Essential Alt-Country

For its first decade, No Depression -- the magazine I co-founded and have co-edited since its inception in 1995 -- sought to describe alternative-country, in the vaguest of possible terms: "Whatever that is," was the definition we declared on our cover. We've since adopted a new tagline ("surveying the past, present, and future of American music") to acknowledge the broader blend of genres we address in our pages, but alt-country remains a major focal point. Indeed, artists working within the genre (if, in fact, you accept the theory of its existence) have produced some of the finest works of melodic and lyrical songcraft on the American popular music landscape. If precious few of them have become raging mainstream favorites, they've nevertheless often found devoted and passionate audiences, and they deserve recognition and a place in the collections of those who value that most fundamental artistic achievement, a profound emotional impact upon the listener. Here, then, are 12 of the finest examples of alt-country to date. It's hard to call these necessarily the best -- there are too many records out there that would have to be considered for such an undertaking -- but all of these would be valuable additions to any comprehensive survey of essential alternative-country music.

Down To The Promised Land: 5 Years Of Bloodshot RecordsArtist: Various Artists - Bloodshot Records Release Date: 2000
The initial "insurgent country" compilations from Bloodshot Records (For a Life of Sin and Hell-Bent) played a minor role in establishing a premise that an alt-country magazine was viable when we started No Depression in 1995. Those two discs are more historically significant, but the full flowering of what transpired over the next few years is best exemplified by Down to the Promised Land, a two-disc collection released in 2000. Combining previously unreleased first-rate original songs from the likes of Neko Case, Mike Ireland and Ryan Adams with revelatory covers from such mainstays as the Waco Brothers (the Who's "Baba O'Riley") and Alejandro Escovedo (Mick Jagger's "Evening Gown"), Bloodshot celebrated its fifth anniversary in grand style.

Happy Woman BluesArtist: Lucinda Williams
My initial exposure to Lucinda Williams came through other artists' versions of her songs. Though she became an alt-country icon in the '90s, she was still largely unknown when Happy Woman Blues came out in 1980. The songs got around surely enough over the years among her fellow songwriters, especially in Texas; by the late '80s, you could walk into an Austin bar on any given night and hear the likes of Butch Hancock covering "Sharp Cutting Wings," Jimmie Dale Gilmore singing "Howling At Midnight" or David Halley doing "I Lost It." Maybe the best cover came a few years later when the Damnations recorded a scorching version of "Happy Woman Blues."

HeartbreakerArtist: Ryan Adams Release Date: 2000
In hindsight, it's hard to tell whether Adams' 2000 solo debut was his last lingering dance with alt-country or his first tentative step away from it. After the demise of Whiskeytown on the heels of their acclaimed albums in the mid-late '90s, Adams clearly wanted to go in another direction, as his subsequent major-label efforts demonstrated. But Heartbreaker was a resplendent pause between phases; though he moved toward Beatlesque pop on "Amy," he reconnected with his country roots on "Oh My Sweet Carolina" (with help from Emmylou Harris). Overall, it remains Adams' finest solo disc.

BegoniasArtist: Caitlin Cary And Thad Cockrell Release Date: 2005
Call this one a local favorite, perhaps -- over several years spent in the North Carolina triangle area, I got to know both of these artists fairly well -- but Cary & Cockrell hardly need the personal endorsement or the geographical context to win over whoever hears their music. On their own, both have put out excellent records (Cary originally as a member of Whiskeytown); together they hit a stride neither of them had previously quite matched. There are many moments of classic country duet wonder here, but also great pop/rock ("Second Option"), achingly soulful balladry (Percy Sledge's "Warm And Tender Love") and beautiful original gospel (the closing "Big House").

SebastopolArtist: Jay Farrar Release Date: 2001
With Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, Jay Farrar made many of the records that came to define alt-country. His solo debut in 2001 was perhaps a slightly different sonic excursion, but for the most part his songwriting style stayed in sync with the best aspects of his band projects. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings brought a little more country to the proceedings on "Barstow," while the Flaming Lips' Steven Drozd upped the "alt" quotient with sweeping string-synth accents on several tracks.

Georgia HardArtist: Robbie Fulks Release Date: 2005
With songs such as "She Took a Lot of Pills and Died" and the anti-Nashville anthem "Fuck This Town," Robbie Fulks established himself as an alt-country songwriting wunderkind right out of the gate when he came on the scene in the mid-'90s. His finest work, though, came many years later. On 2005's Georgia Hard, Fulks molds the full range of his multifaceted talent into a cohesive whole, from classic country compositions ("Leave It to a Loser") to instantly catchy roots-pop ("Where There's a Road") to offbeat humor ("Countrier Than Thou") to poignant portraiture ("Doin' Right for All the Wrong Reasons").


Young Criminals' Starvation LeagueArtist: Bobby Bare, Jr. Release Date: 2002
Though he'd had a minor alt-rock radio hit with his band Bare Jr., it wasn't until he added his first name back into the equation for this 2002 solo debut that Bobby fully came into his own as a songwriter. From the unstoppably catchy opening track "I'll Be Around" to the hilarious sketch "Monk at the Disco" to the Lone Star State ode "Stay In Texas" to a cover of his late mentor Shel Silverstein's "Painting Her Fingernails," this record is filled with the kind of creativity and personality that fuels the best of alt-country (or any genre, for that matter).

Sky And The OceanArtist: Volebeats Release Date: 1997
Though they never quite rose to the alt-country forefront a la Son Volt, Wilco, Whiskeytown and the Old 97's, the Volebeats have made some of the best roots-based pop records of the last 10 years. Steeped in memorable melodies and jangling guitars set to stories of romance and nostalgia, the Volebeats' sound is simple and classic yet hard to forget once their songs have worked their way into your head. This 1997 release remains their best, highlighted by the heartbreaking ballad "Two Seconds" (later covered by alt-country chanteuse Laura Cantrell).

EmotionalismArtist: The Avett Brothers Release Date: 2007
It's not hard to find lively and talented young string bands these days, but few possess the magic spark of North Carolina's Avett Brothers (a trio consisting of two brothers and their bass-playing friend). Early on, the Avetts earned a reputation for transcendent live performances but never quite seemed to reach that same level in the studio. On Emotionalism the pieces finally came together; they put less emphasis on trying to document their stage persona and instead concentrated on the considerable pop potential of their songwriting. The result is an album that marries Beatlesque melody to old-time/folk/bluegrass instrumentation with the Avetts' punk roots showing in attitude and energy.

Universal United House of PrayerArtist: Buddy Miller Release Date: 2004
If an MVP award for alternative-country were to be awarded for the last decade or so, it would almost certainly have to go to Buddy Miller, whose credits range from playing guitar on major records by Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams to producing albums for the likes of Solomon Burke and Jimmie Dale Gilmore to co-writing songs for mainstream megastars such as the Dixie Chicks and Brooks & Dunn. Notwithstanding all that, Miller's primary asset is his voice; he's one of the great country singers of his time, even when he's tackling decidedly non-country material -- as evidenced by his landmark cover of Bob Dylan's "With God on Our Side" on this record, his career best.

Time (The Revelator)Artist: Gillian Welch Release Date: 2001
In retrospect, this record's darker themes seem to echo with the gravity of 9/11, though in fact it was released a few weeks before that fateful day. Coincidental prescience aside, Time (The Revelator) stands as Gillian Welch's crowning achievement to date, loaded with emotionally resonant lyricism lit afire by the brilliant musicianship of her partner David Rawlings. Previous albums proved Welch's mastery of traditional form and feel; on Revelator, she and Rawlings struck a more personal chord of artistic expression. The result, from the spellbinding title-track opener to the epic 14-minute closer "I Dream a Highway," firmly established the duo as one of the major talents of their generation.