Townes Van Zandt (1969)

Townes Van Zandt's self-titled third album contains the purest distillation of his haunting, solitary lyrical vision. Featuring definitive acoustic takes of 'Pancho and Lefty', 'Waiting Around to Die' and 'For the Sake of the Song', the record sits at the mystical crossroad between traditional folk ballads and poetic existentialism. There is no studio clutter to obscure his fluid fingerpicking or weary baritone; every line lands like an ancient truth whispered in a dark room.