The Editorials
Top 5 Albums of 2005
By Jeff Krasky, Senior Editor ()
The first wave of major releases for 2006 will soon be upon us so it is now time to take a look back on 2005 and award our top 5 albums of the year. Unfortunately, the genre for the most part seems to remain stuck in mediocrity. Nashville continues to churn out albums which have a few songs that sound wonderful coming across the airwaves but burn out six months later. A quality album should be one which sounds as good 5 years down the road as it did on the day it was released. Thankfully, there were still some excellent albums released in 2005. Many of the major stars of alt-country took the year off from recording and some major mainstream stars like Faith Hill and Trisha Yearwood made their highly anticipated returns. So who took home the honors this year? Let's start with #5!
#5 Patty Loveless Dreamin’ My Dreams
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What can you say about Patty Loveless that hasn’t already been said? She has been turning out excellent albums for more than 20 years and Dreamin’ My Dreams is another one. Patty has finally found the perfect blend of her bluegrass and mainstream sounds with this record. Check out “Keep Your Distance” and “Old Soul”. If Patty Loveless just keeps doing what she’s doing she will find herself on many more of these lists.
#4 Lee Ann Womack There’s More Where That Came From
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Lee Ann Womack has returned to her country roots. After a couple of fantastic records “I Hope You Dance” happened and suddenly Womack seemed to be caught up in a never ending attempt to cross further and further over to the pop world. It never really fit her or her voice well and the quality of her albums dropped. One listen to this record and you know that this is what Lee Ann is supposed to be doing and that’s serving up a healthy dose of classic sounding country songs Texas style.
#3 Kathleen Edwards Back To Me
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Kathleen Edwards quickly became an alt-country starlet when her debut Failer was released. That was a solid record in its own right but it was missing just a little something. With Back To Me Kathleen has found that little something. By tapping into her inner Sheryl Crow Edwards has created the kind of heavy hitting country rock hybrid that slaps you right up side the head and makes you take notice. From the rocking songs “In State” and “Independent Thief” to the gut wrenching acoustic “Away” this album does it all.
#2 Martina McBride Timeless
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To say that Martina McBride has been on a roll would be an understatement. The albums have been selling, the awards have been pouring in, and the hits just keep coming. No one could have blamed Martina if she had just kept churning out the same album over and over again. But instead of doing that she took on the daunting task of making an album full of classic country covers. Martina sings the hell out of these songs and sounds more country than you’ve ever heard her. A daring project that delivers the goods.
#1 Shelby Lynne Suit Yourself
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In 2003 Shelby Lynne released the stripped down, mostly acoustic Identity Crisis and it was clear that she had found her voice. With the strength of that album it was hard to imagine that she could top it the next time around but she’s done that with Suit Yourself. The album continues along the barebones style of Identity Crisis but features a better recording an even stronger set of songs. One listen to “I Cry Everyday”, “I Won’t Die Alone”, or “Johnny Met June” and you’ll be hooked. Hands down the best record of the year.