Could Kenny Rogers be a continuous, viable presence on country radio today? Probably not. In 1999, "Buy Me a Rose" made him the oldest artist to reach #1 in the history of the country charts. And to the contemporary tattoo-and-tank-top record buyers, that rates the Gambler a great-grandfather-hey, maybe as old as Hank Williams, ya think? Nonetheless, Water and Bridges, his first studio effort in three years, is an impressive comeback. Produced by Dann Huff (Faith Hill, Keith Urban), who keeps the backing leaner than you might expect, the album spotlights a mature man looking back and surveying his life with clear-eyed honesty and more than a little regret. What strikes a listener most is both the quality of songs (by such veteran writers as Craig Wiseman, Annie Roboff, and Mike Reid) and how authentic and soulful Rogers seems throughout, particularly in dealing with the recurring theme of loss. Whether contemplating a long-ago abortion, a lifelong rift with a parent, or the tug of home-even when home is no longer there-Rogers always underplays the sentiment, adding weight to his pathos. "The Last 10 Years (Superman)" and "The Petition" seem a little too obvious and maudlin, but Huff and Rogers make up for it with the extraordinary "You'll Know Love," a sophisticated and anguished ballad of nearly paralyzing grief. Call it just one of many surprises on this album of unexpected and serious depth. -Alanna Nash.

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.

This is what rockin' country is supposed to sound like. Shelton Hank Williams, grandson of the country music icon, shows everything he's got on "I Don't Know," his debut's opening track: breakneck fiddle; fancy picking, equal parts Nashville and Macon; flexible rhythm section; wounded, piercing vocals; and unforgiving songs of rage, recklessness, and rejection. He then spends the rest of the CD refining it, song by song. As a writer, he has a real flair for imagery and the sturdy hook, and he also has good taste in remakes. Yes, there is some posturing; occasionally it feels like his nose for trouble, sense of despair, and wild eyes spring from listening to all the right records rather than out of anyone's real life. But for the most part, Hank III seems to come by these things the old-fashioned way: he earns them. Already. If he doesn't earn too much, he's going to do great things. -John Morthland.

This inspired collection reissues all the music from John Fahey's genre-expansive, groundbreaking 1964 disc Death Chants and its (mostly) rerecorded version from 1967. On both discs Fahey's finger picking is nimble and awe-inspiring, his head afire with ideas both revolutionary and musically pure. His goal was to reconcile a love for American primitive folk traditions and 20th-century classical music; by 1967 he'd largely succeeded. Death Chants is one of the most intense, life-affirming, and visionary recordings of the 1960s, and the clear (and thankfully not digitally messed-with) sound plus context-heavy, insightful liner notes by Byron Coley make the reissue a must even for folks who own the original artifacts. -Mike McGonigal.

Because family values and devotion were so fundamental to June Carter Cash, it was inevitable that this tribute album-produced by her son, John Carter Cash-would encompass the legacy of the Carter Family and her marriage to (and musical partnership with) Johnny Cash. The pairings that revive the June-and-Johnny duets are a mixed bag, as Willie Nelson never really meshes with Sheryl Crow on "If I Were a Carpenter," but daughter Carlene Carter and Ronnie (of Brooks and) Dunn absolutely nail "Jackson" with their rambunctious interplay. Among the other highlights, stepdaughter Rosanne Cash gives a luminous spirituality to "Wings of an Angel," while Emmylou Harris will bring a lump to every throat with the closing "Song to John," a testament to eternal love and the afterlife. June's signature instrument, the autoharp figures prominently in many of the arrangements, including Elvis Costello's rendition of "Ring of Fire. " As for June's legendary lineage, Ralph Stanley's "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," Loretta Lynn's "Wildwood Flower," and Brad Paisley's "Keep on the Sunny Side" all attest to the Carter Family's seminal influence not only on daughter June, but on country music as a whole. -Don McLeese.

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band remains the big man's most ambitious album in many ways. A smart split is effected, and not only between styles-the horn-driven swing of the first half backs the record's wittiest, slyest songs, while the country-folk numbers are among Lovett's most pensive. He's not so mournful that he can't raise an eyebrow at heartache, though: try "I Married Her Just Because She Looks Like You. " -Rickey Wright.