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Rodney Crowell Enlists Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Keith Urban for Benefit Compilation
By: Chris Willman
Rodney Crowell has an excellent e-Rolodex, and it’s on display in a new compilation album, “Songs From Quarantine Vol. 1,” which has an all-star cast of singer-songwriter, country and Americana VIPs sending in tracks from their own splendid isolation.
Six of the 13 artists represented — Ry Cooder, Elvis Costello, Joe Henry, Ronnie Dunn, John Hiatt and Crowell himself — contribute original songs that have never been released before in any context. The remaining seven offer demos or otherwise stripped-down or alternate versions of numbers they’ve put out in full form before, with Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Keith Urban, Jeff Tweedy, Rosanne Cash, Steve Earle and Taj Mahal rounding out the guest list. (Download the album here.)
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Top 100 2020
Alt. Country Specialty Chart Top Ten
Artist You Should Know - Elizabeth Cook
Here’s a little series for you Spotify Users called Bands You Should Know: 13 Songs. The premise being, these artists/bands are the core that make up Alt. Country. The catalog, no matter how large, was crunched down to 13 songs worth checking out. We hope this encourages you to explore these bands catalogs further, but for now, here is a sampler of the finest Alt. Country has to offer. We’ll be posting another set to go along with these next week. Enjoy. CLICK HERE
Editors' Favorites from 2020
Check it out!
Joe Swank
Weirdest damned year EVER! BUT….we roll with things. That’s what we do as a species. Thanks to all the shows and stations that keep us provided with weekly playlist, and to everyone who has supported, shared, or talked up the chart. We’re just a little over a year into this and man, did we pick a year to start an operation?! I’m very proud of how the chart is turning out and thrilled to find TONS of new bands this year, in the process of doing the necessary research. Thanks for sticking with us and looking very forward to 2021. – Swank*
Jenni Finlay
I am so proud of all the artists and musicians out there keeping the music alive with live feeds, YouTube videos, podcasts, song premieres and more! Keep it up! Huge thank you to the fans supporting musicians while we're doing our best to work through this. That's the only way these guys can make ends meet for the forseeable future. Happy holidays and here's to a great 2021!
- Jenni Finlay
News - Become a Patron
The Alt-Country Specialty Chart (ACSC) represents a collective of radio promoters, radio stations and fans who have an interest in charting more twang-based music, that has lost most of its voice on other similar radio formats. We need your help to make it happen!
Do you love alt-country music like we do? We’re talking everything from Uncle Tupelo and the Drive-By Truckers to Scott H. Biram, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, and Jesse Dayton. Alejandro Escovedo, Jason & the Scorchers, and Lucinda Williams to Tyler Childers, Jason James and Eilen Jewell. Do you remember the days when you would run to the mailbox to grab the new No Depression to find out about the latest releases? The latest releases are what we are all about
The last few years, AAA and indie rock (and even classic rock) have found their way into the Americana format, where such records used to flourish. Most of the more twang-based music has once again, found itself relegated to the lower ends of the charts.
The ACSC chart goal is to get back to our roots and start paying more attention to these incredibly important specialty shows. We feel that this will be a more accurate representation of the "twang" side of the coin. Of course, this would include the harder edge (Cowpunk/Southern Rock, Contemporary Blues) as well as the softer side (Folk/Bluegrass) and the balance between (Rockabilly/Western Swing). If you would like to continue to have a weekly source for the latest available music, we would greatly appreciate your support.
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