STAFF TOP 10 LISTS, BILLBOARD MAGAZINE, December 29, 2001

RAY WADDELL
Senior Writer

1. Scott Miller & The Commonwealth, "Thus Always to Tyrants" (Sugar Hill). A major talent steps out of the V-Roys with a home run.
2. Drive-By Truckers, "Southern Rock Opera" (Soul Dump Records). An ambitious, uneven, loud, rude, graphic, poetic, passionate, heartfelt, sad take on Southern culture and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
3. George Jones, "The Rock: Stone Cold Country 2001" (Bandit/BNA). The best country singer ever, in 2001 or 3001.
4. Shaver, "The Earth Rolls On" (East/West Records). Tragedy makes a rough-hewn classic hit even harder.
5. Rodney Crowell, "The Houston Kid" (Sugar Hill). White-trash ruminations rendered with eloquence.
6. Ray Wylie Hubbard, "Eternal and Lowdown" (Philco). Mathematics and meanness, philosophy and five card draw.
7. Chris Knight, "A Pretty Good Guy" (Dualtone/Razor & Tie). Black as pitch, sharp as a knife, mean as a rattlesnake.
8. John Anderson, "Nobody's Got It All" (Columbia). The fact that an album this excellent flew in under the radio radar is a sin.
9. Patty Loveless, "Mountain Soul" (Epic). Patty. Bluegrass. 'Nuff said.
10. Brad Paisley, "Part II" (Arista). Everything commercial country music is supposed to be.