It's crunch time in law school, which limits posting time, but there are four albums I recently purchased and so enjoyed that I wanted to pass the news along.

Uncle Tupelo: 89/93: An Anthology

This 2002 release features is a 21-song retrospective of the band that gave birth directly to Wilco and Son Volt, and indirectly to many of the other bands involved in the alt.country revival. This is alt.country at its basic and best: a unique mix of acoustic rock, country, and folk--in every song. Favorite tracks: "Whiskey Bottle" and "Chickamauga" and...heck, I like all of 'em.

George Strait: For the Last Time: Live From The Astrodome

I'm a George Strait fan, but not a fan of George Strait albums. The formula of two radio singles and a bunch of crap isn't my idea of a good buy, so I wait every five years or so until he releases a new greatest hits cd. This one is pretty good...the fact that it's a live cd makes it even better. The title is For The Last Time because the Astrodome is being (has been?) demolished, not because George is calling it quits. This album features a nice mix of the old favorites ("The Fireman"; "The Chair") and the newer hits ("She'll Leave You With A Smile"). Also, I believe this is the first album outside the box set to include "Check Yes Or No," which is my favorite track here. Former President Bush also makes a cameo, although there's no singing involved. 16 tracks total.

We're A Happy Family - A Tribute To Ramones

I have to admit that, prior to buying this album, I owned no albums by any of the artists on this tribute album. This isn't necessarily shameful--a lack of Marilyn Manson and "Dookie" may be an indication of discriminating taste, but U2's, Eddie Vedder's, and Tom Waits' absence from my cd rack are harder to justify. Nevertheless, I was familiar with the music of all of the above, and since I had (shamefully, mind you) been previously ignorant of the Ramones' work (but not their reputation), I thought this might be a good start. It was. I'll soon be adding Ramones to my cd collection, for those days when I'm just really pissed off at the world. I can't speak for those who know the Ramones work, but for those who don't, this album is worth buying. 16 total tracks. Favorite track: U2's "Beat On The Brat" was my theme song during the long hours of preparing my latest law school writing assignment.