Best Orange County Albums

1. “Mi Vida Loca,� Chris Gaffney (Hightone). Honky-tonk laments, danceable Tex-Mex, witty instrumentals and pumping rock anthems. A funny, poignant, uncategorizable and brilliantly played roots-rock album that, taken with the equally grand 1990 effort, “Chris Gaffney & the Cold Hard Facts,� establishes this unassuming Costa Mesa musician as one of this country’s (not to mention this county’s) most unjustly overlooked achievers.

2. “Fuzzy Little Piece of the World,� Pontiac Brothers (Frontier). After breaking up in 1988, this wonderful Fullerton band regrouped just for friendship’s sake and churned out its catchiest, most affecting album, full of boozy warmth and rough pop charm.

3. “Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell,� Social Distortion (Epic). No great departures in style or theme, but the most consistent album yet from the leaders of Orange County’s alternative-rock pack. “Bad Luck� and “Cold Feelings� find SD at its explosive best.

4. “Johnny Bravo,� Joyride (Doctor Dream). An anguished, thoughtful rejection of Orange County’s suburban dream informs this strong, if rough-hewn debut album. These young veterans came up in the local punk scene but display a love of pure pop melody in crafting songs that brim with a sense of truly lived experience.

5. “Transition,� Walter Trout Band (Provogue). Still no U.S. record deal for this talented Huntington Beach blues-rocker, but Trout keeps churning out solid, deeply felt work to boost his burgeoning career in Europe. “Playing With Gloves On,� the album’s masterpiece, is a stormy epic; elsewhere, Trout essays mainstream rock styles without falling flat.

6. “Now I Eat Them,� Xtra Large (Giant). Live, they can come off as absurdist comedians. But impressive craftsmanship, variety and some atypical influences mark the debut album by this alternative/hard-rock band whose music uses bizarre imagery to express feelings of loneliness, dread and tempered hope.

7. “Fast Food Funkateers,� Slapbak (Reprise). Bandleader Jara Harris is an apt student of Sly, Prince and P-Funk, and he weaves their influence into a catchy, well-crafted and very funky debut album.

8. “Tombstone Radio,� Cadillac Tramps (Doctor Dream). A bracing, punk-’n’-blues guitar attack and gallows humor are the mainstays of the Tramps’ approach--same as on their 1991 debut album. But a couple of dark-hued ballads, notably the haunting “River,� lend a little more dimension.

9. “Built for Comfort,� Robert Lucas (AudioQuest). A fine showcase for Lucas’ all-around mastery of traditional blues. Now in his early 30s, Lucas has a distinctive voice and shows impressive command on harmonica and slide guitar. He also intersperses blues classics with interesting original songs, heralding him as a candidate for wider recognition in his field.

10. “No More Fish Jokes� Walter Trout Band (Provogue). Sorry, but here’s one more fish joke: This live collection, featuring Trout’s prolific guitar, should go down swimmingly with fans of high-octane blues-rock.

Honorable Mention: “A Frenzy of Music and Action!� Swamp Zombies (Doctor Dream); “Homage,� The Louisiana Cajun Trio (Living Tradition Productions); “Gridlock Christmas,� The Hollytones (Eaglestone Music); “Welcome to Howdywood,� Boy Howdy (Curb); “No Doubt,� No Doubt (Interscope).