D. Charles Speer & the Helix

It would surely rankle many Nashville residents to know that the best authentic country album so far this year has been made by a bunch of New York City slickers. But that's just what Leaving The Commonwealth, D. Charles Speer & the Helix's third release, is. While Speer is far from a conventional country singer or songwriter, his band's sound, anchored by pedal steel virtuoso Marc Orleans, is an invigorating shot of pure American twang, as exemplified by standout tracks "Razorbacked" and "Cumberland," with some Cajun flavour, in the form of "Le Grand Cochon." But to rely on some standard rock-crit references, Leaving The Commonwealth would have been the result of the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Velvet Underground spending any time hanging out together. There's not much more that any alt-country fan could want.