Best Songs Of September ‘08
Brady Vercher| October 21, 2008 , The 9513

Link, click here: http://www.the9513.com/best-songs-of-september-08/

September saw a rash of superb releases that tended to dominate the list, although eleven different albums end up making an appearance. I have to think artists that know what they’re doing are able to duplicate quality while others only reach greatness every once in awhile due to luck. A couple of interesting notes about songs released last month: three well respected men sang songs from a female perspective (Rodney Crowell, Hal Ketchum, and Bruce Robison) and Dom Perignon was mentioned by two artists (Hal Ketchum and Darius Rucker). I didn’t pay attention, but were there that many songs about beer?

With the number of releases, there’s bound to be some disagreement, so let’s hear what you consider to be some of the best songs of September 2008. And yes, I realize it’s late, but you’ll have to forgive me of my transgressions.

• 8. “They Say I’ll Never Go Home” - Ralph Stanley II
Guilty without a chance for innocence is the verdict in “They Say I’ll Never Go Home.” The narrator is told he’ll never return home, but I guess they never heard “Green, Green Grass of Home.” He does indeed go “home” after paying for a crime he never committed. Stanley’s vocal isn’t the most pristine, but it’s filled with character and his emotive ability ranks amongst the best.

• 6. “L.A. County” - Ralph Stanley II
Although Stanley’s cover of this tale of a murder committed in jealousy doesn’t really bring anything new to Lyle Lovett’s original, it’s a song worth hearing. Country music could use more murder ballads.

• 2. “Lord Help Me Find The Way” - Ralph Stanley II
Stanley’s vocal exudes sincerity as he pleads with the Lord to help him find his way on the closing track of This One Is Two. It’s a deeply personal and touching account of a man trying to follow in his father’s footsteps and measure up to his standards. And it’s almost heart-wrenching to listen to Stanley as he ponders his father’s mortality: “I know there’ll come a time/When we’ll have to say goodbye/But he’s left me a roadmap/That keeps me riding high/So Lord, help me find the way/To bless me with the words that I want to say/Lord, help me find the way/To be the man he wants me to be/Each and every day.”

Recommended Tracks: “L.A. County“, “They Say I’ll Never Go Home“, “Lord Help Me Find The Way“

See more at www.ralphstanleyii.com

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