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Song of the Day #1,369: ‘That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas)’ – Lyle Lovett

Best Albums of the 90s – #7
The Road to Ensenada – Lyle Lovett (1996)

Lyle Lovett’s sixth album, The Road to Ensenada, was the logical culmination of everything he’d done before. It struck a balance between his country and jazz sides, leaning a bit toward the former, but it didn’t have the schizophrenic feel of And His large Band… or Pontiac.

On those records, Lovett basically dedicated a side apiece to his country work and another side to his big band and gospel sound. On Joshua Judges Ruth he scaled the country back and sometimes strayed too far into sleepy ballad territory.

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Song of the Day #1,368: ‘Circle’ – Sarah McLachlan

Best Albums of the 90s – #8
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy – Sarah McLachlan (1994)

I’m contemplating a theory that excellent albums within a genre I don’t normally like receive an extra boost due to the odds they’ve overcome.

Last week’s example was Garbage’s Version 2.0. That album, and the band in general, features a heavy, borderline electronica sound that generally turns me off. But their particular execution of it works like gangbusters. I believe if I were a techno fan, that album might strike me as very good but not worlds better than my other favorite albums in the genre.

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Song of the Day #1,367: ‘Mr. Jones’ – Counting Crows

Best Albums of the 90s – #9
August & Everything After – Counting Crows (1993)

Last week I mentioned the large number of sophomore albums on this list and hinted at another list of great second albums.

Today’s featured album is something more traditional — a fabulous debut. Great first albums are special because not only do they contain memorable music in their own right, they are invested with the promise of what’s to come. When discovering a new artist who instantly clicks, it’s hard not to imagine how that career might develop over future decades.

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Song of the Day #1,366: ‘Crowing’ – Toad the Wet Sprocket

Best Albums of the 90s – #10
Dulcinea – Toad the Wet Sprocket (1994)

I recently named Toad the Wet Sprocket as my favorite 90s band so it should come as no surprise that their best album shows up on this list.

Dulcinea, released in 1994, is so good that today’s SOTD marks the sixth song I’ve featured from it, and I featured one of those twice.

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Song of the Day #1,365: ‘Your Fault’ – Plain White T’s

This is the second Random Weekend selection that I’d never heard before it popped up in my iTunes account.

So why do I own a Plain White T’s album I’ve never listened to, you ask? Well, like most people, I know and love the song ‘Hey There Delilah,’ which appears on another Plain White T’s album (All That We Needed). And when I saw both that album and its predecessor (Stop) on sale for a couple of dollars apiece at a company book and record sale, I figured I’d give them a shot.

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