When the Sun Goes Down is the sequel to Kenny Chesney's 2002 release, the multi-platinum No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems. For that album Chesney found a batch of songs that perfectly captured the scary no-man's land between adolescence and adulthood, precisely where the bulk of his followers happened to live. On When the Sun Goes Down the protagonists are older, with kids on the way and hectic jobs that rob them of leisure time. In fantasising about those college keg parties and hedonism after dark, they search for a sigh of relief. Chesney understands this, and his own changes, too. Emotionally he's more at home in his own skin, and since his voice has become deeper and wider, he sounds increasingly confident in the studio, besting guest artist Uncle Kracker on the title song, a warmed-over Jimmy Buffett vibe. He's also matured as a writer. The majority of his four songs, two co-written with others, are no match for "There Goes My Life", the powerful unwed father ballad that served as the album's first single, or even "When I Think About Leavin'", another tune about standing at the crossroads. But his memorable "Being Drunk's a Lot Like Loving You" will burrow deep in your psyche and prove Chesney a fine guide to confronting pain. Better keep this one handy. [+]

Stumble into Grace is a sublime affirmation of all the qualities that have made Emmylou Harris the pre-eminent American songstress of her generation. Having by now left the narrow confines of "Country" far behind, this album speaks eloquently of Harris's continuing quest to explore the essence of contemporary American folk: deeply felt lyrics and thoughtful musical accompaniment recall the best of Bob Dylan and Neil Young, but the achingly beautiful melodies are uniquely all her own (a charming rendition of "Plaisir d'Amour" excepted). After experimenting with dense over-production that occasionally overwhelmed her on the crossover Wrecking Ball and the soul-searching Red Dirt Girl, Harris and producer Malcolm Burn have finally got the balance exactly right. That seemingly fragile, half-whispered voice-threatening at any moment to splinter into crystalline fragments-is heard here in its naked glory, imbuing these reflective songs with a touch of, well, grace. By the time the listener reaches the extraordinary "Lost unto This World"-surely a spark of the divine in musical form-it will have become abundantly clear that after more than three decades in the business Emmylou Harris is now making some of the finest music of her career. -Mark Walker.

On her excellent second album, Barricades & Brickwalls, Kasey Chambers again proves that the best country music is less about where you're from than where you're at. Australian-born Chambers grew up on a diet of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, and these admirable influences are evident throughout most of Barricades' 13 tracks. Like she did on her excellent debut, Chambers expands on the traditional country template, adding folk, blues and rock to the mix, while avoiding alt country clichés, with largely successful results. And if she's to be judged by the company she keeps, then her credentials couldn't be better: guest stars include Buddy Miller (on the Parsons-penned "Still Feeling Blue" and "Runaway Train"), Paul Kelly (on "I Still Pray"), Matthew Ryan (on the heartbreaking "A Million Tears") and Lucinda Williams (on "On a Bad Day"). The real star, however, is Kasey Chambers, and her amazingly emotive voice, which sounds just as perfect singing rough-edged country rock (the title track) as it does on the achingly gorgeous and plaintive "Not Pretty Enough". -Robert Burrow.

The idea of twang king Alan Jackson pairing up with Alison Krauss for an album of love songs might seem heretical to some, especially if they heard only the first cut, the adult-contemporary ballad "Anywhere on Earth You Are. " But producer Krauss, whom Jackson approached to make a traditional bluegrass record, always knew there was a sensuous heart beating beneath Jackson's aw-shucks demeanour, one that would fit perfectly with the intimate repertoire, genre-bending musical framework and virtuoso players she'd always chosen for herself. (Robert Lee Castleman, one of Krauss's favorite writers, weighs in with four tunes, and Ron Block, Jerry Douglas, and Dan Tyminski, Krauss's Union Station cohorts, anchor the band. ) If there's a downside to this brilliant, if unlikely pairing, it's that Krauss's sombre program could benefit from something a tad more libidinous or uptempo. But what is here is so beautifully chosen and performed (with spare, affecting harmony vocals by Lee Ann Womack, Cheryl White, Sidney and Suzanne Cox and Krauss herself) that it's hard to quibble. Throughout, and especially on the ballad "Wait a Minute" and his own dusted-off "A Woman's Love" (1998), Jackson, who explores his rich, lower register more frequently than in the past, comes across like Don Williams in his prime. He's a middle-aged man taking stock of what and who matters most to him in life and speaking his heart without artifice. In the title track, a song so bone-marrow deep it might bring you to your knees, Jackson declares, "I love you like all little children love pennies. " That line that may sound odd and superficial by itself, but in Jackson's nuanced reading, it takes on a nearly spiritual yearning. This album, like the gospel Precious Memories before it, proves that while Jackson-the most nominated performer in CMA history-may be nearing 50, he's not ready to quit challenging himself as an artist. [+]

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.

Chambers was born and raised on the Nullarbor Plain of Southern Australia but, being the daughter of country music teacher Bill Chambers, she didn't get imprinted with INXS or Midnight Oil. Instead, she grew up surrounded by the voices of Hank Williams, Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons. Being young and spunky, though, Chambers wasn't prepared just to regurgitate what she'd heard, and set out with a mission to change the world's perception of country music by writing her own fresh, new songs, with their roots in the tradition. When The Captain, her debut, appeared in Australia in 1999, she scooped an impressive array of Artist of the Year and Album of the Year awards, and even earned fulsome praise from one of her idols, Lucinda Williams, who was reputedly reduced to tears by Chambers' aching, emotional voice. Keeping things in the family, her dad plays guitar and sings harmonies on the album, while her brother Nash does a credible job as producer, but there's also some tasty fiddle from Bill Albeck (apparently no relation). The album's title track has drawn most of the attention, probably because it's the most immediate song of the bunch, but after a couple of plays, songs like "Last Hard Bible" with its bluegrass punch, or the bitter breakup tune "You Got The Car", are clearly minor classics in their own right. For a first album, this is little short of astonishing. -Johnny Black.

Having finally gained some commercial popularity whilst remaining true to his own individual sound with his 2002 album Jerusalem, Steve Earle, continues what he does best on the much-rocking, politically active The Revolution Starts Now!. Putting paid to the theory that country music is the home of all things right wing, Earle has put together an album that acts as a musical equivalent of Fahrenheit 9/11-and it expounds the same fierce opposition to the US' current political situation as Moore's work. Using songs written as a narrative of a soldier in Iraq ("Home To Houston"), and the climatic, two-part title track may seem like a cloying way to put his anti-war message across, but the clincher is that the songs are made catchy enough to hold attention and subtly insinuate their message. The musical style is that of Earle's usual, catchy country with the instantly recognisable rasping drawl, and the presence of Emmylou Harris on the sublime, driving "Comin' Around" is welcome relief. However, the angry undercurrent that informs this album is ever present, which makes this album heavy listening. But for such a concept, Earle makes it surprisingly accessible, and in doing so produces a brave and enjoyable work. -Thom Allott.

Brad Paisley's unabashedly back-to-basics 1999 debut, Who Needs Pictures, went platinum in the US. Part II continues that direction with 13 songs (10 of them co-written by Paisley) that build on that impressive beginning. While "Two People Fell in Love" and "I Wish You'd Stay" overflow with heart and eloquence, he's witty on "Two Feet of Topsoil", loungey on "You Have That Effect on Me" and loopy with "Come on Over Tonight". He evokes his West Virginia roots with a stark rendition of Darrell Scott's "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive", while Buck Owens, George Jones and Bill Anderson join him on the obligatory vocal event, Anderson's "Too Country". But Paisley's courage goes further. It takes nerve to slap an instrumental ("Munster Rag") on any Nashville-produced album in 2001 and even greater fortitude to close it out with an emotional acoustic performance of "The Old Rugged Cross" recorded live at the Opry. Part II makes one magnificent, resounding point: mainstream Nashville, try as they might, hasn't quite succeeded in confining traditional country to the Hall of Fame -Rich Kienzle.