We haven’t done a Daily Top Five for a few days, so the original post is going to be lengthier than usual.
Loyal fans of an artist usually love album cuts and rarities as much as they do the singles, if not more. Today we ask, what are your five favorite lesser-known tracks 
by your five favorite artists?
You don’t have to to pick five artists in the comments, of course. But for the artists you pick, try to avoid singles!
I’m cheating and using my iPod play counts to help me out here.
Here are my five favorite fan favorites from five of my favorite artists:
Trisha Yearwood
- Dreaming Fields
- Woman Walk the Line
- Standing Out in a Crowd
- Little Hercules
- Harmless Heart
Pam Tillis
- Mandolin Rain
- Melancholy Child
- Homeward Looking Angel
- Someone Somewhere Tonight
- Unmitigated Gall
Dixie Chicks
- Am I the Only One (Who’s Ever Felt This Way)
- Truth No. 2
- Lubbock or Leave it
- A Home
- Bitter End
Tim McGraw
- Still on the Line
- Between the River and Me
- Why We Said Goodbye
- Old Town New
- Overrated
Patty Loveless
- On the Verge of Tears
- Someday I Will Lead the Parade
- A Handful of Dust (1994)
- Nobody Here by That Name
- My Heart Will Never Break This Way Again
I’ll start with Merle Haggard and perhaps get to others later
I’m disqualifying “Silver Wings” and “Today I Started Loving You Again”, both magnificent songs, both B sides of a hit single
1) To Many Bridges To Cross Over
2) Since I Made The Prison Band
3) In The Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)
4) Footlights
5) Heart To Heart Talk (with Leona Williams)
The first three were from early Capitol albums which mostly has twelve single-worthy tracks per album. “Footlights” is from the MCA album SERVING 190 PROOF and “Heart To Heart Talk” was on the Mercury album HEART TO HEART
There are many, many more equally commendable tracks
Carrie Underwood
Do You Think About Me
Play On
Whine After Whiskey
Some Hearts
Cupid’s Got A Shotgun
Carrie is like the queen of country bar-none
Suzy Bogguss:
1. Night Rider’s Lament
2. Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me
3. When She Smiled at Him
4. It’s Not Gonna Happen Today
5. Eat at Joe’s
Hal Ketchum:
1. Daddy’s Oldsmobile
2. I Miss My Mary
3. Softer Than a Whisper
4. She’s Still in Dallas
5. Old Soldiers
John Denver:
1. Matthew
2. Two Shots
3. This Old Guitar
4. Sleepin’ Alone
5. Poems, Prayers & Promises
Kathy Mattea:
1. Summer of My Dreams
2. Who’s Gonna Know
3. 33, 45, 78 (Record Time)
4. Further and Further Away
5. Ashes in the Wind
Collin Raye:
1. The Time Machine
2. Angel of No Mercy
3. I Wish I Could
4. A Mother & Father’s Prayer (w Melissa Manchester)
5. She’s Gonna Fly
Gloriana
Where My Heart Belongs
Lead Me On
Caroline Rose
Gold Rush
Sunset Loving
Seriously loved their sophomore album each song was really great.
I don’t have 5 for other acts that I’m willing too say
I have a hard enough time trying to pick one favorite artist, let alone five, but I managed to do it! This was actually a very thought-provoking list.
Keith Urban:
1. Nobody Drinks Alone
2. Faster Car
3. Used To The Pain
4. Come Back To Me
5. You’re Not My God
Little Big Town:
1. Go Tell It On The Mountain
2. Can’t Go Back
3. Rain On A Tin Roof
4. You Can’t Have Everything
5. Stay
Sugarland:
1. Hello
2. Take Me As I Am
3. Keep You
4. Love
5. County Line
David Nail:
1. That’s How I’ll Remember You
2. Half Mile Hill
3. Strangers On A Train
4. The Secret
5. Songs For Sale
Mary-Chapin Carpenter (Thanks for introducing me to her music, Kevin. “Come On Come On” is my favorite album)
1. I Am A Town
2. This is Love
3. Come On Come On
4. Outside Looking In
5. The Moon And St. Christopher.
Linda Ronstadt
1. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU
2. DESPERADO
3. COLORADO
4. WILLING
5. HEARTBREAK KIND
The Eagkes
1. MIDNIGHT FLYER
2. KING OF HOLLYWOOD
3. DESPERADO
4. WASTED TIME
5. JOURNEY OF THE SORCERER
Trisha Yearwood
1. TRY ME AGAIN
2. MR. RADIO
3. COME BACK WHEN IT RAINING
4. LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME ALONE
5. LOVE LET GO OF ME
Poco
1. ROSE OF CIMARRON
2. CRAZY EYES
3. FOOLS GOLD
4. ROCKY MOUNTAIN BREAKDOWN
5. WIDOWMAKER
The Dixie Chicks
1. VOICE INSIDE MY HEAD
2. LUBBOCK OR LEAVE IT
3. AM I THE ONLY ONE (WHO’S EVER FELT THIS WAY)?
4. I HOPE
5. LIL’ JACK SLADE
EmmyLou Harris:
1. Spanish is a Loving Tongue
2. Ballad of a Runaway Horse
3. Cup of Kindness
4. Sweet Old World
5. One Paper Kid with Willie Nelson
George Strait:
1. Trains Make Me Lonesome
2. Home Improvement
3. Poison
4. She Knows When You’re On My Mind
5. Where the Sidewalk Ends
Alan Jackson:
1. Buicks To The Moon
2. Hole In the Wall
3. Working Class Hero
4. If Love Was a River
5. She Don’t Get High
Keith Whitley:
1. Brother Jukebox
2. Daddy Loved Trains
3. Dance With Me Molly
4. I’m Gonna Hurt Her On the Radio
5. I Did Everything Hank Did But Die (hauntingly prophetic)
Willie Nelson:
1. The Scientist
2. Graceland (Paul Simon Cover)
3. A Horse Called Music with Merle Haggard
4. Come On Back Jesus with Lukas Nelson
5 (A). When I Was Young and Grandma Wasn’t Old
5 (B). An American Tune
Turnpike Trubadors
1. 7&7
2. Long Hot Summer Day
3. Gin, Smoke, Lies
4. Before the Devil Knows We’re Dead
5. Morgan Street
(1) Brad Paisley
1. “Officially Alive”
2. “You Need a Man Around Here”
3. “Everybody’s Here”
4. “Breakfast With You”
5. “Mr Policeman”
(2) George Strait (an interesting artist because I generally like his singles a lot more than his album cuts)
1. “Sittin’ on the Fence”
2. “By The Light Of A Burning Bridge”
3. “Make Her Fall In Love With Me Song”
4. “That’s What Breaking Hearts Do”
5. “Someone Had to Teach You”
(3) Gary Allan
1. “Tough Goodbye”
2. “See If I Care”
3. “Memory On the Run”
4. “Nickajack Cave (Johnny Cash’s Redemption)”
5. “She Gets Me”
(4) Josh Turner
1. “Punching Bag”
2. “So Not My Baby”
3. “Whatcha Reckon”
4. “Lord Have Mercy on a Country Boy”
5. “Nowhere Fast”
(5) Alan Jackson
1. “The Thrill Is Back”
2. “Designated Drinker (Duet with George Strait)”
3. “Freight Train”
4. “She Just Started Liking Cheatin’ Songs”
5. “A Love Like That”
Dixie Chicks (like everyone else, haha)
1. Voice Inside My Head
2. Am I The Only One
3. Truth No. 2
4. Favorite Year
5. I Hope
Taking the Long Way is slightly over-represented, but they released pretty much every song I love off of Fly and Wide Open Spaces as a single (which is why the Chicks are the best).
George Strait
1. Honky Tonk Crazy
2. I Can’t See Texas From Here
3. I Need Someone Like Me
4. A Little Heaven’s Rubbing Off On Me
5. If Heartaches Were Horses
Ashley Monroe (really anything except the singles from Like a Rose)
1. Two Weeks Late
2. The Morning After
3. You Ain’t Dolly
4. Used
5. Monroe Suede
Pistol Annies
1. Trailer For Rent
2. Damn Thing
3. The Hunter’s Wife
4. Don’t Talk About It Tina
5. Beige
Kellie Pickler
1. The Woman I Am
2. Where’s Tammy Wynette
3. Ring For Sale
4. Unlock that Honky Tonk
5. Turn on the Radio and Dance
My country collection is admittedly limited to releases of the last few years (except in the case of George Strait, in which case it’s stuck in the 80s).
Truth No. 2 – Where have Turnpike Troubadours been all of my life? Wow.
Cora,
I’m glad you like them! Now, I’m off to listen to Ashley Monroe, whom I’ve always wanted to listen to but never found time for.
Three favourites:
Randy Travis:
1. Storms Of Life
2. Doctor Jesus
3. Future Mister Me
4. I Wish It Would Rain
5. Satisfied Mind
(Extra bonus) You Didn’t Have A Good Time
John Anderson
1. Jessie Clay and the 12.05
2. Five Generations Of Rock County Wilsons
3. His And Hers
4. Something Borrowed, Something Blue
5. Jump On It
Keith Whitley
1. Sad Songs And Waltzes
2. Lady’s Choice
3. Tennessee Courage
4. Brother Jukebox
5. Don’t Our Love Look Natural
I don’t have the nerve to tackle George Jones.
Lee Ann Womack
1. Happiness
2. Am I The Only Thing That You’ve Done Wrong
3. The Healing Kind
4. Chances Are
5. Liars Lie
Bonus extra. Stubborn (Psalm 151)
Tim McGraw
1. Book of John
2. Blank Sheet of Paper
3. That’s Why God Made Mexico
4. Friend of a Friend
5. Number 37405
Don Williams
1. The Old Trail
2. Ghost Story
3. Which Way to Santa Fe
4. I Just Came Here For the Music
5. Ride On
Big and Rich
1. 8th of November
2. Deadwood Mountain
3. Live This Life (I remove the speech part)
4. Holy Water
5. Kick My Ass
Dierks Bentley
1. Bad Angel (w Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson)
2. Breathe You In
3. Damn These Dreams
4. Fiddlin Around
5. Here On Earth
Marty Robbins
1. Chapel Bell Chime
2. Ghost Train
3. Spanish Lullaby
4. The Texas Ranger
5. Wind
BONUS
Johnny Gimble
(for those who heard of his death on May 9, 2015, here’s a sample list to look for)
1. One Fiddle, Two Fiddle (w Ray Price) (Johnny played the role of Bob Wills in the Clint Eastwood movie “Honkytonk Man”
2. Red Wing (w Asleep at the Wheel)
3. Under the X in Texas
4. Fiddlin’ Around (w Mark O’Connor)
5. Gardenia Waltz (w Dick Gimble, guitar)
(1) George Strait
1. He Must Have Really Hurt You Bad
2. I Ain’t Her Cowboy Anymore
3. Sittin’ on the Fence
4. Where The Sidewalk Ends
5. She Took the Wind From His Sails
(2) Zac Brown Band
1. Natural Disaster
2. Jolene
3. Cold Hearted
4. Bittersweet
5. Martin
(3) Brad Paisley
1. You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive
2. Too Country
3. A Man Don’t Have to Die
4. Oh Yeah, You’re Gone
5. Tin Can on a String
(4) Blake Shelton
1. She Don’t Love Me
2. Addicted
3. Back There Again
4. Good Ole Boys
5. 100 Miles
(5) Kenny Chesney
1.
I hit post on accident. My 5 for Kenny Chesney:
1. Sing ‘Em Good My Friend
2. Hemingways Whiskey
3. Boston
4. Always Gonna Be You
5. Happy on the Hey Now
Having been a country fan for more then twenty years, I have hundreds of favorite artists – but few I know intimately beyond singles. So here are five I feel I know well enough to have favorite album cuts:
TRISHA YEARWOOD
1. Lying To The Moon
2. There’s A New Kid In Town
3. Hello, I’m Gone
4. Melancholy Blue
5. Nothing ‘Bout Memphis
TAYLOR SWIFT
1. Tied Together With A Smile
2. The Best Day
3. Dear John
4. All To Well
5. I Almost Do
MIRANDA LAMBERT
1. Greyhound Bound for Nowhere
2. Love Letters
3. That’s The Way The World Goes ‘Round
4. Same Old You
5. Priscilla
BRAD PAISLEY
1. Sleeping On The Foldout
2. Come On Over Tonight
3. Part Two
4. Out In The Parking Lot (Duet with Alan Jackson)
5. All I Wanted Was A Car
DIXIE CHICKS
1. Hello, Mr. Heartache
2. I Believe In Love
3. Tortured, Tangled Hearts
4. I Hope (Katrina Charity Version)
5. Voice Inside My Head
Occasional Hope, I’m glad to see someone else in the world shares my love of Keith Whitley. I firmly believe had he lived, he would have been an absolute powerhouse in the 1990’s right along side Garth, George and Alan. We’d be looking at Whitley today with the same reverence that we do Strait and Jackson.
Well, I have to start with Dolly. There is so much to choose from, and then I will list Reba.
1. Falling Out of Love With Me
2. Shattered Image
3. Somebody’s Everything
4. The Grass Is Blue
5. Down From Dover
Reba:
1. The Stairs
2. All Dressed Up
3. Maggie Creek Road
4. Do Right By Me
5. You Can Take The Wings Off of Me.