Wrapped in Sky
The unfairness of it all. For better than a decade DNC had pursued a recklessly idiosyncratic set of conflicting impulses, equal parts metal, southern rock, bluegrass, whatever. Made no sense, but they came gloriously close to pulling it off. Finally, withWrapped in the Skyand (briefly) a new label, they concentrated on a smaller palette of musical colors and produced their finest, most coherent album. Nobody much cared. Kevin Kinney has evolved into a fine singer and songwriter (with two splendid solo albums), a curious synthesis of everything on Georgia radio while he grew up.  Bent to their task, DNC choogle and bounce and languish in the shade, gracefully framing Kinney's songs. The result is a classic, durable, proud record, and all the more so for its comparative obscurity. --Grant Alden