For the sixth year in a row, we compiled our Top 45 albums of the previous year and did a countdown-style broadcast ("keep yer feet on the ground and keep reaching...") that also involved a ton of giveaways of the top albums.  As with previous lists, each year seems to get increasingly difficult to narrow it down to only 45 albums, a sure sign that there are more fine Roots/Americana releases than ever before.  When compiling this year's countdown, we polled everyone who had co-hosted the show at some point, which included myself (Doug), Jamie, Kevin, Sean & Dan (who hosted while I was in Paris) and Tom (who runs letittwang.homepage.com and also came in and co-hosted a few shows throughout the year) as well as listener input and requests over the year.  So the equations and algorithms got messier than ever, but the results just as representative.  Dwight Yoakam and Ryan Adams duked it out for the top spot, with Dwight narrowly winning. Mr. Yoakam also gets our vote for artist of the year after his two fine full-length releases and contributions to the Big Mon Tribute and the new Flaco Jimenez CD. Three local artists also made this year's list, showing that there is a good crop of local talent in Mid-Michigan.  As in previous years, we are printing up a spiffy sheet with the top albums on one side and the "best of the rest" and top reissues on the flipside. You can pick one up this week at fine local record retailers such as Elderly Instruments, Flat, Black and Circular, Wazoo and Tower or by sending a SASE to the address at the bottom of this message.  Finally a HUGE thank you to Bloodshot Records, Dancing Goat Records, Elektra Records, Hightone Records, Mercury Records, Sugar Hill Records, Sub Pop Records, and Rounder Records, who graciously offered up swag to make this special broadcast happen.  Now for the list...

 The Progressive Torch and Twang Top 45 of 2000:

 1.  Dwight Yoakam - Tomorrow's Sounds Today (Reprise)
 2.  Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (Bloodshot)
 3.  Jim Roll - Lunette (New West)
 4.  Paul Burch & The WPA Ballclub - Blue Notes (Merge)
 5.  Various Artists - O'Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack (Mercury)
 6.  Various Artists - Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska (Sub Pop)
 7.  Steve Earle - Transcendental Blues (E-Squared/Artemis)
 8.  Neko Case & Her Boyfriends - Furnace Room Lullabye (Bloodshot)
 9.  Dave Alvin -  Public Domain (Hightone)
10. Dwight Yoakam - dwightyoakamacoustic.net (Reprise)
11. Billy Bragg & Wilco - Mermaid Avenue Volume 2 (Elektra)
12. The Gourds - Bolsa de Agua (Sugar Hill)
13. Richard Buckner - The Hill (Overcoat Recordings)
14. Merle Haggard  - If I Could if I Could Only Fly (Anti/Epitaph)
15. Ronnie McCoury - Heartbreak Town (Rounder)
16. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man (American Recordings)
17. Jimmie Dale Gilmore - One Endless Night (Windcharger-Rounder)
18. Various Artists - New Coat of Paint: the Songs of Tom Waits (Manifesto)
19. Kelly Hogan & the Pine Valley Cosmonauts - Beneath The Country Underdog (Bloodshot)
20. Calexico - Hot Rail (Quarterstick)
21. Chuck Prophet - The Hurting Business (Hightone)
22. Todd Snider - Happy To Be Here (Oh Boy)
23. Rhonda Vincent - Back Home Again (Rounder)
24. Various Artists - Down to Promised Land (Bloodshot)
25. Bryan Sutton - Ready to Go (Sugar Hill)
26. Reckless Kelly - Live at Stubb's (Reckless)
27. Pub Domain - Sin Sceale Eile (Dancing Goat)
28. John Hiatt - Crossing Muddy Waters (Vanguard)
29. Allison Moorer - The Hardest Part (MCA)
30. Tim O'Brien & Darrell Scott - Real Time (Howdy Skies)
31. Deke Dickerson - Rhythm, Rhyme and Truth (HMG)
32. Emmylou Harris - Red Dirt Girl  (Nonesuch)
33. Kasey Chambers - The Captain (Asylum)
34. Robbie Fulks - The Very Best of Robbie Fulks (Bloodshot)
35. Ray Condo & His Ricochets - High and Wild  (Joaquin)
36. Steppin' In It - Children, Take Your Shoes Off  (self-released)
37. Hot Club of Cowtown - Devl'sh Mary (Hightone)
38. Aubrie Haynie - A Man Must Carry On (Sugar Hill)
39. Chris Whitley - Perfect Day (Valley Entertainment)
40. Tim Carroll - Not For Sale (self-released)
41. Mark Olson & The OHRCD - My Own Jo Ellen (Hightone)
42. The Jayhawks - Smile (American Recordings)
43. Bad Livers - Blood & Mood (Sugar Hill)
44. Devil in a Woodpile - Division Street (Bloodshot)
45. Kenny Roby - Mercury's Blues (Ricebox )