Been a bit quite here recently, but here's an end of year roundup. Mainstream pop is now almost complete valueless, so more and more of us look elsewhere (and record companies wonder why sales are poor). By contrast, the Americana/alt-country/no depression scene has been very lively and vital. Great sets I have seen this year include The Flatlanders (OK, rather old school), Laura Cantrell, Tift Merritt, David Olney and not forgetting the fabulous Tom Russell. Icing on cake is the new Johnny Cash release.