This may be the very moment where Dolly Parton emerges as a masterclass singer.

Goosebump-inducing vocal trills elevate an already excellent composition.  Listen closely, and you can hear the styles of Reba McEntire and Lee Ann Womack being born.

It’s just so, so good.

Written by Dolly Parton

Grade: A

Next:  Lost Forever in Your Kiss (with Porter Wagoner)

Previous: Burning the Midnight Oil (with Porter Wagoner)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9pAPJArCIk

But the fact is that country music was changed as well.  Here are the four biggest ways that it did, for better and for worse.

1. Alan Jackson Becomes a Legend

He was still getting solid radio airplay and record sales in 2001, but it seemed like his glory days were behind him. Then, he stepped on to the CMA Awards stage and debuted “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” to a stunned industry crowd on national television.

It was the perfect song by the perfect artist at the perfect time, and it launched an amazing return to the head of the pack.  The commercial success was great, but it’s worth noting that “Where Were You” served notice that he was undergoing an artistic renaissance as well.   The big hits that followed – “Drive (For Daddy Gene)”, “It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere,” and “Remember When” – were the best of his career.  Heck, of anybody’s career.

2. Toby Keith Becomes a Superstar

On the same night that Jackson performed his instant classic, Toby Keith just sang his latest hit, the novelty number “I Wanna Talk About Me.”  But the following spring, he came out with the next quintessential post-9/11 anthem, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.”

While it didn’t lead to nearly the same level of artistic growth that Jackson experienced, it did launch Keith into the rarefied air of country superstardom.  For most of the next decade, he’d be an instant add at radio.  And if some of those hits made us wince, it was still great to see the finest male vocalist of his generation get his due.   For those of us who thought that he was robbed at radio and industry award shows in the nineties, it was rewarding to see him have his day.

3. The Politicization of Country Music

National unity began to fade in the run up to our invasion of Iraq, and country radio picked a side, much to the detriment of the format.  The shamelessly jingoistic “Have You Forgotten?” became a seven week #1 for Darryl Worley, while a criticism of President Bush wiped the Dixie Chicks off of the radio dial.

The upshot?  Country radio sent the message that if you weren’t on board with the Bush Administration, you better keep your mouth shut.   Then again, with Worley’s career fading soon after “Have You Forgotten?”, opening it was no guarantee for long-term success, either.

4. Female Domination of the Genre Evaporates

This was the worst of it.   Country record sales exploded in 2002, and the industry credited it to traditionalists Jackson and Keith.   Radio drew the conclusion that  listeners didn’t want any more pop-flavored country, despite the fact that two of the biggest selling albums of the year were by Shania Twain and Faith Hill.

Both ladies struggled at radio with their top-selling projects, and the careers of Lee Ann Womack and SHeDaisy nearly ended.   Even ten years later, with the top-selling artists being Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, most female artists are still struggling to get radio play.

A Song That Expresses Your World View (Or Somethin’ Like That.)

Here are the staff picks:

Kevin Coyne: “Something Worth Leaving Behind” – Lee Ann Womack

Live your life for yourself, your life dies with you.  Live it for others, it lives on long after you’re gone.

Leeann Ward: “What You Give Away” – Vince Gill

I like the way this guy thinks. I wholeheartedly believe in this philosophy and tend to be a sucker for any song that expresses it.

Dan Milliken: “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)” – The Byrds

Ecclesiastes and Pete Seeger wrote this classic in a Music Row living room after eating some barbecue and swapping stories about their weekends. “Turn! Turn! Turn!” gets that life paints in shades of gray – things that seem undesirable to us may yet be necessary, and different courses of action may be morally sound or not depending on circumstance. But the song also doesn’t shy away from advocating for peace at the end, as if to say, “maybe we’ve already served enough ‘time for war,’ you know?”

Tara Seetharam: “What a Wonderful World” – Louis Armstrong

I know it seems like a simplistic pick, but lately its message has really resonated with me. It’s incredible –mind-blowing, really– how much beauty and humanity you can see in the world every day if you choose to see it. And life is significantly more rewarding when you do.

But this gospel number brings out the very worst in Lee Ann Womack as a singer.  She simply sounds terrible when she tries to get too soulful. She tries to do the Reba McEntire curlicues at some points, the Dolly Parton vibrato at others.  She can’t pull either one of them off.

It’s not a good thing when the Blind Boys are singing to Womack to “forgive yourself”, and all I’m thinking is that if she was really sorry, she’d stop stretching two-syllable words out over fifteen seconds.

Grade: C

Listen: I Was a Burden

So, I implore, why even try when any other version will only be runners up at best, especially when recording it for a tribute album isn’t the excuse? Although only in my head, I’ve asked this question of excellent artists such as Pam Tillis, Dwight Yoakam, Ray Charles, along with odder choices like Social Distortion and Blondie. Alas, now, I must ask the same of Alan Jackson and his somewhat superfluous (meaning she doesn’t add to or detract from the recording) accomplice, Lee Ann Womack.

While Alan Jackson’s version is technically easy on the ears, therein lies the major problem with the recording. It’s too mellow, devoid of passion. Instead of the imperative fiery recording that Cash seamlessly gave us, his is frustratingly lackadaisical, even amidst a bouncy, though uninspired, production. Ultimately, he seems to miss the point of the song altogether, which is a shame because it’s the only previously unreleased song on his 34 Number Ones Hits package that is supposed to hold us over until his next studio album.

Written by June Carter & Merle Kilgore

Grade: C

Listen: Ring of Fire

When the nominees were announced in August for the 44th annual CMA Awards, they sparked a firestorm of headlines –and thoughtful commentary by critics and fans alike– thanks to the CMA voters’ surprisingly bold moves. It’s all about change this year, as the voters revamped the ballot with a slew of fresh faces in almost all of the big categories.

How will it all play out? We’ll know for sure on Wednesday at 8pm Eastern, but before Gwenyth Paltrow throws on her cowboy boots, check out our staff picks and predictions and join the discussion in the comments below. And be sure to drop by Wednesday night for all of the CU live blog madness!

Entertainer of the Year

Should Win:

• Lady Antebellum
• Miranda Lambert – Kevin
• Brad Paisley
• Keith Urban
• Zac Brown Band – Leeann, Dan, Tara

Kevin:  Among the five nominees, Miranda Lambert has best represented the genre this year.

Leeann: I’m torn between Lambert and the Zac Brown Band as most deserving this year. I recently saw Lambert’s show and wasn’t incredibly impressed, however. While I have not yet attended a ZBB show, theirs is one of the few spots that I look forward to at awards shows these days. Moreover, I’m impressed by how much of a following they had even before they made any mainstream records.

Dan: Of these five, Zac Brown Band had the second-most success this year (after Lady A) and made the second-best music (after Lambert), so that’s pretty good standing. And I feel like giving this award to a grassroots act would be a good way for the industry to greet the future.

Tara: I’m consistently impressed by Zac Brown Band’s live performances, and it would be really refreshing to see them win – so I’ll go with them. (But I’m still disappointed that the first year my head and heart align on Carrie Underwood deserving an EOTY award, I can’t support her. I’m holding out for 2012…)

Will Win:

• Lady Antebellum
• Miranda Lambert – Tara
• Brad Paisley – Kevin, Leeann, Dan
  
• Keith Urban
• Zac Brown Band

Kevin: I’ve probably learned nothing from last year’s Swift sweep by going with Paisley again, but he’s the only nominee of veteran stature who hasn’t won yet.

Leeann: I can’t imagine that Paisley won’t finally win this one.

Dan: I was going to guess Lady A, since they’re sort of 2010′s “flavor of the year” the way Taylor Swift was 2009′s. But when I think about it, Swift’s ascent was greater and more gradual, and she stood in contrast to the rest of her nominee pool (four male veterans) in a way Lady A don’t with theirs (in which they’re one of three new competitors). So, Paisley.

Tara: I have no rationale. My gut says Lambert.

Male Vocalist of the Year

Should Win:

• Dierks Bentley – Kevin, Leeann, Dan, Tara
• Brad Paisley
• Blake Shelton
• George Strait
• Keith Urban

Kevin: Bentley made the best music this year.

Leeann: Bentley may not have the best technical voice out of these nominees, but he has the most interesting and distinctive of them, which is always something that I gravitate toward. Also, I agree with Kevin that he’s made the best music this year.

Dan: Shelton and Bentley are the only ones in this pool who made significant career strides this year – Shelton at radio, and Bentley creatively. Since I’m backing someone else in the Album category, this is where I’d like to see Bentley recognized for following his muse.

Tara: I guess Up on the Ridge is as good a reason as any to fall off the Brad-for-MVOTY bandwagon. He’s a close second for me, though.

Will Win:

• Dierks Bentley – Kevin, Dan
• Brad Paisley – Leeann, Tara
• Blake Shelton
• George Strait
• Keith Urban

Kevin: I can see the roots album giving Bentley an edge. Then again, Paisley could just repeat again, or Shelton may suddenly have deep support among voters. I say, Bentley by a nose.

Leeann: I think that voters will reflexively give this one to Paisley again.

Dan: I’ll ditto Kevin.

Tara: I can’t really see Paisley losing this one, but I think if he does lose to Bentley, it’ll be a telling moment.

Female Vocalist of the Year

Should Win:

• Miranda Lambert – Kevin, Leeann, Dan
• Martina McBride
• Reba McEntire
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood – Tara

Kevin: Underwood and McEntire are the women who made my favorite singles from the eligibility period, but Lambert’s the only one who hasn’t won this award.  She’s not overdue, but she’s due.

Leeann: Kevin’s right that Lambert is due to win this award now, not to mention that she’s my favorite female singer out of the bunch.

Dan: Lambert still isn’t at Underwood’s sales level, much less Swift’s, and I don’t see her catching up before traditional music sales die out altogether. Doesn’t matter, though: her habit of making creative music will sustain her regardless of industry conditions, and will elevate the genre in the long run. It’s time to look ahead.

Tara: I’m 50/50 on Lambert and Underwood. I’m not sure how to balance Lambert’s long overdue mega-year against Underwood’s continuous stream of solid success, ambassadorship and artistic growth. I’ll be happy either way, but personal investment’s got me in Underwood’s camp.

Will Win:

• Miranda Lambert - Kevin, Dan, Tara
• Martina McBride
• Reba McEntire
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood- Leeann

Kevin: I’d be shocked if Lambert lost, and can’t even make a guess as to who she’d lose to, should she somehow lose.

Leeann: It’s between Lambert and Underwood, but I give Underwood the edge, especially since it’s somewhat surprising that she didn’t get an Entertainer nomination. Although Lambert has gained popularity in the past year, Underwood is still one of the two biggest females in the business and I refuse to predict that Swift will win the award.

Dan: Lambert’s had enough mainstream success this year to give tasteful voters an excuse to give her some props.

Tara: The voters love them some Lambert this year, and I think of all her nominations, this is the one she’s got in the bag.

Vocal Duo of the Year

Should Win:

• Brooks & Dunn
• Joey + Rory – Kevin, Leeann, Dan, Tara
• Montgomery Gentry
• Steel Magnolia
• Sugarland

Kevin: I’m assuming “Stuck Like Glue” was after the eligibility period, so I think actually making some music over the year is important. Joey + Rory are the only duo I like who have yet to win.

Leeann: I simply like them the most, but I know they don’t have a chance.

Dan: I mean, why not? Nobody on this ballot has done much but tour.

Tara: I’m not very excited about any of these acts right now, to be honest. It would just be heartwarming to see Joey + Rory pick this one up.

Will Win:

• Brooks & Dunn – Kevin, Dan
• Joey + Rory
• Montgomery Gentry
• Steel Magnolia
• Sugarland – Leeann, Tara

Kevin: Sugarland’s year off helped guarantee a B&D victory lap, which would probably have happened anyway.

Leeann: It’s between Brooks & Dunn and Sugarland. I should just pick B&D because of their retirement, but I’m still going with Sugarland because of their popularity.

Dan: Brooks & Dunn, unless voters ignore the eligibility period and stick with Sugarland.

Tara: Isn’t the Brooks & Dunn retirement thing kind of old news by now, or am I just out of touch?

Vocal Group of the Year

Should Win:

• Lady Antebellum – Tara
• Little Big Town
• Rascal Flatts
• The Band Perry
• Zac Brown Band – Kevin, Leeann, Dan

Kevin: Let’s start getting some variety in this category, instead of having Lady A own it for five years.

Leeann: They’re the only group that I like right now.

Dan: I’ll probably be rooting for Little Big Town come ACM season, but for now…

Tara: I don’t want Lady A to own this for five years, either, but I do think they deserve to win this year. At least in my opinion, their huge success on the charts and with album sales can be attributed much to their ability to (I know, I know – I’m a broken record) hone in on specific emotion and deliver it in a way that people can really connect with. There’s some meat (and a heck of a lot of potential) behind their success that tends to go unnoticed.

Will Win:

• Lady Antebellum – Kevin, Leeann, Dan, Tara
• Little Big Town
• Rascal Flatts
• The Band Perry
• Zac Brown Band

Kevin: Lady A and Zac BB are both very popular with voters, but I’m thinking that this is the only race where voters can reward Lady A for dominating at retail this year.

Leeann: Ditto to Kevin.

Dan: New Artist will be ZBB’s consolation prize.

Tara: …And I think the voters will agree with my pick, if not for the same reasons.

New Artist of the Year

Should Win:

• Luke Bryan
• Easton Corbin
• Jerrod Niemann
• Chris Young – Leeann
• Zac Brown Band - Kevin, Dan, Tara

Kevin: ZBB is in another league, which makes me wish they still called this the Horizon Award.

Leeann: It’s weird to see ZBB here considering their nominations elsewhere, so I think that Chris Young has the most potential of the remaining nominees.

Dan: I’d love to see Young take this, but ZBB can’t be denied.

Tara: This is a great line-up, but there’s no question that ZBB deserves this win.

Will Win:

• Luke Bryan
• Easton Corbin
• Jerrod Niemann
• Chris Young
• Zac Brown Band – Kevin, Leeann, Dan, Tara

Kevin: ZBB is nominated for Entertainer of the Year, much like Ricky Skaggs was when he won Horizon in 1982. (Skaggs also won Male Vocalist, which means I may have to rethink my pick for Vocal Group, too.)

Leeann: Kevin’s argument is too compelling not to follow. Also, they are the most popular of the nominees, therefore, probably the most deserving.

Dan: Everyone here but Niemann has had a significant breakthrough. With ZBB in the mix, though, it’s no contest.

Tara: It’s a funky set-up to have ZBB nominated for both the top and bottom (figuratively) prizes, and I think this one will play out exactly the way Kevin explained it.

Album of the Year

Should Win:

• Dierks Bentley, Up on the Ridge – Leeann
• Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
• Miranda Lambert, Revolution – Dan, Tara
• George Strait, Twang
• Carrie Underwood, Play On – Kevin

Kevin: I have all five of these albums, and Underwood’s is the one that I listen to the most, with Strait a not-too-close second. In 2010, of course, “listening to an album” really means “how many songs do I pull off the album and put on a play list,” which has Underwood ahead by three tracks.

Leeann: If I follow Kevin’s test, Bently wins with Lambert as a close second. Bentley’s is, hands down, my favorite album of these choices. I’d love to see something this different from the mainstream win.

Dan: Also employing Kevin’s test, I flip-flop Leeann’s first and second choices. Only about two thirds of Revolution click for me a year later, but those two thirds have helped redefined what I thought modern country could be (still flipping about “Me and Your Cigarettes”), and the stray third at least tried.

Tara: I’m not going to follow Kevin’s test: I don’t play Revolution quite as much as three of the other albums on here, but I feel it’s the most deserving. It’s sharp, smart and an excellent example of an artist taking her potential by the horns.

Will Win:

• Dierks Bentley, Up on the Ridge
• Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
• Miranda Lambert, Revolution – Kevin, Leeann, Dan, Tara
• George Strait, Twang
• Carrie Underwood, Play On

Kevin: I really do think Lambert will sweep. I think she should’ve won for her last album, which wasn’t even nominated, but I’m not going to complain about an ambitious album getting the prize.

Leeann: I’m guessing either Lambert or Underwood. Although Lambert has the better album, Underwood has the slight edge because it sold better. I wouldn’t be especially surprised if Lady A takes it though.

Dan: Seems to me like a toss-up between Lady A’s commercial favorite and Lambert’s critical one. Lambert?

Tara: This is Lambert’s to lose, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if Lady A (or maybe Bentley?) snatched it.

Single of the Year

Should Win:

• Easton Corbin, “A Little More Country Than That”
• Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”
• Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me” – Kevin, Leeann, Dan, Tara
• Miranda Lambert, “White Liar”
• Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins, “Hillbilly Bone”

Kevin: It’s the big chunk of meat in a category of mashed potatoes and candied apples.

Leeann: Kevin just made me really hungry, therefore, kind of distracted. It’s a good thing that my choice doesn’t need justification then.

Dan: “Need You Now” had the biggest impact, of course, but “The House That Built Me” was no slouch either – four weeks at #1 – and was arguably the riskiest, most rewarding release. Also of note: she sang it real pretty.

Tara: “Need You Now” and “The House That Built Me” are performed equally well, but “House” is the better-written song. I’ll go with “House” on the basis of that, but I do think country music will be represented justly either way. Both songs resonate with pure, compelling sentiment.

Will Win:

• Easton Corbin, “A Little More Country Than That”
• Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now” - Dan, Tara
• Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me” - Kevin, Leeann
• Miranda Lambert, “White Liar”
• Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins, “Hillbilly Bone”

Kevin: I think Lady A would have a better shot if they hadn’t won last year for “I Run to You.”

Leeann: It’s simply the clear winner.

Dan: Again, somewhat for diversity’s sake, I’ll guess that many voters have already forgotten about “I Run to You” – I certainly have – and will use this category to recognize the biggest hit, while they use Song to recognize the best one.

Tara: I’m jumping on Dan’s train…

Song of the Year

Should Win:

• “A Little More Country Than That” – Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress & Wynn Varble
• “Need You Now” – Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott
• “The House That Built Me” – Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin – Kevin, Leeann, Dan, Tara
• “Toes” – Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, John Hopkins & Shawn Mullins
• “White Liar” – Natalie Hemby & Miranda Lambert

Kevin: Overall, I think that “Need You Now” is a better Single than Song, and that “The House That Built Me” is a better Song than Single, but “House” is better than “Need” on both counts.

Leeann: I’m just being repetative now. It’s the best single and song of the year.

Dan: It’s the deepest-cutting of the five and the most unique.

Tara: “The House That Built Me” is, quite simply, beautifully written.

Will Win:

• “A Little More Country Than That” – Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress & Wynn Varble
• “Need You Now” – Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott – Kevin
• “The House That Built Me” – Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin – Leeann, Dan, Tara
• “Toes” – Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, John Hopkins & Shawn Mullins
• “White Liar” – Natalie Hemby & Miranda Lambert

Kevin: Here’s where they can honor “Need You Now” without shortchanging Lambert.

Leeann: I just see “House” sweeping in all possible categories.

Dan: They often manage to pick the actual best song of the five, especially when that song is also the most “serious.”

Tara: This just seems way to obvious; I don’t see how the voters could bypass the most clearly deserving song.

Musical Event of the Year

Should Win:

• Dierks Bentley featuring Jamey Johnson & Miranda Lambert, “Bad Angel” – Tara
• Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews, “I’m Alive”
• Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack, “‘Til the End” – Leeann, Dan
  
• Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins, “Hillbilly Bone” – Kevin
• Zac Brown Band featuring Kid Rock, “Can’t You See”

Kevin: I don’t find any of these five songs particularly compelling, so I’ll go with the two artists who are longest overdue for some CMA love.

Leeann: I’m not big on any of these either, but the Jackson/Womack collaboration is the one I like the most if I have to choose.

Dan: I’d be fine with either “Til the End” or “Bad Angel”. Whatevs.

Tara: The Jackson/Womack song falls squarely within my typical taste, but “Bad Angel” gets under my skin – in a good way. It’s just a really cool record.

Will Win:

• Dierks Bentley featuring Jamey Johnson & Miranda Lambert, “Bad Angel”
• Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews, “I’m Alive”
• Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack, “‘Til the End”
• Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins, “Hillbilly Bone”- Kevin, Leeann, Dan, Tara
• Zac Brown Band featuring Kid Rock, “Can’t You See”

Kevin: Its presence in the Single category makes “Hillbilly Bone” the most likely winner.

Leeann: It’s the most mainstream of all the choices.

Dan: “Bad Angel” could play a welcome spoiler, since all three of the artists behind it command a lot of respect right now. I still see this going to the hit, though.

Tara: I’m predicting the big boys will win this one. It’s a decent song, but it makes me laugh that it gets as much love as it does – I mean, this is the song that has Adkins admitting that he’s “always wanted to sing a bone song”…!

Music Video of the Year

Should Win:

• Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”
• Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me”
• Miranda Lambert, “White Liar” – Kevin, Dan, Tara
• Brad Paisley, “Water”
• Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins, “Hillbilly Bone”

Kevin: Lambert made the two best clips, with the humor of “Liar” outpacing the literalism of “House.”

Dan: The “House” video is beautifully conceived and directed, but somehow the “White Liar” one just sticks out more. Maybe it’s because “White Liar” is a thinner song, so the video has more of a chance to establish its own identity.

Tara: The “White Liar” video is the brightest and most creative of the bunch.

Will Win:

• Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”
• Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me”
• Miranda Lambert, “White Liar” – Kevin, Dan, Tara
• Brad Paisley, “Water”
• Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins, “Hillbilly Bone”

Kevin: I think “White Liar” has won all the video awards this year, so I guess it will win again.

Dan: This is the logical place to reward the other Lambert single the CMA liked this year.

Tara: One of Lambert’s videos will win for sure. My best guess is “White Liar” since it’s won before, like Kevin said.

Musician of the Year

Should Win:

• Paul Franklin (steel guitar) – Kevin, Leeann, Dan, Tara
  
• Dann Huff (guitar)
• Brent Mason (guitar)
• Mac McAnally (guitar)
• Randy Scruggs (guitar)

Kevin: Paul Franklin is the nominee I’m rooting for the most this year. Give the man, and the steel guitar, some long overdue recognition!

Leeann: It’s the steel guitar for heaven’s sake! It should be a no-brainer, even though it’s clearly not.

Dan: I won’t pretend I know what’s going on. I’m just going to root for the guy who hasn’t won yet until he finally does.

Tara: How can you pass up the steel guitar?

Will Win:

• Paul Franklin (steel guitar)
• Dann Huff (guitar)
• Brent Mason (guitar)
• Mac McAnally (guitar) – Kevin, Leeann, Dan, Tara
• Randy Scruggs (guitar)

Kevin: Mac McAnally won the last two years, so I guess he’s the favorite. Did I mention that Franklin is 0-for-17 going into this year’s ceremony?

Leeann: I suppose its a habit to give it to McAnally at this point. So, why should I be so bold as to predict anyone else?

Dan: No justice!

Tara: Just going off of pattern here.

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #75-#51

#75
When You Say Nothing at All
Alison Krauss & Union Station
1995 | Peak: #3

Listen

This Keith Whitley classic was recorded as part of a tribute album to the late country star. It became a hit all over again, perhaps because Krauss performed it in a near-whisper. The quiet arrangement matches the sentiment beautifully. – Kevin Coyne

#74
Alibis
Tracy Lawrence
1993 | Peak: #1

Listen

Lawrence dishes on his ex’s cheating ways to her new potential lover. How did she get that way? He reveals that he’s the one who taught her everything she knows from the cheater’s playbook. Moreover, he seems regretful of her corruption. – Leeann Ward

#73
Cowboy Take Me Away
Dixie Chicks
1999 | Peak: #1

Listen

In a modern world where life can so easily feel cold and mechanical, love remains earthy and exciting and mysterious. It’s a window into a different world, one where we’re not defined by the predictables of our routine – the same stresses, the same cars and buildings – but by our core nature as people, our place in the greater fabric of Earth and, perhaps, heaven. On the surface, “Cowboy Take Me Away” sounds like just a sugar-sweet love song – I’ve even heard it called “pre-feminist”  – but there’s something else going on here: a plea for life to have meaning again. – Dan Milliken

#72
A Thousand Miles From Nowhere
Dwight Yoakam
1993 | Peak: #2

Listen

With it’s hypnotizing melody, one can’t help but feel for Yoakam as he reels from “the cruel, cruel words” that were said to him, which cause him to feel as though he’s far removed from reality at “a thousand miles from nowhere.” – LW

#71
I’m Holding My Own
Lee Roy Parnell
1994 | Peak: #3

Listen

When an ex-girlfriend asks Parnell how he’s been getting by since their break-up, he responds with a fabulous, subtle mix of thoughtfulness and indignation. It takes a skilled artist to pull of the haughty emphasis on “holdin’” without compromising the maturity of the song. – Tara Seetharam

#70
You Don’t Seem to Miss Me
Patty Loveless with George Jones
1997 | Peak: #14

Listen

This is one of those great records that could only work as a country song. The fiddle is her undying love, and the steel guitar is her painful worry that it’s no longer reciprocated. Just the instrumental track could tell most of the story. Throw in two of the finest vocalists in country music history, and you’ve got yourself a classic. – KC

#69
A Bad Goodbye
Clint Black with Wynonna
1993 | Peak: #2

Listen

Should he stay or should he go? He knows that he should go, but guilt and, maybe, even some sort of co-dependency won’t let him make a clean break. He wants to avoid a bad goodbye, but unfortunately for him, such a thing rarely exists. – LW

#68
Past the Point of Rescue
Hal Ketchum
1992 | Peak: #2

Listen

This level of self-awareness is dangerous when your heart is on the verge of being broken. – KC

#67
Shut Up and Drive
Chely Wright
1997 | Peak: #14

Listen

A remarkably rational inner monologue by a woman finally driving away from her always-failing relationship. She knows she’s still susceptible to her own loneliness, but reminds herself, “you’ll only miss the man that you wanted him to be.” – DM

#66
Thanks to You
Emmylou Harris
1994 | Peak: #65

Listen

Songs of salvation are a lot more interesting when the protagonist has a long way to go before they get there. – KC

#65
Things Change
Dwight Yoakam
1998 | Peak: #17

Listen

Yoakam’s always getting left, so most of this record is just a very good version of what he normally gives us. But in that final verse, where he gets to turn the knife himself, he settles the score for one brief moment. – KC

#64
If You Ever Have Forever in Mind
Vince Gill
1998 | Peak: #5

Listen

A slow-burning, jazzy, luscious record that Gill knocks out of the park. – TS

#63
Almost Goodbye
Mark Chesnutt
1993 | Peak: #1

Listen

“Sometimes the most important words are the ones left unspoken”, Chesnutt observes. In this case, it’s a premature “goodbye.” It is a power ballad wrought with melodrama of epic proportions, but it’s just so good anyway. – LW

#62
Wide Open Spaces
Dixie Chicks
1998 | Peak: #1

Listen

A beloved, inescapable coming-of-age smash. – DM

#61
Aces
Suzy Bogguss
1992 | Peak: #9

Listen

A woman who’d rather be right than wrong finally realizes that way of thinking is about to leave her alone and lonely. – KC

#60
Never Again, Again
Lee Ann Womack
1997 | Peak: #23

Listen

Right out of the gate, Womack aces her traditional country exam: clever, frank, self-deprecating, sad, gorgeously sung. – DM

#59
In My Next Life
Merle Haggard
1994 | Peak: #58

Listen

He’s spent his whole life trying to be her hero, and he’s set the bar so high in his mind, he doesn’t even realize that he cleared it by a long shot. – KC

#58
You’d Think He’d Know Me Better
Bobbie Cryner
1996 | Peak: #56

Listen

It’s very difficult to be a thoroughly unlikable narrator and still garner sympathy, but Cryner pulls it off here. – KC

#57
That’s Why I’m Here
Kenny Chesney
1998 | Peak: #2

Listen

Chesney paints a sympathetic portrait of a man who has owned the consequences of his alcoholism. – LW

#56
Love Travels
Kathy Mattea
1997 | Peak: #39

Listen

Five and half minutes of Celtic-flavored bliss, and not a wasted second among them. – KC

#55
All These Years
Sawyer Brown
1992 | Peak: #3

Listen

A husband catches his wife in bed with another man, and they finally share the candid, open conversation that could potentially save their marriage. – DM

#54
I’m Alright
Jo Dee Messina
1998 | Peak: #1

Listen

With a lunch date between two old friends as its backdrop, “I’m Alright” dances around the details of a struggling artist’s life. It’s brilliant in its blend of realism and optimism, but above all, it’s insanely infectious. – TS

#53
Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)
Radney Foster
1999 | Peak: #74

Listen

A lullaby of timeless beauty from a father unable to stay near his child. Deep love and deep sadness sound from every note. – DM

#52
Here I Am
Patty Loveless
1994 | Peak: #4

Listen

The truth is revealed so slowly here that even after a thousand listens, it still comes as a surprise. Credit a brilliant lyric from Tony Arata and a masterclass vocal from Loveless for that. – KC

#51
Worlds Apart
Vince Gill
1996 | Peak: #5

Listen

Gill quietly displays a sweet social conscience: “There’s nothing quite as ugly as two people full of hate/We’ll end up as equals when we stand at heaven’s gate/Love is still the answer/It’s the only place to start/Why do you and me have to be worlds apart?” Tragically, Gill’s question never stops being relevant. – LW

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #100-#76

#100
The Battle Hymn of Love
Kathy Mattea & Tim O’Brien
1990 | Peak: #9

Listen

Wedding songs are typically made of the same fiber, but this one is a little different: it’s energized by burning conviction and fierce pledges. – Tara Seetharam

#99
Blue
LeAnn Rimes
1996 | Peak: #10

Listen

Sure, the novelty of thirteen year-old Rimes’ prodigious Patsy imitation helped things along. But that unshakable yodeled hook would have made “Blue” a classic in any era of country music. – Dan Milliken

#98
The River and the Highway
Pam Tillis
1996 | Peak: #8

Listen

Just an unbelievably haunting and gorgeous song. – Leeann Ward

#97
Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of Thirst)
Kathy Mattea
1993 | Peak: #19

Listen

A moving reflection on our tendency to miss the true blessings and enriching opportunities around us. It would be a great song if it just stuck to lost friendship and love; that it twists in the third verse to consider our relationship to the less fortunate puts it on a completely different level. The way things are, we’re all left “parched and empty” in some sense – the poor who struggle in a culture of incredible wealth, and the financially secure who march on in self-absorbed, self-contained existences, wondering why they never feel quite whole. – DM

#96
Yard Sale
Sammy Kershaw
1992 | Peak: #17

Listen

As if the dissolution of his marriage wasn’t bad enough, now he gets to sit around acting friendly for a bunch of strangers “sortin’ through what’s left of you and me” and paying him chump change for it. A Jones-worthy lament. – DM

#95
Where Are You Now
Clint Black
1991 | Peak: #1

Listen

What happens when you take for granted the person you always assume will be there for you, then realize that this time, they’ve finally stopped waiting around for you? You ask the question that Clint Black is asking here. – Kevin Coyne

#94
Back When We Were Beautiful
Matraca Berg
1997 | Peak: Did Not Chart

Listen

So beautifully raw that it makes almost every other depiction of the elderly in modern country music feel like a hollow, oversimplified contrivance. – DM

#93
I Guess You Had to Be There
Lorrie Morgan
1993 | Peak: #14

Listen

Imagine loving someone so much that you’re willing to accept their tryst with sad resignation, realizing that there’s no happiness left for them at home.  Love hurts. – KC

#92
Deep Down
Pam Tillis
1995 | Peak: #6

Listen

Excellent lyric aside, what makes this record truly unique is the way that Tillis has a conversation with the band. She sings a line in the first verse, the guitar responds to it. In the second verse, she’s answered by the fiddle. By the time the song builds to a crescendo, they’re singing in harmony. It’s cool. – KC

#91
Heads Carolina, Tails California
Jo Dee Messina
1996 | Peak: #2

Listen

Right out of the gate, Messina demands positive proactivity, charms world. – DM

#90
Baby, Now That I’ve Found You
Alison Krauss
1995 | Peak: #49

Listen

Krauss turns forgettable Motown fodder into a sad, hushed plea to a lover who already has a foot out the door and probably isn’t coming back. – DM

#89
Ships That Don’t Come In
Joe Diffie
1992 | Peak: #5

Listen

This single presents Joe Diffie at his very finest. Humanity permeates each and every note. – LW

#88
Something in Red
Lorrie Morgan
1992 | Peak: #14

Listen

An ingeniously poetic story song, told through parallel-structured stanzas that chronicle a woman’s life by her clothing choices at given points. You could write a good paper on the themes presented here, so richly drawn is the woman’s character. – DM

#87
Should’ve Been a Cowboy
Toby Keith
1993 | Peak: #1

Listen

This is the song that started it all for Toby Keith. It’s the voice of a more youthful, less egotistical man with a fine song on his hands to kick start his national career. – LW

#86
I’ll Think of Something
Mark Chesnutt
1992 | Peak: #1

Listen

In this cover of an old Hank Jr. single, Chesnutt is fully submerged in post-breakup despair. You’re not sure he actually even wants to think of something to help him along. – DM

#85
Come On Back
Carlene Carter
1990 | Peak: #3

Listen

There’s such a sprightly, inviting sound going on here that you might not even notice that Carter’s actually proposing something pretty serious: that her man stops running around on her in random dive bars. However deep your understanding of the single, though, it’s a definite toe-tapper. – DM

#84
Ain’t That Lonely Yet
Dwight Yoakam
1993 | Peak: #3

Listen

Bitterness and melancholy aren’t supposed to go down this smoothly. – KC

#83
You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone
Brooks & Dunn
1995 | Peak: #1

Listen

Kix Brooks takes the lead here, and turns in a better single than the vast majority of Dunn-led hits. – KC

#82
The Fear of Being Alone
Reba McEntire
1996 | Peak: #2

Listen

For all of her theatrics and melodramatic flair, the best Reba McEntire singles are the ones that are deeply grounded in the realities of everyday people. Here, she gets in touch with her inner Oslin, with a candid conversation between two older adults resisting the urge to mistake loneliness for love. – KC

#81
You Don’t Even Know Who I Am
Patty Loveless
1995 | Peak: #5

Listen

As is typically the case when relationships dissolve, there are two sides to the story, two perspectives. Often times, neither side is completely wrong. The Gretchen Peters penned, “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am”, vividly explores both sides of the story. She feels emotionally abandoned; he feels unappreciated. The one thing they can agree on is that it’s over. The punch of “What do I care if you go” is the brilliant conclusion that none of us see coming. – LW

#80
I Saw the Light
Wynonna
1992 | Peak: #1

Listen

Wynonna’s inspired performance elevates what could have been a familiar done-me-wrong song to a smart, unforgettable hit. – TS

#79
No Place That Far
Sara Evans
1998 | Peak: #1

Listen

Rarely has Evans sounded as good as she does on this treasure of a love song, fueled by the raw emotion in her performance. As always, Vince Gill’s back-up vocals add another layer of soul to the stirring ballad. – TS

#78
A Little Past Little Rock
Lee Ann Womack
1998 | Peak: #2

Listen

It’s lonely out there on the road after finally leaving for good, nothing but a little self-mocking wordplay to comfort you. – DM

#77
Who’s That Man
Toby Keith
1994 | Peak: #1

Listen

Country music reaches some of its highest highs and lowest lows when its conceits are at their most potentially ridiculous. “Who’s That Man” is a serious song inspired that exaggerative joke about what happens when you play a country song backwards – getting your house back, your woman back, your dog back – so you might expect it to be one of those “lowest lows.” In Keith’s hands, though, the losses feel relevant and real. Go figure. – DM

#76
I’d Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)
Doug Stone
1990 | Peak: #4

Listen

Stone would rather lay out in a coffin, do time in jail, or go to Hell and confront the devil than see his lady happy with someone else. Rumor has it that Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum are planning a collaborative cover of this one soon. – DM

#375
How Do I Get There
Deana Carter
1997 |  Peak: #1

It’s always a gamble when friends decide to take their relationship to the next level. “How Do I Get There” explores the struggle of following one’s heart, even though it’s taking a big emotional risk to do so. – Leeann Ward

#374
If I Could Make a Living
Clay Walker
1994  |  Peak: #1

This song is either ridiculously cheesy or irresistibly cheesy depending on your taste, but there’s no denying Walker sells the heck out of it with charm and enthusiasm. – Tara Seetharam

#373
It Sure is Monday
Mark Chesnutt
1993  |  Peak: #1

Mark Chesnutt is one of the best male vocalists of the nineties, but there were many times when he did not always rise to the challenge of conveying the energy to elevate a decent song to a good one. Case in point: “Friends in Low Places”, which was eventually properly energized by Garth Brooks. “It Sure Is Monday”, however, is a positive example of Chesnutt actually making a song his own by demonstrating the ability to breathe life into a decent song and make it really good. – LW

#372
Take Me as I Am
Faith Hill
1994  |  Peak: #2

What do you think – will you take Faith Hill as she is? I mean, I know she’s kinda ugly and stuff, but…she does tell, like, the best Drunken-Martina stories at parties. And her quiche is just beyond.

Joking aside, it’s really something how this hit manages to make a mature, realistic perspective on love sound so bubbly and optimistic. That Hill can sing lines like “Baby, don’t turn out the light / I want to see you look at me” and sound so effervescent doing it suggests that we don’t have to forfeit our Taylor-Swiftish enthusiasm for romance just because our outlook on it grows up. – Dan Milliken

#371
What Mattered Most
Ty Herndon
1995  |  Peak: #1

Many nineties stars had their biggest hit right out of the box. Herndon’s debut single remains his finest moment, but don’t take that as a minimization of his talent. A carefully cataloged collection of little things noticed while missing the big picture, this single would be the finest moment of plenty a career. – Kevin Coyne

#370
My Heart Has a History
Paul Brandt
1996  |  Peak: #5

Brandt’s debut album was a big hit stateside, thanks in large part to his stunning debut single. A finely crafted lyric, a production that makes room for a church organ, and the best baritone voice to surface in the mid-nineties.  His native Canada’s been smart enough to hold on to him. He still regularly reaches the top ten of the country charts  north of the border. – KC

#369
We Really Shouldn’t Be Doing This
George Strait
1998  |  Peak: #4

The kind of song that can’t get over how great its own title is, but in this case it totally works. The nervy melody nails the rush of flirting with trouble. – DM

#368
Don’t Laugh at Me
Mark Wills
1998  |  Peak: #2

Wills builds this socially conscious song around a deceivingly elementary message, but it’s the anecdotes that drive it home, simple and real. The most stinging line for me is the cripple’s “don’t think I don’t notice that our eyes never meet,” because it materializes the imaginary, unnecessary divide society creates between people that Wills is begging us to tear down. – TS

#367
Then What?
Clay Walker
1997  |  Peak: #2

Friends don’t let friends throw their good lives away.Clay Walker’s catchiest song to date, “Then What?” is a straightforward attempt to caution his friend regarding the consequences of committing adultery. – LW

#366
(Without You) What Do I Do With Me
Tanya Tucker
1991  |  Peak: #2

One of those beautiful heartbreak songs that works as well for a widow as it does for the recently divorced. – KC

#365
It’s a Little Too Late
Mark Chesnutt
1996  |  Peak: #1

A catchy little tale of an oblivious man, a fed-up woman and a whole lot of things that he should’ve-would’ve-could’ve done to keep her. – TS

#364
She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful
Sammy Kershaw
1993  |  Peak: #1

It’s refreshing that this song has had so much staying power on country radio, because nowadays it isn’t often the spotlight falls on women like this one – modest, grounded, and beautiful inside and out – or on the men who are special enough to recognize them. – TS

#363
Walk On Faith
Mike Reid
1990  |  Peak: #1

Reid urges us to use faith as our compass as we travel through life, a theme that’s no stranger to country music but that’s rarely expressed so joyfully and hopefully. – TS

#362
I Just Might Be
Lorrie Morgan
1996  |  Peak: #45

The awkward removal of a minor swear word ruined the rhythm of the chorus, which is as good a theory as any for why this excellent record didn’t fare too well at radio. She so casually dismisses the man who dismissed her that it’s easy to walk away thinking it was the wrongdoer, not the wronged, who got the shaft. – KC

#361
Bye Bye
Jo Dee Messina
1998  |  Peak: #1

One of country music’s greatest break-up anthems, “Bye Bye” is an exhilarating rush of pride and newfound freedom. – TS

#360
Can’t Break it to My Heart
Tracy Lawrence
1993  |  Peak: #1

With one of the best tear-soaked male voices of the nineties, Tracy Lawrence was adept at ringing out the emotions of the songs that he sang, no matter the tempo. While “Can’t Break It to My Heart” is set to a bouncy melody, Lawrence laments that he knows his relationship is over with palpable emotion. As a result, he can get it through his head, but he just can’t break it his heart. – LW

#359
Maybe
Mandy Barnett
1996  |  Peak: #65

Sometimes a singer sounds so great singing something that the song itself feels irrelevant. Mandy Barnett faces this problem a good deal of the time. – DM

#358
Fallin’ Out of Love
Reba McEntire
1991  |  Peak: #2

One of her smartest and most emotionally resonant singles finds McEntire using the second person voice, perhaps as the inner monologue of the woman who slowly discovers that “nothing feels as good as letting go.” – KC

#357
I Love the Way You Love Me
John Michael Montgomery
1993  |  Peak: #1

Montgomery delivers a love song that aptly balances sweet, telling details with the sweeping profession in its title. – TS

#356
I Cross My Heart
George Strait
1992  |  Peak: #1

A passionate, straightforward vow of love – no bells or whistles needed. – TS

#355
Every Once in a While
BlackHawk
1994  |  Peak: #2

Well before Toby Keith got in touch with his inner swagger, BlackHawk released this stunningly arrogant record which assumes that the woman he left behind still revels in his memory, so lucky she was to have been with him for at least one moment in time. Stunningly arrogant, indeed, but somehow pretty darn charming, too. – KC

#354
Now I Know
Lari White
1994  |  Peak: #5

It wasn’t written as an answer song to the BlackHawk record above, but it certainly would make an interesting rebuttal. White’s biggest hit was also her best.- KC

#353
The Thunder Rolls
Garth Brooks
1991  |  Peak: #1

One of country music’s truly epic singles, masterful in how it captures the surreal mist of emotions that hangs over lives being played at their highest stakes. – DM

#352
A Little Bit of You
Lee Roy Parnell
1995  |  Peak: #2

This is simply an honest-to-goodness declaration of infatuation. Who wouldn’t want to hear “There ain’t nothin’ that a little bit of you can’t cure”?
- LW

#351
I’ll Think of a Reason Later
Lee Ann Womack
1998  |  Peak: #2

A delightful slice of catharsis for jealous ex-girlfriends everywhere, made extra amusing by the contrast of Womack’s sweet soprano against the vindictive lyrics. – TS

This woman was good. Real good.  Possibly the best unheralded singer-songwriter of her time, with a sultry voice formed at the crossroads of Bobbie Gentry and Dottie West.  She first surfaced on Sony, releasing her self-titled debut in 1993. It was previewed by the autobiographical “Daddy Laid the Blues on Me.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgrlSTmCygA

It could’ve been the start of a legendary career, but the single stalled at #63.  Next up was the haunting “He Feels Guilty”, which went to #68. It has an amazing guitar intro. That video can be viewed here.  Her debut album produced a third single, the #72 “You Could Steal Me.”  This one’s heartbreakingly gorgeous, but I can’t find an online way of sharing it with you.

The rest of that first album includes a duet with Dwight Yoakam on “I Don’t Care”, the Buck Owens classic. Another stellar cover is “The One I Love the Most”, which could’ve been a George Jones classic back in the early seventies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpzB_Cb3LAo

But the best material comes from her own pen. Check out “I Think It’s Over Now”, which features the lyric, “You don’t have to say you love me if you think there’s any doubt. But if you have to think it over, well, I think it’s over now.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL4hGWwFwUQ

Also worth seeking out is the closing track from that album, “This Heart Speaks For Itself,” which has every part of her body fooling others that she’s over the man who let her down.

In one of those glorious second chances that the music business rarely doles out, Cryner resurfaced on MCA three years later, sporting a more cosmopolitan sound and look. On Girl of Your Dreams, Cryner penned all five of the strongest tracks, while also credibly covering Dusty Springfield and Dottie West.  The lead single was “I Just Can’t Stand to Be Unhappy”, a kiss-off anthem that was too smart for country radio, stopping at #63:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDQrKObmrY0

What followed was an absolute masterpiece, one that still only reached #56 (and only #66 when Lorrie Morgan revived it two years later.)  “You’d Think He’d Know Me Better” is shockingly good, managing to tell the story of a selfish and cold woman by having her talk about how inconsiderate her man is. She’s the only one left in the dark at the end, as the listeners all realize who’s really to blame for this broken home:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ED7KixyVwU

Her final MCA single was “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”, which chronicled Cryner’s battle with alcoholism. It didn’t chart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cnoz8slwRg

Again, the album had gems beyond what went to radio.  “Vision of Loneliness” is amazing, a song that gained new resonance with me when my mother related to it so well during her bereavement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQvSv6iQYGw

The title track should’ve been a single, though it’s hard to imagine radio playing it after passing on her earlier work.  I’d argue that “The Girl of Your Dreams” isn’t just Cryner’s finest piece of writing, but that it rivals the very best of Matraca Berg, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Rosanne Cash. It begs for Trisha Yearwood to cover it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU4XIxOTxmg

So what happened after that second album faded into obscurity?  How could a songwriting talent like this get lost in the shuffle? Well, it didn’t happen right away.  After Morgan covered “You’d Think He’d Know Me Better”, Cryner surfaced as a writer on albums by top-tier female artists.

The most high profile of these three came after Cryner left a demo in Yearwood’s mailbox that simply had the title, “Real Live Woman.”  Yearwood later commented that she prayed before listening to it that it would live up to that title. It did, and ended up being Cryner’s biggest hit when Yearwood took it into the top twenty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUYvNSnKW8o

Suzy Bogguss took the compelling story song “Nobody Love, Nobody Gets Hurt” to #63 in 1998, titling her album after it as Yearwood did with “Real Live Woman” in 2000.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M07iYZyUJCU

Finally, Lee Ann Womack included “Stronger Than I Am” on her smash album I Hope You Dance.  It finds a woman in awe of her young daughter who seems so much stronger than she is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=977Z7n-SotM

After that, I have no idea what happened to this woman. Do you?  In an era when country music isn’t made for adults, or even by adults, this woman’s contributions are desperately needed.