Best Folk Music CDs of 2008...So Far

Martha Wainwright—daughter of folksingers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, and sister of torch song master Rufus Wainwright—will probably always be associated with the work of her family, by default. However, her habit of releasing stellar album after stellar album ensures that she's hardly living in the shadow of her parents and older brother. I Know You're Married... is yet another exquisite collection.

The Wilders' latest album, Someone's Got to Pay, is one of the best songbook/concept albums since Susan Werner's The Gospel Truth last year. Starting with the notion of a murder ballad, the high-octane Kansas City bluegrass quartet multiplied the concept by 19, dedicating an entire collection of songs to all aspects of said murder.

On her latest album, singer-songwriter Ferron is joined by some of modern music's greatest female contributors: Indigo Girls, Ani DiFranco, Bitch, Samantha Parton, and JD Samson. Produced by Bitch, the album alternates between straight-up singer-songwriter tunes and more experimental story-songs.

In 1969, Simon and Garfunkel set out on what would be the final tour of their career. On Live 1969, we get a window into six performances along the string of that tour. The result is an impeccable peek into some of the greatest tunes the duo ever concoted, during the height of their career together.

When you have a voice like Emmylou Harris, you may as well sing the saddest songs you can find. Even the title of this record, All I Intended to Be, is drenched with sadness and regret. Joined here by some of Nashville's finest musicians—Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Stuart Duncan, and others—Harris delivers just what you'd expect from her at this point: a heart-wrenching album full of sad, lonely songs with lines that tug hard and cry harder.

Tim O'Brien's last release was in the form of two separate albums: Fiddler's Green and Cornbread Nation were two remarkable albums paying tribute to traditional music via various collaborations and full-band arrangements of traditional Celtic music and southern songs, respectively. Now, on Chameleon, he's back with a killer solo songwriter record full of country- and blues-inspired original folk songs.

There's a reason the Grascals have received honors from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) for being the Entertainer of the Year. The energy they produce through their music could likely power a small city. Their third studio album, Keep on Walkin, keeps the good energy flowing with more of those fast, sincere bluegrass songs.

On her seventh studio album, Detours, Sheryl Crow pulls out all the stops, boldly going in a direction so many pop artists seem timid about pursuing: songs that blatantly address the times in which we live, indistinguishing the gulf between the personal and the political.

On her last album, Kris Delmhorst took some of the most beautiful poems and some of the most gifted poets, and turned their inspiration into a collection of Americana tunes. Now, two years later, she's back to her own entirely original work, with Shotgun Singer—a collection of songs that straddles a line between low-fi indie rock and contemporary roots. In terms of comparisons, it's a little bit Iron & Wine, a little bit Ani DiFranco.

Justin Townes Earle—son of Steve Earle—is one of the most exciting new artists on the national folk music scene this year. Live in concert, his energy is undeniable. On record, his songs are a throwback to the classic days of classy country. From start to finish, The Good Life is just flat-out full of great songs.