h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This week. This isn't just about lead guitar, but about ensemble playing, good acoustic sound, and other stringed instruments. These are records not with long guitar solos, in most cases, but with an overwhelming feeling of good guitar.


1. Kim Richey – Bitter Sweet (Angelo, Kenny Vaughan, Dan Dugmore, Sam Bush, John Leventhal)
2. Allison Moorer – The Hardest Part (Jay Bennett, Richard Bennett, Kenny Greenberg, Allison Moorer, Russ Pahl, Rick Plant, Marty Stuart)
3. Dwight Yoakam – Dwight Live (Pete Anderson, Scott Joss, Dwight Yoakam)
4. Mary Chapin Carpenter – Come On Come On (John Jennings, Jerry Douglas, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Paul Franklin, John Jorgenson, Mike McAdam)
5. The Allman Brothers Band – Brothers & Sisters (Gregg Allman, Dickie Betts, Les Dudek, Tommy Talton)

I'm glad to see we can at least agree on *some* things, musically speaking. Your three final selections on this list are outstanding recordings--and great bands/performers. I'm sad to say I've never heard of the first two artists--can you elaborate?

Kim Richey is a singer-songwriter, whose songs have been recorded by people like Trisha Yearwood ("Those Words We Said" etc). She has toured with Trisha, and they seem to be good friends. They sing on stage together like a couple of girls on a good night out, and Trisha borrows Kim's clothes. Her records are all pretty good, but it's the second one that has the best guitar. She's one of those people, too witty and spiky to get airplay on country radio.
Allison Moorer is the younger sister of Shelby Lynne. She's got a deepish voice (in country terms), and her second record, The Hardest Part, is reputed to be about the whole dad-shooting-their-mom story. On the video to "Send Down an Angel" she paid tribute to Gram Parsons.