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I alluded to this earlier in the week, but I've swapped out the tunes on Radio.Blog. Two weeks ago, I went to a country-and-western themed party. I made a couple CDs to add to the ambiance, and ever since, I've had the tunes in my head. So I thought I'd inflict them upon my unsuspecting visitors.

I'm not what you might call a typical country fan. I don't like everything that comes down the pike. I think Kenny Chesney is a tank-top Jimmy Buffet wannabe. I think Shania Twain is gold-bricking opportunist who rides the country vein when it suits her. Garth Brooks, I could take or leave.

Instead, I tend to go for either older artists, like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard Tammy Wynette or Waylon Jennings. My grandmother used to listen to Jim Reeves on her RCA Victrola sing "He'll Have To Go." I think Willie Nelson's "Blue Eye Cryin' In The Rain" is a perfect song. I used to play Charlie Rich's "The Most Beautiful Girl" on the family jukebox in the family bar. George Jones' "Choices" is one of the most excrutiating heartbreak songs ever written.

But I like some of the contemporary artists, too. I already avowed my love for Lyle Lovett. He's what I would call "Literate Country." Clever lyrics, interesting melodies. Is that too much to ask? That's where Joe Ely's "The Road Goes On Forever" falls in. So does "One More For The Road" by Ely's former band, The Flatlanders.