Eight neglected country-rock albums that deserve more love

Wilco - Being There

When Uncle Tupelo split up and Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy as the main forces in the band that spearheaded the alt-country in the early nineties went their way, not much was expected from Tweedy at the time.

Yet Tweedy and his Wilco turned out to become a major musical force, and Being There (1996) was one of their key achievements, even though some other of their albums like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot seem to have resonated more with wider audiences. Still, this sprawling, widely varied double album includes some of the best tunes Tweedy and company have come up with so far.

Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

You can throw any musical genre at Lucinda Williams particularly if it is something coming from rock or country music and she’ll certainly come on top. Being a recording perfectionist, it took Williams six years to come up with this classic country rock album back in 1998. Labeling it as a classic might be an understatement.

From the opening “Right In Time” through the title track and throughout the 13 tracks here, Williams shows what a true country rock album should sound like.

Drive-By Truckers - Southern Rock Opera

If one album deserves its title, then it is this one from 2001. Patterson Hood and the rest of this incredible crew decided to take a look at the state of the so-called southern rock at the moment this album was conceived.

They did that not only by dissecting and re-assembling the musical elements that comprise this genre but also through its lyrical content, showing that excellent music and lyrics do not detract from, but complement each other.

Read more from AudioPhix