Alan Jackson: Ron Wolfson/WireImage

Alan Jackson

If you're an Alan Jackson fan who wants to hear more of his old-school honky-tonk, à la ''Pop a Top,'' this is not your year. But if you like seeing an established country star take left turns, you're all set. This past February, Jackson released a hymns set (which hit No. 1). Now he's hired Alison Krauss to produce a surprisingly subdued collection of twang-free, ruminative ballads, including a cover of Leon Russell's ''Bluebird.'' We will definitely pop a top to that.