Well, here is a different angle on the whole danged end-of-the-decade thing. It's the great, but somewhat obscure stuff I bought in the last 10 years and keep coming back to.

2. Jack Ingram -- Livin' or Dyin'
This is a great roots-rock-bordering-on-country disc produced by Steve Earle in 1997. You can almost taste the dust on the road pictured on the cover listening to this baby. The bass thumps, the Teles twang, and steel guitar cries. And Jack's scratchy, straight-ahead vocals get the job done.There are quite a few covers here, including gems like "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke, and Loud Music." Some are honky-tonkers, some are cry-in-your-beers, and some are rather mean-spirited rockers.

3. Ferrington Guitars
This is sort of a trick in that this disc came with a book called Ferrington Guitars. Danny Ferrington is a luthier who has made guitars for many of our favorite players. This 1993 disc has instrumental guitar music in many different styles from 20 wonderful guitar players, including Richard Thompson, Ry Cooder, David Hidalgo, Reeves Gabrels , Albert Lee, and Elvis Costello. An eclectic mix that works amazing well as a collection. I just checked Amazon, and it appears this book is out of print.

4. Calexico -- The Black Light
Great latino-influenced border music. The mariachi horns , the acoustic guitars, unusual percussion, and cryptic lyrics add up to an intriguing, almost mysterious listening experience. It sounds like a soundtrack to a lost, sun-baked spaghetti western with its twanging guitars and unusual instrumentation. One of my favorites - everyone who has ever borrowed it has raved. From 1998.