Thinking about my personal picks for the best music of 2004 brings home the fact that I really do not have my finger on the pulse of pop music. Looking at various people’s “best of” lists makes me realize that I don’t know who about 70% of the artists even are!
Nevertheless, I did manage to find some great new music this year. So, without further ado:
Loretta Lynn, Van Lear Rose – One of the legends of country music in better from than she has been for years. This is Loretta’s American Recordings and Jack White is her Rick Rubin.
BR549, Tangled in the Pines – Retro alt-country? Punkabilly? Hank Williams meets Social Distortion? Whatever you call these guys, they’re a little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, but in a good way.
Mindy Smith, One Moment More – A very good debut from a young singer/songwriter in the vein of Alison Krauss. The duet with Dolly Parton on “Jolene” alone is worth the price of admission.
U2, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb – Sometimes a hundred million people can be right. It’s just a great record, darn it!
Honorable mention: Prince, Musicology – Definitely a fine record. But fails to reach the transcendent heights of Purple Rain despite the hype.
A Thinking Reed 
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