The 9513, Country Universe and (no doubt) other websites and publications are busy finalizing and publishing their Best Albums of the Decade lists. It is, of course an impossible task as there are hundreds of country and bluegrass albums issued each year, amounting to thousands of albums released during the last decade. When we add to that all of the pseudo-country albums (alt-country, Americana, etc.), the number is staggering.

I have listened to only a fraction of those thousands of albums. Some I never had the opportunity to hear, some I avoided because I did not like the singer’s voice (I’d rather hear a good singer sing a mediocre song than hear a mediocre singer sing a good song) and others I may have heard but they left so little impression that I forgot that I heard them. The 9513 took nominations from its various contributors and put together a list of about 250 albums, to which the individual contributor could add and rank additional titles. My own personal top 100 probably includes 25 or so titles that garnered little consideration from the rest of the staff.

This is to be expected since I am The 9513’s oldest contributor. Moreover, I grew up listening to traditional country music, with Hank and Lefty and Ernest Tubb playing on Dad’s record player. I also developed a taste for big band jazz, pop standards and Irish (not Celtic) folk music. My interest in rock ended when rock ‘n roll degenerated into heavy metal, acid rock, punk, etc–I can barely stand Marshall Tucker, and bands such as Lynryd Skynyrd, The Eagles, Kansas and Uncle Tupelo leave me cold. Certainly, this musical background influences my current tastes and preferences.

This is my personal list of the Top 30 country albums of the decade. To read The 9513’s collaborative Top 100 list, click here.

• Time (2002) – Ray Price
  

  Both Time and Prisoner of Love (2000) are examples of a master craftsman at work. Ray Price can handle any kind of song, but expressive ballads are his latter-day forte. The title track of Time is one of the most meaningful songs I’ve ever heard:

  
  

  “Time is a weapon, it’s cold and it’s cruel/It knows no religion and plays by no rules/Time has no conscience, when it’s all said and done/Like a beast in the jungle that devours its young”

  
  


• Thanks A Lot (2004) – John England and the Western Swingers
  

  A western swing tribute to Ernest Tubb was simply an irresistible pairing. The Swingers play well and lend a fresh perspective to the timeless music of Tubb.

  
  


• Kickin’ Out The Footlights… Again (2006) – George Jones & Merle Haggard
  

  Haggard sings Jones, Jones sings Haggard, and the pair duets on four tracks to outstanding effect. The two standouts are the Duke Ellington classic “Don’t Get Around Much Any More” and the old Johnny Bond tune “Sick, Sober and Sorry.” I gave a copy of this CD to my friend Tim Donovan (former keyboard player for Molly Hatchet) and he played it constantly for the next six weeks.

  
  

   

  
  


• Jumpin’ Time (2007) – The Time Jumpers
  

  This is how live music should sound. Dawn Sears, one of two female lead vocalists for this group, failed to catch on as a solo act. Why she didn’t remains a mystery to me, as only Connie Smith, Rhonda Vincent and (perhaps) Cia Cherryholmes have comparable pipes.

  
  


• Good Thing Going (2007) – Rhonda Vincent
  

  The fact that Good Thing Going doesn’t appear on The 9513’s Top 100 list is a serious oversight. This album demonstrates why Vincent is the queen of bluegrass, as she delivers a masterful program of ballads and up tempos. I regard “World’s Greatest Fool” as one of the ten or so best songs recorded during the last decade. For whatever reason, the rest of the staff seems to prefer Alison Krauss and Union Station, but in my estimation, all of Rhonda’s albums are better than any of those of AKUS.

  
  


• Kashmere Gardens Mud (2007) – Johnny Bush
  

  A very personal album by a singer once labeled “The Country Caruso.” Johnny’s pipes aren’t what they once were, but he’s still an impressive vocalist.

  
  


• Naked Willie (2009) – Willie Nelson
  

  Willie’s classic 1960s recordings for RCA stripped of annoying background singers (usually the Anita Kerr Singers) and syrupy string arrangements.

  
  


• American Shadows: The Songs of Moon Mullican (2008) – Cornell Hurd Band
  

  Before I die, I’d like to see these guys in live performance. A worthy tribute to a forgotten legend by a band that is second to none in terms of versatility and recorded personality.

  
  


• Come On Back (2005) – Jimmie Dale Gilmore
  

  Jimmie Dale Gilmore may look like a renegade hippie from the 1960s, but his vocals are pure honky-tonk. This album is a tribute to the music his late father loved. The whole album is excellent but “Walking The Floor Over You” and “Gotta Travel On” are the standout tracks for me.

  
  


• Dwight Sings Buck (2007) – Dwight Yoakam
  

  Dwight issued many good albums during the 00s. For me, this tribute to the Baron of Bakersfield represents an artistic high point as he comes up with fresh interpretations of the undeniable classics of Buck Owens.

  
  


• Buckin’ Around (2007) – Jann Browne
  

  Jann Browne almost made it as a Nashville star, with a pair of Top 20 records in 1989 while with Curb records. I think Jann was a bit too country and a bit too old (35) for a label to give her a major push. This album offers a feminine perspective on Buck Owens’ music; there’s a third Buck Owens tribute album out there, by the Derailers, but so deep is Buck’s catalog that there is little overlap between the three tribute albums.

  
  

Paul’s Top 30 Country Albums of the Decade

30. Precious Memories (2006) – Alan Jackson
29. Buckin’ Around (2007) – Jann Browne
28. Cherryholmes (2004) – Cherryholmes
27. Mountain Soul (2001) – Patty Loveless
26. That Lonesome Song (2008) – Jamey Johnson
25. That’s Why I Sing This Way (2005) – Daryle Singletary
24. Roots, Vol. 1 (2001) – Merle Haggard
23. Last Of The Breed (2007) – Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard
22. Dwight Sings Buck (2007) – Dwight Yoakum
21. Come On Back (2005) – Jimmie Dale Gilmore
20. American Shadows: Songs of Moon Mullican (2008) – Cornell Hurd Band
19. Coal (2008) – Kathy Mattea
18. Tough All Over (2005) – Gary Allan
17. American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002) – Johnny Cash
16. Drive (2002) – Alan Jackson
15. Naked Willie (2009) – Willie Nelson
14. Kashmere Gardens Mud (2007) – Johnny Bush
13. 5th Gear (2007) – Brad Paisley
12. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) – Various Artists
11. In A Perfect World (2007) – Gene Watson
10. Good Thing Going (2007) – Rhonda Vincent
9. Here Come The Teardrops (2006) – Amber Digby
8. Jumpn’ Time (2007) – Time Jumpers
7. Willie and the Wheel (2009) – Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel
6. Kickin’ Out the Fotlights… Again (2006) – George Jones & Merle Haggard
5. Thanks a Lot (2004) – John England and the Western Swingers
4. Prisoner of Love (2000) – Ray Price
3. Time (2002) – Ray Price
2. You Don’t Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker (2006) – Willie Nelson
1. A Taste of the Truth (2009) – Gene Watson