The Jayhawks - Music from the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology [Deluxe Edition] [Best Buy Exclusi

Of the musicians who rose to prominence in the 1990s during the alternative country scene's 15 minutes of media prominence, The Jayhawks were at once the band that best exemplified what was satisfying about the new country rock scene, and a group that avoided the twangy clichés that became so large a part of what their less gifted peers were doing. The high lonesome melodies and evocative wordplay of Gary Louris and Mark Olson's fine songs suggested a country influence without forcing the particulars into the arrangements (a mandolin here and a fiddle there was enough), and though Louris' guitar work made it clear he'd listened to a few Neil Young albums, The Jayhawks' musical vision made as much room for pure pop and '70s West Coast sounds as rocked-up country. Read More