Noel Davis' Concert Picks

3. Marty Stuart (Crazy Horse): Stuart used rock 'n' roll energy and old-fashioned showmanship to spice up classic licks he learned playing Johnny Cash and Lester Flatt.

4. Chris Gaffney (Canyon Inn, Yorba Linda): Some of the sharpest country music anywhere comes from our own back yard.

5. Patty Booker & the Hired Hands (Briar Patch, Garden Grove): Some of the most soulful, too.

6. Michael Martin Murphey (Crazy Horse): Murphey brings back the wonder of the Old West.

7. Alan Jackson (Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa): Jackson gave one of the strongest country shows of the year, and he still hasn't figured out that he's the headliner.

8. Bruce Springsteen (Sports Arena, Los Angeles): There's still no one like the Boss.

9. Dwight Yoakam (Coach House): Underneath that stylish exterior beats a true hillbilly heart.

10. Johnny Paycheck (Coach House): When it comes to losing, boozing, fighting and doing time, Paycheck may be the only country performer who has actually lived the lyrics of his songs.