What a wonderful year for great music! When asked my three favorite bluegrass CDs from the year, I put a great deal of thought into it. It’s incredibly hard to pick three from all the incredible music, especially in the bluegrass genre, that has been released the last 12 months. Here goes.

Jim Lauderdale - The Bluegrass Diaries (Yep Roc)

I really like the disc by Jim Lauderdale that came out in the fall, “The Bluegrass Diaries”. Produced by Randy Kohrs, it is terrific. You can’t go wrong with a Jim Lauderdale song; they are some of the most well written songs in any genre of music. There is also some fine musicianship on this disc, primarily from Kohrs, who contributes some of the premium dobro I heard all year. Cia Cherry Holmes sings some nice vocal accompaniment on a cut.

I never get tired of any Jim Lauderdale disc and this one is no exception. His songs get better the more you listen to them. The key is in the songs, he puts so much into his writing they tend to take on a life of their own on.

It appears Lauderdale genuinely has a love for bluegrass. This style of music is not just a gimmick but a legitimate art form for him. He did a couple of discs with Ralph Stanley and he seems to crave revisiting this sound from time to time.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand (Rounder)

The Robert Plant and Alison Krauss disc, “Raising Sand”, really grew on me. They created a very unique sound at the hands of T-Bone Burnett, the producer of the project. Burnett, as you recall, is the producer of the “O Brother, Where Art Thou” soundtrack.

Once again, the choice of material was what compelled me to listen to this disc, time and time again. Excellent musicianship, incredible vocals and great production all led to this being one of the best of the year.

The rumors are flying about a possible Led Zeppelin tour and also a tour of Plant and Krauss in 2008. For my money, if it can only be one tour, I’d rather see the Plant and Krauss tour come to fruition. I would also like to see more collaboration between these two on additional discs.

Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer

The final disc that came out close to the end of the year was the new Levon Helm CD, “Dirt Farmer”. I was hesitant to get this. The first concert I ever went to in 1970, when I was 16 years old, was The Band. I have been a fan of Levon Helm since. However, Levon for the last few years has been battling throat cancer and was told he would never sing anymore. When I broke down and bought this CD, I’m embarrassed to say I did it with some apprehension.

Boy, was the doctor who told him he would never sing wrong! I’m ashamed to say I had any hesitancy at all in getting this. Levon is back singing with a tremendous zeal and a heck of a lot of emotion. His voice tends to be a little frail at times, but honestly, it only adds to the songs.

Larry Campbell, who played with Dylan for many years, and Amy Helm, Levon’s daughter, did a nice job on the production duties here. Both contributed a great deal musically as well.

Campbell plays wonderful guitar and mandolin, and I was really impressed with the fiddle work he performed on this disc. It added to an old-time feel to the sound. They even cover an old Carter Family song, “Single Girl, Married Girl”.

In the case of Levon Helm, it’s astonishing to have him back and in such great shape musically. The voice of the classic, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, should never be silenced again.

Those are my three favorites of this year. The year of 2008 is just around the corner and will be full of new music. I can’t wait. Have a great new year, one that is filled with music.