The Best of 1993: The Ballot

15 Comments

1. I’d have to give the album nod to the late Chris Ledoux.

   Meanwhile, I’m going against the grain here and honoring the one-hit-wonders, Little Texas “What Might Have Been.”

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2. This was all before I was born, but man is there some good stuff here! I’ve mentioned that Mary Chapin’s “Come On Come On” is my favorite album, and all three of her singles here are personal favorites, but Garth’s “The Chase” album is also great and “That Summer” is one of my favorites from him. Also like Dwight Yoakam’s “Fast As You” (“Aw, sucker…”), Alabama’s “Reckless”, Blackhawk’s “Goodbye Says It All”, Travis Tritt’s cover of “Take It Easy”, and all of Joe Diffie’s quirky novelties (especially “Prop Me Up…”).

   Wow, this’ll be a REALLY good list! Looking forward to it!

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3. Albums
   1. Winter Light–Linda Ronstadt
   2. The Song Remembers When–Trisha Yearwood
   3. Cowgirl’s Prayer–Emmylou Harris
   4. The Wheel–Rosanne Cash
   5. This Time–Dwight Yoakam

   Singles
   1. THE SONG REMEMBERS WHEN–Trisha Yearwood
   2. AIN’T THAT LONELY YET–Dwight Yoakam
   3. HIGH POWERED LOVE–Emmylou Harris
   4. MY BABY LOVES ME–Martina McBride
   5. HONKY TONK MOON–Rosie Flores

   NOTE: With respect to my choosing Winter Light as my #1 album from 1993, most probably wouldn’t consider this album of Linda’s a “country” album, but it does include two songs that fit into a folk/country influence: “A River For Him” (written by her good pal Emmylou Harris) and “Adonde Voy” (written by Tish Hinojosa, a fellow Mexican-American female singer [and big fan of Linda’s])

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4. Singles
   1. Only Love – Wynonna (for some reason, that song always stops me in my tracks)
   2. She Used To Be Mine – Brooks & Dunn
   3. What’s It To You – Clay Walker
   4. When My Ship Comes In – Clint Black
   5. I Just Wanted You To Know – Mark Chestnutt

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5. Picking through 1993 was an almost impossible task for me. It was one of country music strongest years in my lifetime. 90’s country is what I really grew up on and what got me hooked onto country music. Narrowing down my single selection left me with 25 favorites but many, many more on this list that I still enjoy.

   No matter where my musical tastes sway in life, 90’s country will also hold a special place for me. As Rock & Roll defined the youth of many in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, country music defined me as a kid in the 1990’s. 90’s country to me will always be the genre’s greatest achievement in finding perfect balance between true artistry and mainstream appeal.

   Albums . . .
   1. Garth Brooks: In Pieces
   2. Clint Black: No Time To Kill
   3. Trisha Yearwood: The Song Remembers When
   4. Patty Loveless: Only What I Feel
   5. Joe Diffie: Honky Tonk Attitude
   6. Tracy Lawrence: Alibis
   7. Randy Travis: Wind in the Wire
   8. Dwight Yoakam: This Time
   9. Faith Hill: Take Me as I am
   10. Sammy Kershaw: Haunted Heart

   Singles . . .
   1. State of Mind: Clint Black
   2. Chatahooche: Alan Jackson
   3. That Summer: Garth Brooks
   4. She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful: Sammy Kershaw
   5. Wind in the Wire: Randy Travis
   6. Graceland: Willie Nelson
   7. A Thousand Miles From Nowhere: Dwight Yoakam
   8. Blame it on Your Heart: Patty Loveless
   9. Mama Knows the Highway: Hal Ketchum
   10. I Love The Way You Love Me: John Michael Montgomery
   11. The Song Remembers When: Trisha Yearwood
   12. Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of Thirst): Kathy Mattea
   13. Take it Easy: Travis Tritt
   14. One More Last Chance: Vince Gill
   15. I Don’t Call Him Daddy: Doug Supernaw
   16. Holdin’ Heaven: Tracy Byrd
   17. John Deere Green: Joe Diffie
   18. Nobody Wins: Radney Foster
   19. Heartland: George Strait
   20. Wild One: Faith Hill
   21. She’d Give Anything: Boy Howdy
   22. Alibis: Tracy Lawrence
   23. I Swear: John Michael Montgomery
   24. I Want to Be Loved Like That: Shenandoah
   25. Does He Love You: Reba McEntire with Linda Davis

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6. my most frequently played albums listed above:
   1. Suzy Bogguss – Something Up My Sleeve
   2. various artists – Common Thread, Songs of the Eagles
   3. Anne Murray – Croonin’

   my favorite singles – too many to mention

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7. This was the year I really went country crazy too so I’m definitely looking forward to looking back. The three albums in this batch that still get a fair amount of play are Emmylou’s, Wynonna’s and the Eagles tribute (the best album of the year, in my opinion).

   My favorite singles:

   28. Reba McEntire – They Asked About You
   27. Clay Walker – What’s It to You
   26. Clay Walker – Live Until I Die
   25. Clint Black – When My Ship Comes In
   24. Mark Collie – Born to Love You
   23. McBride & the Ride – No More Cryin’
   22. Clint Black – State of Mind
   21. Billy Dean – We Just Disagree
   20. Clint Black & Wynonna – A Bad Goodbye
   19. Steve Wariner – Drivin’ and Cryin’
   18. Tanya Tucker – Soon
   17. Lee Roy Parnell – On the Road
   16. Sammy Kershaw – Haunted Heart
   15. Patty Loveless – You Will
   14. Patty Loveless – Nothin’ But the Wheel
   13. Kathy Mattea – Seeds
   12. Wynonna – Is It Over Yet
   11. George Strait – I’d Like to Have That One Back
   10. Mark Chesnutt – I Just Wanted You to Know
   09. Doug Stone – I Never Knew Love
   08. Brooks & Dunn – She Used to Be Mine
   07. Alan Jackson – Tonight I Climbed the Wall
   06. Pam Tillis – Let That Pony Run
   05. George Strait – Easy Come Easy Go
   04. Dwight Yoakam – Ain’t That Lonely Yet
   03. Mary Chapin Carpenter – The Hard Way
   02. Kathy Mattea – Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of Thirst)
   01. Suzy Bogguss – Hey Cinderella

   Even the novelty singles are strong (“Queen of My Double Wide Trailer” and “John Deere Green”).

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8. I loved the Bobbie Cryner album – such a shame she didn’t break through.

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9. Being that this was before I was born, there’s a lot I’m not familiar with. But the ones I am are tremendous. A lot of my all time favorites came out of 1993. The rest that I don’t know I look forward to discovering.

   Favorite Singles (no particular order, that’s like picking a favorite child):
   Should’ve Been a Cowboy – Toby Keith
   Easy Come Easy Go – George Strait
   What Might Have Been – Little Texas
   Why Didn’t I Think of That – Doug Stone
   She Used to be Mine – Brooks & Dunn
   I Just Wanted You to Know – Mark Chesnutt

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10. It was a better year for singles than albums. I thought the Shawn Camp, Bobbie Cryner , Tracy Lawrence, Monte Warden and Trisha Yearwood albums were standouts

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11. A great year for sure but the albums were a little weaker than the singles.
    Having said that the female artist really brought it this year!
    Top 10 albums
    01. The Song Remembers When – Trisha Yearwood
    02. Bobbie Cryner – Bobbie Cryner
    03. This Time – Dwight Yoakam
    04. Only What I Feel – Patty Loveless
    05. Call Of The Wild – Aaron Tippin
    06. The Wheel – Rosanne Cash
    07. The Speed Of Grace – Matraca Berg
    08. Temptation – Shelby Lynne
    09. Soon – Tanya Tucker
    10. Lead Me Not – Lari White

    Honorable mentions: Wynonna’s ‘Tell Me Why”, Sweethearts Of The Rodeo’s ‘Rodeo Waltz’, Martina McBride’s ‘The Way That I Am’, Faith Hill’s ‘Take Me As I Am’, Shania Twain’s ‘Shania Twain’, Suzy Bogguss’ ‘Something Up My Sleeve’, Tracy Lawrence’s ‘Alibis’, John Anderson’s ‘Solid Ground’, Marty Brown’s ‘Wild Kentucky Skies’ & Kelly Willis’ ‘Kelly Willis’

    Singles
    01. Standing Knee Deep In A River (Dying Of Thirst) – Kathy Mattea
    02. Ain’t That Lonely Yet – Dwight Yoakam
    03. Tonight I Climbed The Wall – Alan Jackson
    04. Daddy Laid The Blues On Me – Bobbie Cryner
    05. Let That Pony Run – Pam Tillis
    06. Alibis – Tracy Lawrence
    07. The Song Remembers When – Trisha Yearwood
    08. Hey Cinderella – Suzy Bogguss
    09. She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful – Sammy Kershaw
    10. He Thinks He’ll Keep Her – Mary Chapin Carpenter
    11. Mama Knows The Higway – Hal Ketchum
    12. I Don’t Call Him Daddy – Doug Supernaw
    13. Dance With The One That Brought You – Shania Twain
    14. Soon – Tanya Tucker
    15. Just Enough Rope – Rick Trevino
    16. Fast As You – Dwight Yoakam
    17. It Must Be The Rain – Marty Brown
    18. Does He Love You – Reba McEntire
    19. Nothin’ But The Wheel – Patty Loveless
    20. Two Ships That Passed In The Moonlight – Cee Cee Chapman

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12. The first Bob Wills tribute from Asleep At the Wheel
    On the Road Leroy Parnell
    This Time Dwight Yockam

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13. Interesting enough, last week I went to Bob Kingsley’s Country Countdown website, mainly to check out some old interviews that are posted to the website. Much to my great surprise, I found that some radio stations are now playing Kingsley’s old country music countdowns from the years of 1990-2005, and there was a complete archived top 30 countdown from May of 1993 posted on his website. I think I listened to the countdown at least three times while I was doing work. Comparing the music that was on that chart in 1993 to most of what’s on the current incarnation is just unfair.

    I won’t talk about too many of my favorite singles, as many of them have already been mentioned. But suffice it to say, I’m greatly looking forward to seeing what you guys write about. This was neat year for country music.

    Also…I got to give a shout out to Alabama’s “Hometown Honeymoon”, which I heard on Kingsley’s countdown and almost forgot about. It’s probably not going to make your list, and I get that….but, man, that’s a fun song to jam to. And sans the Zac Brown Band (when they’re not doing techno or grunge), no current acts puts that much fiddle in a song anymore…lol.

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14. Sue,
    That is totally awesome!! I’m going to find that archived countdown as soon as I have a chance. Thanks for the tip!:)

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15. Sadly, Leanne…they already took it down. The website only leaves up one specific countdown up for a week after it’s syndicated/played on radio stations. They do have a different one up that’s up from 2004, which still isn’t too bad (and still much better than what’s being played in 2015). I’ll leave a link for that…and keep an eye out…the chart that they post usually changes each Monday.

    http://www.ct40.com/index.php/acchour1

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