Clint Black
Spend My Time
(Equity Music Group)
After scoring more than a dozen chart-topping singles, Clint Black left the major-label system and released his latest album on a new independent label. Black stays true to his mainstream country sound here but spices things up with tasteful touches of R&B and Tom Petty-style rock. He also lets his assemblage of veteran musicians stretch a bit, with three tracks that feature extended instrumental passages. Spacious production and expressive vocals make this self-penned collection a winning addition to Black's body of work.

George Jones
Live Recordings from the Louisiana Hayride
(Scena Records)
Recorded between 1956 and 1969, these cuts include the earliest concert recordings available from George Jones. The disc offers some well-known classics ("The Race Is On," "White Lightning," "She Thinks I Still Care"), but the listeners who will enjoy it most are hard-core Possum devotees, not casual fans. Culled from KWKH broadcasts, the album includes the on-stage banter that was typical of radio shows at the time-an era when a young, incredibly gifted Jones was crafting the vocal style that would eventually make him a legend.

Norah Jones
Feels Like Home
(Blue Note)
Norah Jones won five Grammys for Come Away with Me, which has sold more than 8 million copies. Her second album is in a similar vein of mid-tempo, mellow pop. Detractors claim that Jones's music is sleep-inducing, but those folks either can't appreciate subtle sonic textures, or they want the smoky-voiced pianist to be a rocker (which she's not). The most jaunty cut here, "Creepin' In," finds Jones gracefully trading verses with Dolly Parton. As a song stylist, Jones shows exquisite taste, covering tunes by Townes Van Zandt and Tom Waits. More potent and varied than its predecessor, this CD proves that sometimes great artistry actually lurks beneath all the hype.