Critics' Choice 2000

1. Emmylou Harris Red Dirt Girl [Grapevine]
In the wake of the Daniel Lanois-produced Wrecking Ball, the belle of alt-country returned to writing her own material after more than a decade of interpreting songs by the cream of Nashville outlaw talent. The result won her a Grammy. Produced by Lanois associate Malcolm Burn, and featuring guest appearances from Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen, Harris’s songs were delicate but steely, her ghostly voice never better at conveying an air of ineffable loss.
2. PJ Harvey – Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea [Island]
3. Primal Scream – XTRMNTR [Creation]
4. Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour Of Bewilderbeast [Twisted Nerve]
5. Radiohead – Kid A [Parlophone]