Favorite Country Artist Results, Nos. 20-16

There’s only one strictly “country” artist in today's batch, but I like to give the genre a broad definition (and I like all five of these artists), so no complaining...

16. The Carter Family
17. Steve Earle
18. Lucinda Williams
19. Dwight Yoakam
20. Gillian Welch

First up is The Carter Family off of the American Anthology of Folk Music:

The Carter Family – Blackjack David (buy album)

Next we have a live cut from Steve Earle with Emmylou in the background:

Steve Earle – Copperhead Road (Live Acoustic) (buy album)

Here's a fairly obscure track from Lucinda that shows she can do country. The other singer is Jim Lauderdale:

Lucinda Williams – Dark Side Of Life (buy album)

You know Dwight is cool for getting Buck to sing on his record:

Dwight Yoakam & Buck Owens – Streets Of Bakersfield (buy album)

Finally, here's one from a gal who could have fit right into the Carter Family:

Gillian Welch – Revelator (buy album)

Stay tuned for 11-15 tomorrow. Leave a comment if you have an opinion on the poll or any of the songs.

Stop Everything And Download This Caitlin Rose Song! (Plus five more versions of the Stones' Dead Flowers.)

There is a brilliant young talent down in Nashville who goes by the name of Caitlin Rose. Her debut EP, Dead Flowers, will be released in the near future. It's not available yet, but check this space for more details about how to get this recording as soon as it goes on sale. Believe me, I'll be more than happy to do another post to tell you how to buy it. It's great. Until then, please listen to her cover of the Rolling Stones' song, Dead Flowers.

I think this may be my new favorite version of Dead Flowers. Better than the almightly Townes Van Zandt (this song only). Better than the Eels or Uncle Tupelo, and maybe even better than Steve Earle's great live version. Heck, I might even like it better than the Stones' version. And she's only 20 or 21 years old. This girl's a genuine talent... You heard it here first.

(Caveat: I've had a glass of Old Grand Dad on the rocks, but I don't think that's impaired my judgment too badly. Judge for yourself.)

Enjoy this killer track. You won't be sorry:

Caitlin Rose – Dead Flowers. (Check back later for buying info).

Listen to more Caitlin Rose here: Caitlin Rose MySpace

Just for comparison's sake, here are some other versions:

The Rolling Stones – Dead Flowers (buy album).
Townes Van Zandt – Dead Flowers (buy album).
Steve Earle – Dead Flowers (buy album).
Uncle Tupelo – Dead Flowers.
The Eels – Dead Flowers.

So what do you think?