Music

This is turning out to be one of the best years for country albums ever: A few weeks ago, six of Billboard‘s top seven were hard-to-resist sets by Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Kenny Chesney, Montgomery Gentry, Loretta Lynn, and Toby Keith. So if more than the genre’s share wind up at the top of my pile, blame the music.

T. GRAHAM BROWN

The Next Right Thing

(Intersound country album)

tgrahambrown.com

BILLY BUTCHER

Penny Dreadful

(Outlaw import hard rock album)

billybutcher.com

DJ ENUFF FEATURING THIRST

Are You Thirsty?

(Cornerstone Mixtape/Sprite promo hip hop mix CD)

djenuff.net

HEART

Jupiters Darling

(Sovereign Artists hard-rock album)

heart-music.com

R. KELLY “Happy People”

(Jive r&b single)

r-kelly.com

KONK

The Sound of Konk: Tales of the New York Underground 1981–88

(Soul Jazz import punk-funk reissue)

souljazzrecords.co.uk

NOMEANSNO

The People’s Choice

(AntAcidAudio ’80s-’90s art-punk reissue)

antacidaudio.com

RIC-A-CHE “Coo-Coo Chee”

(Universal quasi-dancehall hip-hop single)

ric-a-che.com

JULIE ROBERTS

Julie Roberts

(Mercury country album)

julieroberts.com

SHEDAISY

Sweet Right Here

(Lyric Street country album)

shedaisy.com

RICK SPRINGFIELD

Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance

(Gomer powerpop album)

rickspringfield.com

GENE WATSON . . . Sings

(Intersound country album)