Garth's best album in years is also-no coincidence-his most country record since his debut. The opening "Longneck Bottle", in fact, may be the most country single he's ever recorded, a swingy ode to the temptations of tall cold ones, all to the soundtrack of a steel guitar. Nothing else here is as strong, but the pathetic characters in weepers like "She's Gonna Make It" and "I Don't Have to Wonder" come plenty close. Moreover, "Belleau Woods", a lovely Christmas ballad with a World War II setting, puts Garth's patented earnestness to good use. -David Cantwell.

The Waifs may hail from Australia, but their canny blend of acoustic blues, country and folk on Up All Night wouldn't sound out of place in the sort of hip Texas roadhouse that has Townes Van Zandt and Bob Dylan on the jukebox. The trio consists of sisters Vicki and Donna Simpson, who both play guitar and harmonise beautifully, and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Cunningham. All three are fine songwriters, and although they each have distinctly different styles, their compositions fit together like a musical mosaic. Cunningham's moving, hopeful "Lighthouse" can be heard as a response to Donna's bittersweet song of homesickness, "London Still", which in turn echoes in Vicki's road ballad, "Three Down". The Waifs may play the same Dobros, mandolins and guitars that any American folk or alt-country band play, but their Australian accents and outlook give them a refreshing take on the style. -Michael Simmons.

You'd never have guessed that this country hunk would turn out to have a brain and a heart hiding under his Western gear, but Brad Paisley's Who Needs Pictures is among the more encouraging albums to come out of Nashville in some time. Rather than running from country's traditions, Paisley embraces them, going so far as to include the gospel standard "In the Garden" alongside original songs that tackle more contemporary subjects such as single motherhood ("He Didn't Have to Be") or church services that interfere with a Sunday out on the lake ("Long Sermon"). Just as promising, the guitars (Paisley's own picks) and fiddles here have been recorded in all their biting, twangy glory. There are problems-a few arrangements are predictably busy and the gimmicky fake-out ending of "Me Neither" is clever precisely once-but overall, Paisley's debut seems like a sign of something good about to develop. -David Cantwell.

Bela Fleck is one of the greatest five-string banjo players performing today. Beginning in the 1970s, he honed his lightning-fast chops performing bluegrass, then moved on to contemporary jazz and fusion sounds. With this album, he broadens his horizons once again by performing an entire programme of classical-music transcriptions. Reminiscent of classical-guitar albums by John Williams (who makes a guest appearance here), the disc traverses a wide repertoire-from Chopin mazurkas to Bach's Two and Three Part Inventions. Throughout, Fleck displays a feathery touch on his banjo, and his instrument offers a pleasant, brassy tone with very little twang. The technique he displays on Perpetual Motion is astounding and a refreshing change of pace from the smooth grooves found on the banjoist's Flecktones recordings. The arrangements are generally minimalist and understated, but violinist Joshua Bell, bassist Edgar Meyer, mandolinist Chris Thile and percussionist Evelyn Glennie join in on this ground-breaking disc. Bluegrass purists may be disappointed, but classical fans will be astounded by how perfectly natural Fleck's banjo sounds on these works. -Jason Verlinde.

This 1998 Grammy-winning release-Lucinda Williams's popular breakthrough-certainly merits the double-disc "deluxe edition" treatment. And it's hard to find significant fault with anything here: the remastered version of the original album, the second-disc live performance from that year featuring guitarists Kenny Vaughn and Bo Ramsey, and the smattering of outtakes (highlighted by a slower, sadder version of "Out of Touch" than the one Williams ended up releasing). Yet the set misses a glorious opportunity to document one of the more laborious (and notorious) recording projects, one that saw Williams switch cities, studios, and producers three times before she was satisfied with the results. And while the results confirm her judgment, fans would likely find it fascinating to hear a lot more takes from the original Austin sessions (featuring accordion master Flaco Jimenez and keyboardist Ian McLagan) or outtakes from the Nashville sessions with producer Steve Earle, before Williams overhauled the project in Los Angeles with Springsteen keyboardist Roy Bittan. Such a set could have put a revelatory spotlight on the creative process that resulted in an album widely regarded as Williams's masterpiece; instead, this release is more like souvenir snapshots. -Don McLeese.