'splain yerself

Over the past week or so, we contributors here have been asked to list our votes for Hickory Wind's Top Ten Albums of 2006, and give some sort of explanation, justification, or overview in regards to our choices. Sean did a pretty good job of giving the overview and breakdown, and raised some pretty good points so far as how diverse the selections were, and whether these lists are truly an accurate portrayal of what constitues Americana music. Since lists can be tedious, what I'm gonna do is present you my list, and a 3 words or less summary of each one. Please note I only landed one of my choices on the final list, and that was the butt-end last.

10. Cast King: Saw Mill Man (Back porch darkness)
9. Waylon Jennings: Nashville Rebel Box Set (Outlaw Country god)
8. Gob Iron: Death Songs For the Living (Burnt desert apocalypse)
7. Lambchop: Damaged (The smallest thing)
6. Handsome Family: Last Days of Wonder (Weird, spare, chilling)
5. Jim Lauderdale: Country Super Hits, Vol. 1 (Beer joint goodness)
4 Be Good Tanyas: Hello Love(Sepia-tinged, hazy and beautiful)
3. Tom Waits: Orphans (National treasure)
2. Halden Wofford and the Hi-Beams: Midnight Rodeo(Honky Tonk saviors)
1. James Hand: The Truth Will Set You Free (The real thing)

Yep. There it is. Sharp eyed readers will note that a list I compiled elsewhere on the internets is almost completely different, outside of the top 3. That's the nature of lists. They change. If I were making a list for a trash/garage rock oriented site, my list would be different again. I buy way too many records.

Sharp eyed readers will also notice an omission on the list. An album that folks have been salivating over in print, online, and even at this very spot. That'd be Bob's "Modern Times". Frankly, I thought the album was...ok. He's made the same album three times in a row now, with different song titles, and I can't see myself reaching for this'un more than a few times when I go to the Dylan row on my music shelf. I realize this opens a can of worms, and I'm a Dylan fan, but I'd prefer to look forward. Several of the albums I've listed above are by older folks, adhere to some older tradition, or, in the case of Waylon, collects classic sides. But my feeling is that those albums don't necessarily rest on the laurels of what has come before, but add something new to the canon. What the canon is, I couldn't say. I like my Americana on the Country'n'Western'n'Honky Tonk side, so take from that what you may.

I remember back in the early 90's when a prominent music magazine did their list of best albums of the year. They put Teenage Fanclub's "Bandwagonesque", a fine album, in the top spot, ahead of Nirvana's "Nevermind".

There's a famous quote by Wordsworth in regards to poetry: "Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility." While the endeavour is not nearly so lofty, and the context is a little screwy, so goes the nature of list-making.

Thanks for your time.