2007 Americana Music Association Awards

In case you missed it, the Americana Music Association Awards nominees were announced at the end of June and will be handed out on November 1 at the 2007 Americana Music Festival and Conference in Nashville. As expected there are some great nominees, but I want to focus your attention on the Album of the Year candidates. All of them received significant play on Steel Belted Radio and all of them are fine albums. Here they are:
Emotionalism - The Avett Brothers (Ramseur)
West - Lucinda Williams (Lost Highway)
Children Running Through - Patty Griffin (ATO)
Modern Times - Bob Dylan (Columbia)

Those of you who regularly listen to the program will know that I'm a big fan of the Avett Brothers and so I'm thrilled that they've been nominated for this award (along with their nominations for New and Emerging Artist and Duo/Group of the Year). The boys deserve it -- Emotionalism is a complex album that nicely follows their wonderful release, Four Thieves Gone. What I like about their music are the textures, layers of voices and instruments that make me pay attention to every note and every word. I saw them in Ann Arbor about a month ago and their live show is something to behold. If you don't know the Avett Brothers, check them out.

Although I saw some mediocre reviews for West, I think it's Lucinda Williams' strongest record since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. It's a record about loss and healing that is both heartbreaking and redemptive. She's in fine voice here and shows what a fine songwriter she really is. Check out "Are You Alright?" and "Learning How to Live."

I'm also a big fan of Patty Griffin and have been since 1000 Kisses, one of my favourite albums from the 2000's. Seriously. If you don't know this record, order it online right now or run out tomorrow to your nearest record retailer. It features some of the best songs I have ever heard, especially the haunting "Long Ride Home" (a song that Ten Year Drought covers beautifully on their most recent album, Memoranda). Children Running Through doesn't approach the majesty of 1000 Kisses, but it has some amazing individual tracks, including "Heavenly Day" (which is currently playing on my cd player) which was nominated for the 2007 AMA Song of the Year Award. It's a beautiful, soaring song that makes me happy to be alive. Patty Griffin has, without a doubt, one of the best voices in all of Americana music.

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not a big fan of Bob Dylan and never really have been (though I am considering grabbing tickets for Dylan and Elvis Costello at Eastern Michigan University). That said, I enjoyed Modern Times as much as I have any Dylan album and I appreciate the way he looks to the tradition he both created and to which he owes a debt of gratitude for his inspiration.

Four very deserving albums. Take a good listen to all of them over the next few weeks and make a decision for yourself as to which you think deserves to win the AMA Album of the Year. On the right hand side of this site, you will find a poll that will run until the winner is announced on November 1. So vote. Let's see what y'all think. And if you think an album (released between June 1, 2006 and May 31, 2007) should have been considered, leave a comment. Let's talk about what we think are the albums deserving consideration for Americana Album of the Year.