What CD has the best production/sound?

Produced by Patsy Cline's producer, Owen Bradley, and recorded with all tube equipment, "Shadowland" is probably k.d. lang's best sounding CD. There's nary a dud on this great collection, which features Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn and Brenda Lee on the last song, "Honky Tonk Angels." Highly recommended.

Oops! a correction is necessary to my earlier post--her name is spelled "Alison Krauss"!

re: post by kleiman421. "art for the ear" is actually a tag line used by burmester to describe its products. the cd to which you are likely referring is vorfurings-cd II (there's an umlaut over the u). there is also a "volume" 3 that is likewise stunning. (never seen vol.1) i have access to a very limited supply of both discs, tho they're expensive, just like the beautiful burmester products for which they were produced. if you are interested, email me and i'll give you the prices.

Some reference recordings sound quite nice as do most Chesky. I think Chesky has the more natural sound, while reference, which is recorded on Spectral gear, that the engineer Keith O. Johnson also designed, sounds very neutral

Some good suggestions here. A few more: Lucinda Williams(Car Wheels On A Gravel Road), Martin Sexton(The American), Sonny Rollins(Soundtrack from the movie, "Alfie"), and Patricia Barber(Cafe Blue).