What follows is one reporter's opinion on the year's best local records.

9. Foot Hill Stomp -- Richard Johnston (FTRC)/Big Lonesome Radio --Mark Lemhouse (Yellow Dog): Who says white guys can't play the blues? Those seeking ax-wielding showoffs à la Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd should look elsewhere, but those looking for sharp contemporary blues records that are reverent of tradition but never stuffy aren't likely to do better than this. Local cause célèbre Johnston's Foot Hill Stomp is more of a groove record, tapping into the hypnotic drone of hill-country blues with durably pleasurable results and, perhaps best of all, coaxing North Mississippi musical matriarch Jessie Mae Hemphill out of retirement for the charming duet "Chicken and Gravy." In some ways, the fine, mostly acoustic blues record from native Oregonian and onetime Bluff City Backslider Lemhouse is a more traditional affair. It takes in a wider swath of blues history --covering classics from Fred McDowell, Johnny Shines, Yank Rachell, and Charley Patton. But its impressive range also extends to less predictable territory --rockabilly, tango, waltz, and a hill-country take on Tom Waits.