The Editorials
Top 5 Albums of 1999
Written by Jeff Krasky and Darren O'Neill
As the year quickly winds down the staff took a moment to reflect back on the albums released in 1999 and pick the top releases of the year. Read on to find out if your favorites made the list!
Jeff Krasky's Top 5 Albums of '99
You know it’s been a bad year when you have a hard time finding five albums that are worthy of being on a "best of the year" list. Or when you find yourself buying rock and pop albums just to get away from weak material. But after a lot of deep thought and a good dose of Tylenol I present you with the top 5 of ‘99. If you don’t own these albums, do yourself a favor and add them to your Christmas list right now. They’re must have releases for any music fan.
1. Kelly Willis What I Deserve (Rykodisc Records): This is without a doubt the most incredible release of the year. In fact, I'll go as far as to say it's one of the best releases in any year. Few albums have managed to captivate me as much as this one did. I’m still playing the hell out of it. Kelly Willis is one of the most underrated artists in this business (not to mention one of the most talented) and it’s really a shame that radio doesn’t give her a chance.
2. Dixie Chicks Fly (Monument Records): The Dixie Chicks recorded one of the best albums of 1998 when they smashed onto the scene with Wide Open Spaces. Their sophomore release Fly displays even more musical freedom and the result is a very refreshing album that never grows stale. These girls will be making records for a long, long time.
3. SHeDAISY The Whole SHeBANG (Lyric Street Records): Sometimes you just want to have a little bit of fun and SHeDAISY provides a debut effort that allows you to do just that. Their soaring harmonies and fun songs make this release a pleasure. I just can’t get enough of "Little Goodbyes" and every other song on the album is just as good. A real rarity. I can’t wait to see what these girls do in 2000.
4. Chalee Tennison Chalee Tennison (Asylum Records): Chalee's album was a pleasant surprise. I saw the video for her debut single "Someone Else’s Turn To Cry" and the power of the song really got under my skin. The rest of the album is every bit as good. Once you start listening to this one you’d better be ready to play it through ten times. It’s that addictive. Radio isn’t playing her but don’t let that stop you from getting to know this exceptional artist.
5. Julie Reeves It's About Time (Virgin Records): I never saw this one coming until it hit me in the face and knocked me flat on the floor. What an incredible voice. The album features a near perfect blend of sounds. This album should come with a warning label that reads "Warning: You'll loose sleep, fall behind in work and have no social life due to the addictive qualities of this recording". One of the most satisfying albums to come out in a long while.
It’s surprising to me that three of the year’s best releases are debut efforts. I can’t say that happens frequently. In fact, the major artists seemed to have taken the year off. We saw greatest hits albums from the likes of Patty Loveless and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Those big stars that did release new material didn’t do much to impress. However the Dixie Chicks avoided the sophomore slump and turned out the best album of country music’s big-time stars. Maybe next year artists will realize they need to make their own music, not cookie cutter music if they want to release memorable albums. Until then look to the under appreciated artists, they’re always turning out top-notch efforts. It’s such a shame they go unnoticed. It's also downright horrible that the country music industry can release so many forgettable albums to the public. Here's hoping that 2000 will be a banner year for country music. I'm not holding my breath.
Darren O'Neill's Top 5 Albums of '99
While I do not always have the same views as our Senior Editor, Mr. Krasky, I have to wholeheartedly agree that 1999 has been a very weak year for country music. While we cover the women of country here, it’s been a weak year for the whole genre, not just the ladies.
I am a self-proclaimed music addict, and have also spent this past year listening to more rock, pop and alternative music. What have those artists been putting out that country artists have not? Quality material that does not all sound the same. I am tired of country radio where every song sounds the same. Worse yet, a lot of singers are starting to sound the same. What happened to the days when singers have a unique feel and sound to their music?
Picking the five best releases of 1999 was a chore for me. The only album that stuck out as I sat down to write this was Kelly Willis’ release, What I Deserve. To me, What I Deserve is truly the only release worth writing home about in 1999. Kelly Willis has released a disc that I feel will always remain among the favorite CD’s in my collection, and if you know me, you know that collection is huge!
So, here are my top five releases of 1999. They are all CD’s worth going out and purchasing, and they are worth giving as Christmas gifts to all of your friends.
1. Kelly Willis What I Deserve (Rykodisc): Without a doubt my favorite disc of the year. Actually, it’s my favorite disc of the past few years. Those at country radio stations all too often overlook Kelly, and it is a shame since Kelly is more country than anyone else on this list, or the country charts for that matter. Kelly is a true talent, and I highly recommend picking up any of her CD’s to hear what country music could, and more importantly should be.
2. Martina McBride Emotion (RCA): Just to let you know, I am a bit biased for Martina McBride. I am the Webmaster of her official site (http://www.martina-mcbride.com) so keep that in mind. Emotion made my top five list for one simple reason. It is different. I’ve heard from a lot of fans who thought that the CD, especially the first single "I Love You" was too pop. Well, it is not traditional country, that’s for sure. I’ll go along with the pop label, but when Martina is singing it really does not matter. She can sing country, pop or rock and make it sound great. This release is no exception; it is filled with great songs and a woman with the best voice in country music right now.
3. Sherrie Austin Love In The Real World (BMG/Arista): This is a fun CD, no doubt about it. Sherrie is definitely great and making songs that can brighten up a day. "Never Been Kissed" is a great song, taking an old boy meets girl song and giving it a new twist. The video was pretty original also. This Aussie was not hit with a sophomore jinx on this release, as it is pretty solid throughout. I look forward to hearing Sherrie as she progresses with her career, hopefully getting some more strong ballads on her next release to go with the toe tapping good time tunes found here!
4. SHeDAISY The Whole SHeBANG (Lyric Street): This girl group is absolutely tops in my book for 1999. SHeDAISY, which is comprised of three sisters, has created an album full of spectacular harmonies and great sing along songs. Not since the Beach Boys have I heard voices meld so well together. "Little Good-byes" and "Lucky 4 You (Tonight I’m Just Me)" are pure country pop the way it should be. The bottom line is these girls sound great singing just about anything. The fact that one of the sisters co-wrote about every song on the CD leads me to believe there will be some more great music from this sister act. Look out Shania, these girls are going to move up fast!
5. Natalie MacMaster In My Hands (Rounder): I was not sure if I should include this disc in the top 5, not because it doesn’t deserve to be here, but because it is not classified by most as a country record. Natalie MacMaster is one of the worlds top fiddle players, and has produced this album of mainly instrumental songs with a very Celtic flavor. I’m going to say it qualifies to be here for a variety of reasons, two of them being that the musicianship is superb, and Mark O’Conner and Allison Krauss both appear on the album. It’s great to see an artist who is not afraid to both stick to her Cape Brenton roots, as well as stretch the boundaries of her music. This is the first album of Natalie’s to include a song on which she sings, and I would definitely like to see her give her voice more of a try. Now if more Nashville artists would realize that music can be a combination of new and old, of classic and modern sounds, we would all be better off.
So, what can we look for in the year 2000? I hope we hear more artists like Kelly Willis and Natalie MacMaster. Artists who have their own unique sound are in such short supply now that we have to wonder just what in the world the people in charge at all of those record labels down in Nashville are thinking. Just because Shania Twain sells 8 million records, they want to clone her and try to cash in on the craze. The "me too" attitude has to stop if country music is ever going to rebound back to a true art form.
It is a shame that a lot of the artists out today do not pass the acoustic test. Take the singer and a single guitar or piano and see if they can hold their own. If they can survive in that environment, sign them up quick! I’d also like to see more artists writing their own material. Why do you think that the ladies over in the other genre can sing with such convictions? It’s in their words, that’s why! They have definitely lived what they are singing about, unlike country artists who have to wade through hundreds of songs before finding one that they can relate to.
Hopefully 2000 will bring better music than 1999 did, we all know that it can’t get much worse. If someone will step forward and make some music that means something, some music that comes from their heart, then we will have a great beginning to a new century. If we get another year of Shania and Dixie Chicks wannabe’s, then we’re in for more of the same old trash that Nashville is selling, and I can tell you I’m one person who is no longer buying...
Share your thoughts on to the message board!