Chief makes NPR's list of their favorite 2011 Albums

50 Favorites: From Bright Eyes To Eric Church

Mainstream country music is full of macho dudes in faded designer jeans, but it's rare to find an artist with enough sophistication and self-awareness to make the outlaw persona feel genuine. Enter Eric Church: The North Carolina native is a hard-boiled honky-tonker who fully embraces country clichés (lots of Jack Daniel's and Jesus), but sharpens them with wit and a sound that lands in the sweet spot between Bakersfield and John Mellencamp's Indiana. On his third album, Church hits his stride, chronicling wild nights and epic hangovers with just the right amount of critical distance. He sings with the cool world-weariness of someone who's lost a few lovers and parking-lot fights. And the corny jokes that populate songs like "Hungover & Hard Up" carry an edge of real sadness. (Ann Powers)