Couple of others I forgot to mention that make my "best of " list:

Mary Gauthier - Mercy Now

John Prine - Fair & Square

Buddy Miller - Universal United House of Prayer (might be a late '04 release, but I didn't find it until this spring. So sue me).

One that I really anticipated, but which disappointed me greatly was Lucinda Williams - Live at the Fillmore. Her voice was horrible at times. And the production was a major disappointment, considering they had almost two years after the concert to work on it.

JD