and Doug Cox. BettySoo, has a voice that goes way beyond her 5 foot frame and Doug is a very tasty guitar and Dobro player. Together they have created a cover CD that grabs you from the opening title track and doesn't really let up. These covers aren't standard fair. You've got a bit of country from Guy Clark's "Dublin Blues", but there is also the wonderful folk humor of Loudon Wainwright. And BettySoo's interpretation of Jane Siberry's "You Don't Need" is gorgeous. You can pick up this excellent CD at BettySoo's website.

Sam Phillips - Solid State

How do you go about selecting a dozen (a baker's dozen actually) songs from Sam Phillips' Long Play project for a CD? Not only do I have no clue, but the odds are, if you ask a dozen of her fans to select the 13 songs, you will get about 20 different lists. There really wasn't a weak song in the 50 or so that were released for the project (You can still get full access to the project by going to http://samphillips.com ) so Sam could have easily just pulled the names out of a hat and we all would have been happy. And that is what Solid State is; not 13 of the best, but 13 that Sam wanted to share with the less die hard fans (or at least those fans that don't do digital download yet). I've talked about all of these songs in the past and I continue to love each and every one of them. You can buy this excellent collection at her website.