Best of 2009 So Far: July

As always, feel free to leave your thoughts or favorites... or not. I highlighted (bolded) a few new entries that I'm really enjoying lately that may be moving up on the next edition.

Some upcoming releases I'm excited about that you'll likely see on this list in future days include: Lucero - 1372 Overton Park; Pete Bernhard - Straight Line; George Strait - Twang; Gloriana - s/t (ha ha, just kidding); Black Crowes - Before the Frost... & ...Until the Freeze and others from Lyle Lovett, Blitzen Trapper (who I'm obsessed with lately), Dr. Dre, Pearl Jam, Built to Spill, Megadeth.... whew! Anyway, here's the best so far:

Top Albums of 2009

As of July 31

1. Son Volt - American Central Dust

2. Ben Nichols - The Last Pale Light in the West

3. Charlie Robison - Beautiful Day

4. Justin Townes Earle - Midnight at the Movies

5. Slaid Cleaves - Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away

6. Chris Knight - Trailer Tapes II

7. Magnolia Electric Company - Josephine

8. The Devil Makes Three - Do Wrong Right

9. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Tell 'em What Your Name Is

10. Deer Tick - Born on Flag Day

11. Brad Paisley - American Saturday Night

12. Krizz Kaliko - Genius

13. Steve Earle - Townes

14. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

15. The Deep Dark Woods - Winter Hours

16. Phosphorescent - To Willie

17. Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels

18. Roman Candle - Oh Tall Tree in the Ear

19. John Moreland & The Black Gold Band - Endless Oklahoma Sky

20. Owen Temple - Dollars and Dimes

21. Holly Williams - Here With Me

22. Wayne Hancock - Viper of Melody

23. Ryan Bingham - Roadhouse Sun

24. Ha Ha Tonka - Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South

25. Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey & The Groogrux King

26. Todd Snider - The Excitement Plan

27. The Gourds - Haymaker!

28. Mastodon - Crack the Skye

29. Eric Church - Carolina

30. The Fox Hunt - America's Working So We Don't Have To

31. Red Fang - s/t

32. Huck Notari - Very Long Dream

33. The Dead Weather - Horehound

34. Strand of Oaks - Leave Ruin

35. Doug Paisley - s/t

36. Chuck Mead - Journeyman's Wager

37. The Extraordinaires - Electric and Benevolent

38. Scott Miller - For Crying Out Loud

39. Patterson Hood - Murdering Oscar

40. Dale Watson - The Truckin' Sessions (v.2)

.99 Review - Fast Ryde

.99 Review - Fast Ryde "That Thang"

The People's Take

first review (5 Stars) – this is pretty sick!

-JJARED

Not too shabby (3 Stars) – did sound like big & rich. But loving the picture on their cover!

-Novagirl82

I'll Take "Annoying" For $500, Please... (1 Star) – Are you serious? This is just awful. I should have given my money to charity...

-Tastes Great

My Take

I've heard this described as a party song or a novelty song, but that must be some sort of sick joke. The lyrics read more like a tragedy to me. This lady has some real difficulties in her life, yet this new band chooses to ridicule and exploit her issues.

She got that thang in her back? She really should see a doctor. It could be a bulging disc or a tumor.

It makes people say "Hey, look at that"?? These are some very inconsiderate people pointing out her hump (not her lovely lady lumps).

It might set something on fire? What's going on back there that could do that?!? Apparently, that thang in her back is so large, it's causing some really dangerous friction against her clothing.

This is serious stuff! These tools shouldn't write and perform a song about this poor lady's condition or deformation, they should write and perform an actual country song to make money to help out with her medical bills. She can't fit in her shorts, people!

She's got junk like a trailer yard? So, she's got a car up on blocks, a rusted out hibachi, some beer cans and a broken plastic flamingo? Somebody get Extreme Home Makeover on the line! Someone with such a hard life shouldn't have to worry about her property decor and landscaping.

It's plumb disgraceful how these guys point out this woman's flaws but offer up nothing to remedy her sad situation. Aside from the godawful sound of the music, the ill-fitting hip-hop affectations and the annoying repetition of "dang" and "doing" (which rhymes with boing, not booing - which I'm doing), this is the most depressing and pointless song currently on country radio. I hope that radio programmers and country fans alike will dismiss its insensitive and abusive message. Good day.

Total value: .09/.99

The Checklist

Church/God

Mama

Boots

✓Name Dropping

Dying Person

County Fair

Lost Love

✓Love(??)

Hometown Pride

Kindly Advice

Truck

Whiskey

Beer

✓Life Affirmation(??)

USA

Soldiers

Pop Sheen

Star Power

Hip-Hop Honest Album Covers

Alt-Country Weekly

Click for a closer view.

____Deserves a Sackpunch #4

"Anything But Country" Guy

Yeah, I'm talking to you. You know who you are. Anytime somebody asks you what kind of music you like... the title quotation is your answer. You're an idiot, "anything but country" guy/girl. However, the fact that I know with 100% certainty that you're lying, renders your opinion null and void. Do you like industrial indie jazz metal? Do you like didjeridoo ballads? Do you like Brooke Hogan? Didn't think so. Have you ever heard a Steven Seagal album? Didn't think so. I think we can now agree that you DO NOT in fact, like anything but country.

The next issue is your prejudice. What?? Not me, you think, but you hear the words "country music" and immediately think "dogs, trucks, Deliverance, yeehaw, hate, boots up asses, beer, guns, Deliverance..." Yes, there have been country songs covering many of these topics, often at once, throughout the history of the genre but aside from maybe beer and trucks, I'm fairly certain none of those other things are currently represented on Bob Kingsley's country countdown.

"Well, I can't stand that redneck twang... wooo, howdy y'all." Prejudiced. If I said I don't like the way rapp.. well, nevermind, because even presenting an example would brand me as prejudiced towards whatever genre/group I mentioned...(and I love the old school era of that genre I was less than subtly hinting at, anyway) but it's okay for country people to be ridiculed for their geographically unique way of speaking and that's wrong. Perhaps you find a southern accent unappealing and that's certainly forgivable I suppose, but you shouldn't avoid an entire genre because of the affected drawl of a random few. Some don't care for some British accents, but if they avoided anyone who sang with one, they'd miss out on the wonderful music of the Beatles, Robbie Williams and the Stones (okay, one of those was a joke).

"Country is depressing and slow." Well, a lot of it should be... but it's not, actually. Have you turned on country radio lately? Maybe 1 of 10 songs feature any emotions other than love and happiness and most are fairly up-tempo...if not flat-out rock songs (check out the Crue-like riffs on Jason Aldean's ironically titled "She's Country" if you don't believe me). This is a double-edged sword, as most of what's on country radio is not authentic country, but that's an argument for another day.

Anyway, that's that. I don't have the energy to now present all the reasons you SHOULD like country, because personally, I say country doesn't need you. Keep listening to emo, you sissy. I just wanted to white-out your bullet points and stereotypes against country music and show what a moron you are. I also suggest you prepare for a life of solitude because I'm about to bring the pain.... with a future offspring negating SACKPUNCH!!!!