Big business. Great art. Music Row is supposed to chase those two ideals simultaneously.... Sometimes they fit together well. Often, they don't. But years from now, when many of the artists working in 1996 look back at their careers, some will discover that they created some pretty good art in the past 12 months, whether it sold or not. In the process of reviewing music for The Tennessean this year, I combed through several hundred albums with Nashville roots and actually wrote about 90 or so of them. Despite what the rest of the world may think about Music City, the best of the bunch weren't all country. Jazz, rock and blues emerged as some of the most-artful releases from Music City this year. Here, in order, are the 10 best Nashville-related albums from '96, in one man's opinion

Patty Loveless, With The Truth Loveless is the most selfless singer in Nashville. She never does anything flashy; she simply finds the emotion in the lyrics and somehow embodies that emotion with subtlety. And her song sense is impeccable.

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Live Art - Music City is filled with great musicians, and most of them probably drop their jaws when they hear The Fleckers. They do things that others have trouble imagining.

Trisha Yearwood, Everybody Knows - Songs with depth, vocals with emotion, arrangements with taste. What more do you want?

Mac Gayden, Nirvana Blues—-A good mix of the blues with R&B rock and island sensibilities. A raw sound that kind of gets inside you. PF R.

Wynonna, Revelations - If you're willing to overlook her rendition of Free Bird, Wynonna captures a lot of heart in investigating relationships. And, I'll sheepishly admit, Be Loved By You made me cry more than once this year.

Paul Jefferson, Paul Jefferson Here's a breathy, hillbilly tenor who's infectious when he's upbeat and admirably disturbing when he's sensitive.

George Strait, Blue Clear Sky - This is the guy all the so-called "hat acts" are trying to emulate. And you can understand why Strait is able to tackle all sorts of emotions and" always comes out with a certain machismo; he reveals just enough to let you know he's feeling more than he says.

The V-roys, Just Add Ice - Basic rock 'n' roll: raw, confident, angry, hooky, rhythmic. This is a Knoxville band produced by Nashvillians Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy that ought to be a club owner's dream. Just Add Ice makes you thirsty for beer.

K.T. Oslin, My Roots Are Showing... - Edges out David Lee Murphy's Gettin' Out The Good Stuff for the final slot. Oslin didn't write a single song (boo hoo!), but the tinny, alternative tinge and inventive instrumental combinations make this collection a uniquely intriguing effort

Tom Roland writes about music for The Tennessean. He can be reached at 259-8041.

talkin' V-roys | news clips | V-roys' sound recordings | Steve Earle & the V-roys | UK tour  radio play | vroys@vroys.com | V-roy Webmaster  Back to the V-roys music and news page