Brad Paisley's compelling Mud on the Tires should set a new standard for country music with its wit, heart and unyielding devotion to the earthy. When Paisley sings, as he does on "Celebrity", "No matter what you do, people think you're cool just 'cuz you're on TV," he ratifies his status as a formidable voice in modern yet accessible and traditional country music. "That's Love" and "Is It Raining at Your House" offer romance freed of hazy metaphor or greeting-card slogans. There's a miniature morality play, "The Cigar Song", and the obligatory closing gospel chestnut ("Farther Along"). The guest shots-by contemporary stars Alison Krauss and Vince Gill, and veterans Bill Anderson, George Jones and Little Jimmy Dickens-are pleasant but hardly necessary, since Paisley's good musical sense abounds. He also revives a long-vanished tradition: the featured sideman. As Chet Atkins once played for the Carter Sisters and Don Rich picked behind Buck Owens, Paisley spotlights his amazing guitarist, Merle Haggard alumnus Redd Volkaert. He rips loose on "Spaghetti Western Swing" and flies free on the extended country-jazz jam in the middle of "Make a Mistake with Me". -Rich Kienzle.

Like many musicians moved by the events of September 11, 2001, Dolly Parton reacted to the tragedy by going inward and forging a spiritual journey through songwriting. As usual, the subjects from which she draws the greatest strength are the ones that have buoyed her throughout her career-religion, in the searching "Hello, God", and the mythology of the mountains, best exemplified in "These Old Bones". Yet the songs on Halos & Horns carry a subtext, too, that of the perpetual struggle between right and wrong, temptation and redemption, and heaven and hell. Longtime Parton fans will recognise that thematic tug from her earliest work, just as they will hear a return to her more primitive, pre-1980s sound. While the singer, who produced the record herself using both Nashville and East Tennessee musicians, reprises several tunes ("Shattered Image", "What a Heartache") from her catalogue to give them an acoustic, bluegrass treatment, she is not without her surprises. Chief among them: "Raven Dove", a powerful, almost biblical prophesy of a Second Coming, and a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", which Parton slightly rewrote to give it more personal and apocalyptic verve. If the thought of that brings a smile to your face, just wait: one spin through it and you'll be down on your knees. -Alanna Nash.

Few country artists of the 1990s have been able to meld a pronounced pop sensibility with the core elements of classic country as effectively as Miami's Mavericks. Their 1992 major-label debut displays a band mature well beyond its years, one not afraid of either tantalizing melodies or country music history. Here the Mavericks reprise four tunes from their eponymous indie debut and toss in four new Raul Malo originals along with covers of Hank Williams (a lacklustre "Hey Good Lookin'") and Buck Owens (a much more engaging "Excuse Me"). Their deft mix of old-school honky-tonk, Orbisonesque sob stories, and punchy modern country-rock serves notice of a band with enormous commercial and artistic potential. -Marc Greilsamer.

The gentle hand of Emmylou Harris guides this tribute to ill-fated country-rock avatar Gram Parsons, which goes a long way toward explaining why this star-studded salute avoids the pitfalls that befall many such projects. Harris got her start harmonising with the patron saint of alt. country, contributing mightily to Parsons' two early 1970s solo albums and reviving selections from his small, but indispensable, oeuvre throughout her career. She has a vested interest in finding a true connection between her former benefactor and this cast of Parsons partisans. Here she bands together a flock of followers who range from obvious offspring (Wilco, Gillian Welch, Whiskeytown) to not-so-evident disciples (Beck, the Pretenders, Sheryl Crow). Parsons's partner in the Flying Burrito Brothers, Chris Hillman, teams with Steve Earle on "High Fashion Queen" and David Crosby (like Parsons and Hillman, an ex- Byrd) joins Lucinda Williams on "Return Of The Grievous Angel". Harris harmonises with Beck on "Sin City" and shares the microphone with Crow on "Juanita", one of the collection's highlights. Ultimately, Harris has assembled a homage that would've pleased her old mentor. -Steven Stolder The gentle hand of Emmylou Harris guides this tribute to ill-fated country-rock avatar Gram Parsons, which goes a long way toward explaining why this star-studded salute avoids the pitfalls that befall many such projects. Harris got her start harmonizing with the patron saint of alt country, contributing mightily to Parsons's two early 1970s solo albums and reviving selections from his small, but indispensable, oeuvre throughout her career. [+]