Thanks for the link. Much better view about Kathy after that.
I hadn’t heard her talk about the West Virginia stuff like that previously.

And of course, I love that section where she praises Patty as well. And she stated the difference I noticed in their vocal styles…Kathy being more folk, and Patty more mountain style. But I love how their voices blend so well.

And Kathy’s recounting her conversation with Patty and Emory was very sweet, and funny too. Emory has a great sense of humor, with the banshee comment and all!

Gotta love these folks, Kathy Mattea, Patty Loveless and Emory Gordy Jr.!

Thanks for that link, Kevin.

Thanks for the compliment!

Jim,

My reference to Mattea’s sincerity was in regard to her performances on the record. However, I know that she has spoken out frequently and candidly about the recent tragedy, and how it inspired her to both record the album and become a more visible spokesperson against the mine stripping going on in West Virginia.

Here’s an interview showing what I mean, which especially demonstrates her conviction, given the cluelessness of the interviewer. She had to do most of the heavy lifting. There’s also a great section where she praises Patty Loveless.

Sorry to sound unkind to Kathy but she came across as decidedly unconvincing in her interviews when promoting this album

It is only 2 years ago since 12 or so miners died in that West Virginia tragedy.

That was wrong and people like Kathy should be speaking out about it in my view.

The italic tag is em, not i. I fixed your comment so it would look the way you intended.

Regarding Jamey Johnson, I don’t think anybody who has read my writing regularly should be terribly surprised his album isn’t on my list. That particular style of country music isn’t my cup of tea. I’ve heard the album several times, but it just doesn’t do it for me. I don’t really like it or dislike it, so I haven’t written much about it at all.

Thankfully, I now have a staff of writers with different country music preferences, so the album and Johnson himself have received extensive and quite positive coverage at Country Universe.

So while you may not think my lists are valid because they don’t synchronize with your tastes, you have four others to choose from. I recommend starting with Blake and Dan, who both topped their album lists with Johnson’s set.

You can use italic tags, but you have to use the arrow things (< , >) instead of brackets ([, ]).