SUSAN WERNER

Time Between Trains (Bottom Line)

Rootsier than Shawn Colvin, funnier than Joni Mitchell, more direct than Patty Larkin, the Philadelphia-based Susan Werner recalls all three while carving out her own niche as one of the best of the new breed of female, folk-pop singer-songwriters. "Old Mistake" is an instant, Colvinesque classic; "Bring 'Round the Boat," a sly look at male misbehavior, is a Steely Dan-style jazz-rocker; "Petaluma Afternoons" is a bouncy, tropical-inflected ballad that sneaks in the word "serotonin" ffortlessly.[ 11/1/98 ]

PAUL WESTERBERG

Eventually (Reprise)

The title refers to the three years since we last heard from the former leaders of The Replacements, the seminal post-punk band which pretty much singlehandedly midwived "alternative rock." It was definitely worth the wait, as Westerberg has given us another eloquent self- portrait of a survivor. Like his role model Ray Davies of The Kinks, Westerberg ages with grace, intelligence and naked emotion without succumbing to self-pity or self-parody. And at this point, no one can match his ability to execute successfully that most oxymoronic of creatures: the rock ballad. Bryan Adams and ilk, take note of "Love Untold," to see how it can be done without any concession to maudlin sentimentality.

BILLY BRAGG AND WILCO

Mermaid Avenue (Elektra)

More than a few rockers would do well to study the lyrics of Woody Guthrie, whose simplicity belies their artful craftiness. The unlikely bedfellows of political English songwriter Billy Bragg and Americana roots-rockers Wilco team up here to bring 15 newly discovered Guthrie lyrics to life. The result is a gloriously rootsy tribute to Guthrie himself. From the sounds of things Bragg and the boys in Wilco spent some time studying Guthrie's melodies, and so numbers like "Christ for President" sound remarkably Guthrie-esque. The more rocking tunes, like "I Guess I Planted," rank with the best of The Band, which would have undoubtedly been Guthrie's backup group had he lived long enough.[ 11/15/98 ]

DAVID WILCOX

East Asheville Hardware (Koch)

This collection of 20 previously-unreleased songs, recorded live at various locations, captures the critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter in his element. Wilcox is a master storyteller in song, and he presents each number with the care of a special gift. In songs that variously address supporting local businesses, growing bald, marriage, parenthood and childhood, Wilcox comes across as a combination of nice-guy folkie a la James Taylor and edgy, quirky, anything-can-happen songwriter of Richard Thompson.

DAR WILLIAMS

From the kickoff track, "As Cool As I Am," a digeridoo-and-harmonica-laced rocker with a hip-hop beat, to the closing number, the seven-plus minute title track, a hauntingly gorgeous, moody portrait of the alienation of urban life, Williams's sophomore effort evinces the confidence of an artist who knows exactly what she wants to express and how best to do so. "The Christians and The Pagans" is a witty portrait of a contemporary holiday gathering. On "Iowa," her voice soars, transforming what is on paper an ode to the state's rolling landscape into a naked celebration of lust. The album's centerpiece, "The Ocean," sets up a romantic's ideal of life in a small seaside town, only to have it be crushed by harsh reality, personified here by a deadpan John Prine. The year has hardly begun, and already we have here what will surely prove to be one of the best albums of 1996.

LUCINDA WILLIAMS

Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (Mercury)

Three years, six years, however long Lucinda Williams's newest album took to make, it was worth the wait, because what she's come up with is a landmark: a timeless, rootsy collection of originals that at the end of the century will rank with The Band's eponymous album and other classics of postwar Americana. Her writing has never been so consistently trenchant and her singing never so powerfully evocative - the way she phrases the simple words "Oh my baby" in "Right In Time" puts her in a class with Billie Holiday. The album as a whole is a cinematic vision of the white-trash South, full of landscapes and longing. What also comes out of this Twangtrust production is that Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy are the hottest producers since Daniel Lanois. A masterpiece.[08/23/98]

CASSANDRA WILSON

New Moon Daughter (Blue Note)

Wilson's latest kicks off with an achingly devastating version of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," an audacious move for a singer often called the contemporary Lady Day. But Wilson is no stranger to audacity, and on her new CD she stretches the boundaries of jazz even further than on 1994's excellent "Blue Light 'Til Dawn," covering songs by Neil Young, U2, Hank Williams and even The Monkees. Wilson also contributes some of her own very Joni Mitchell-influenced, folk-jazz compositions to the mix of minimalist, swampy, acoustic, string-band arrangements, once again produced by Craig Street. On this disk Wilson may have transcended jazz or crossed over into pop, but she still sings evanescently and with hypnotic, dynamic restraint. Whatever you call it, it's undoubtedly going to be one of the best things you will hear all year.