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COLIN ANDERSON
Billboard.com information architect
1. Enigma, "LSD -- Love Sensuality Devotion (The Remix Collection)" (Virgin Germany).
2. Jack Johnson, "In Between Dreams" (Brushfire/Universal).
3. Dave Matthews Band, "Stand Up" (RCA).
4. Ray Charles, "The Ray Charles Story, Vol. One-Three" (Rhino/Atlantic).
5. Rick Braun, "Yours Truly" (Artizen).
6. Daft Punk, "Human After All" (Virgin).
7. t.A.T.u., "Dangerous And Moving" (Interscope).
8. Marc Broussard, "Bootleg to Benefit the Victims of Hurricane Katrina" (Island).
9. Toad The Wet Sprocket, "Welcome Home: Live at the Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara" (Legacy).
10. Little Barrie, "We Are Little Barrie" (Artemis).
MICHAEL D. AYERS
Billboard.com contributor
1. M.I.A., "Arular" (XL). The future sound of hip-hop, end of story.
2. Fiona Apple, "Extraordinary Machine" (Clean Slate/Epic). Our patience has finally been rewarded with Ms. Apple's stunning voice and arrangements.
3. Sufjan Stevens, "Illinois" (Asthmatic Kitty). History lessons turned into a work of beauty.
4. The National, "Alligator" (Beggars Banquet). The new, dark sound of "emo."
5. The Clientele, "Strange Geometry" (Merge). Gorgeous, hazy pop that makes you think twice about people whose name begins with "K."
6. Bloc Party, "Silent Alarm" (Vice/Atlantic). Fun and energetic post-punky collection of politically laced dance anthems.
7. Martha Wainwright, "Martha Wainwright" (Zoe/Rounder)/ A brilliant folk debut of masked anger.
8. Caribou, "The Milk of Human Kindness" (Leaf/Domino). Dynamic down-tempo electronica with two drummers, though you'd never know.
9. Edith Frost, "It's a Game" (Drag City). Frost's bittersweet voice gives an unabashed portrait of someone coping with loneliness.
10. Wolf Parade, "Apologies to the Queen Mary" (Sub Pop). A mish-mash of amped-up guitars, keys and agitated vocals.
JOHN BENSON
Billboard.com contributor
1. Sleater-Kinney, "The Woods" (Sub Pop). "Let's Call It Love" for this Northwest trio's impressive distorted-guitar digression.
2. Spoon, "Gimme Fiction" (Merge). Falsetto-laden "I Turn My Camera On" shakes up the indie rock world.
3. Kings Of Leon, "Aha Shake Heartbreak (RCA). With "Milk" and "The Bucket," you can't keep these southern boys down.
4. Frank Black, "Honeycomb" (Back Porch). Solo Pixie uses Nashville's best to create intimate roots rock affair.
5. The New Pornographers, "Twin Cinema" (Matador). This memorable power-pop experience features insidious songwriting and catchy melodies.
6. Broken Social Scene, "Broken Social Scene" (Arts & Crafts). A contemporary rock album that breezes along at Fleetwood Mac-in-its-prime pace.
7. Death Cab For Cutie, "Plans" (Atlantic). "Soul Meets Body" as intricate melodies make Ben Gibbard's indie pop dreams come true.
8. Sheryl Crow, "Wildflower" (A&M). Crow leaves the nest and flies high with a solid batch of mid-life anthems, including the "Perfect Lie."
9. Trey Anastasio, "Shine" (Columbia). Best Eric Clapton guitar album in more than 15 years.
10. Audioslave, "Out of Exile" (Interscope). A genius at work, Tom Morello's hard rock guitar magic continues to boggle the mind.
JIM BESSMAN
Billboard contributor
1. Sheryl Crow, "Wildflower" (A&M). Great artist album from a great artist.
2. The Siegel-Schwall Band, "Flash Forward" (Alligator). Fabled Chicago blues 'n rock band's first studio album in 30 years is a wondrous return to its glory days.
3. Donna The Buffalo, "Life's a Ride" (Reincarnate Music/BMG). Immensely tuneful take from the exceptionally eclectic jamsters.
4. Shooter Jennings, "Put the 'O' Back in Country" (Universal South). Hardcore country/rock chip off the ol' Waylon.
5. Paul Anka, "Rock Swings" (Verve). Only a great songwriter could keep this concept from disintegrating into a joke.
6. Kate Bush, "Aerial" (Columbia). Eventful two-disc release from a reclusive legend.
7. Neil Diamond, "12 Songs" (Columbia). Rubin gives Diamond the Johnny Cash treatment, bringing the great singer/songwriter back to relevance.
8. Madonna, "Confessions on a Dance Floor" (Warner Bros.). Re-invention? Recommitment.
9. Burt Bacharach, "At This Time" (Columbia). Pop song composing genius adds heartfelt lyrics in confronting troubled times.
10. The Like, "Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?" (Geffen). Intense L.A. power-pop girl trio does its music luminary fathers proud.
PHILIP BOOTH
Billboard.com contributor
1. Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, "The Sameness of Difference" (Hyena).
2. Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane, "At Carnegie Hall" (Blue Note/Thelonious Records).
3. Moutin Reunion Quartet, "Something Like Now" (Lightyear).
4. Charles Lloyd, "Jumping the Creek" (ECM).
5. Nickel Creek, "Why Should the Fire Die?" (Sugar Hill) .
6. Sonny Rollins, "Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert" (Milestone).
7. Kurt Rosenwinkel, "Deep Song" (Verve).
8. Wayne Shorter Quartet, "Beyond the Sound Barrier" (Verve).
9. Tierney Sutton, "I'm With the Band" (Telarc).
10. Robert Walter, "Super Heavy Organ" (Magna Carta).
LARS BRANDLE
Billboard global news editor
1. Boards Of Canada, "The Campfire Headphase" (Warp). Intriguing, delicate, sometimes dark. I've driven my wife and colleagues nuts with this one.
2. The Arcade Fire, "Funeral" (Rough Trade). Musically, the Canadians are on a roll. These Canucks are top of the pile.
3. Antony and the Johnsons, "I Am a Bird Now" (Rough Trade). "Hope There's Someone" passes the goosebump test every time.
4. Vitalic, "OK Cowboy" (PIAS). For those who said "dance was dead," feast on your words.
5. Maximo Park, "A Certain Trigger" (Warp). Timeless indie rock record. A glowing future beckons.
6. Nine Inch Nails, "With Teeth" (Interscope). Grand comeback from a mellowed-out -- and beefed-up -- Reznor.
7. Go-Betweens, "Oceans Apart" (Lomax). Songwriting from the summit from a pair of Australia's finest.
8. Eels, "Blinking Lights and Other Revelations" (Vagrant). Genius over two discs.
9. Franz Ferdinand, "You Could Have It So Much Better" (Domino). Sophomore blues? Pah!
10. Editors, "The Back Room" (Kitchenware). I'm assuming that the "Back Room" is loaded with cognac and Cohibas.
FRED BRONSON
Billboard.com Chart Beat columnist
1. Bodies Without Organs, "Prototype" (Capitol, Sweden). T.I.P.: Totally irresistible pop, from founder of Army Of Lovers.
2. Robyn, "Robyn" (Konichiwa/Bonnier, Sweden). If only for best single of 2005, "Be Mine!"
3. Melody Club, "Face the Music" (Virgin, Sweden). This year's "pure pop for now people" selection.
4. Lesley Gore, "Ever Since" (Engine Company). Thoughtful, sensitive, adult album from grown-up '60s teen queen.
5. Kate Bush, "Aerial" (Columbia). Please do not wait another 12 years to release an album, Kate. Not immediately accessible, just brilliant.
6. Various Artists, "Cameo Parkway 1957-1967" (ABKCO). Patience pays off for Dee Dee Sharp and Bobby Rydell fans.
7. Jack's Mannequin, "Everything in Transit" (Maverick). An immediate pleasure.
8. Darin, "The Anthem" (RCA, Sweden). Idol runner-up pulls off a Kelly Clarkson and records album full of radio-friendly songs.
9. Kirsty MacColl, "From Croydon to Cuba...An Anthology" (Virgin, United Kingdom). Three-CD set collects late artist's greatest hits. You can never hear enough Kirsty.
10. Peggy March, "Get Happy" (Sin-Drome). It's 42 years since "I Will Follow Him" and her voice is as strong as ever.
SUSAN BUTLER
Billboard legal editor
1. John Butler Trio, "Sunrise Over Sea" (Lava/Atlantic). JBT is proof that great songs and performances have the power to transform a passive audience into screaming fans without million-dollar stage sets.
2. Big Boi, "Big Boi Presents Got Purp? Vol. 2" (Purple Ribbon/Virgin). OutKast star knows how to compile masters of funk and hook a broad audience.
3. Scott Stapp, "The Great Divide" (Wind-Up). A voice and music that captures the essence of rock'n'roll.
4. Foo Fighters, "In Your Honor" (Roswell/RCA). Simply great rock'n'roll.
5. Beck, "Guero" (Interscope). An artist who makes an evening simply listening to a CD a great experience.
6. James Blunt, "Back to Bedlam" (Custard/Atlantic). Music that paints pictures and evokes deep sentiments.
7. Coldplay, "X&Y" (Capitol). The best alternative to typical alternative.
8. Matt Pond PA, "Several Arrows Later" (Altitude). This album brings back all the great memories of college.
9. Nickelback, "All the Right Reasons" (Roadrunner). One of the best rock bands making music today.
10. Babyface, "Grown & Sexy" (Arista). Music to share on a cold night next to a crackling fire.
KEITH CAULFIELD
Billboard chart manager, Billboard.com contributor, BillboardChartAlert.com Editor
1. Madonna, "Confessions on a Dance Floor" (Warner Bros.). Yes, she still can dance, for inspiration.
2. Rachel Stevens, "Come and Get It" (Polydor). Stellar, stomping, pure dance pop. America doesn't know what it's missing.
3. The New Pornographers, "Twin Cinema" (Matador).
4. Sugababes, "Taller in More Ways" (Island). Yet, they still can't get arrested in the U.S. Sigh.
5. Annie, "Anniemal" (Vice/Big Beat). A 2004 European release that saw its American bow in 2005.
6. M.I.A., "Arular" (XL).
7. The Rolling Stones, "A Bigger Bang" (Virgin).
8. Kelly Clarkson, "Breakaway" (RCA). A late 2004 release that missed last year's roundup.
9. Mariah Carey, "The Emancipation Of Mimi" (Island/Def Jam).
10. Kanye West, "Late Registration" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam).
JONATHAN COHEN
Billboard.com news/reviews editor, Billboard album reviews editor
1. Tie: Wilco, "Kicking Television: Live in Chicago" (Nonesuch) and Kraftwerk, "Minimum-Maximum" (Astralwerks). The music on these live albums couldn't be more different, but these two acts have never sounded better.
2. Rogue Wave, "Descended Like Vultures" (Sub Pop). Imaginative indie rock that delights with each new listen.
3. My Morning Jacket, "Z" (ATO/RCA). Kentucky rockers break away from the pack with genre-blurring masterpiece.
4. Sun Kil Moon, "Tiny Cities" (Caldo Verde). Mark Kozelek recasts the music of Modest Mouse in a heartbreaking acoustic style.
5. The Clientele, "Strange Geometry" (Merge). Lovely, retro-leaning trio soundtracks life's bumpy back roads on its best album to date.
6. Doves, "Some Cities" (Capitol). Mature Brit-rock infused with American soul.
7. Supergrass, "Road to Rouen" (Capitol). U.K. quartet holes up in the French countryside and conjures heartfelt examinations of life and love.
8. Engineers, "Engineers" (Echo). Inviting psychedelic rock that worships at the Verve/My Bloody Valentine altar.
9. Deerhoof, "The Runners Four" (Kill Rock Stars). Bewitchingly weird.
10. Boards Of Canada, "The Campfire Headphase" (Warp). Druggy electronica that stimulates brain and body.
Top Tunes: "Turn," New Order; "Lady Sweet," Big Star; "Cosmopolitan," Nine Black Alps; "Just Like the Rain," Richard Hawley; "Fine Line," Paul McCartney; "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House," LCD Soundsystem; "Shoreline (7/4)," Broken Social Scene; "Tess Don't Tell," Ivy; "Sister Jack," Spoon; "Apply Some Pressure," Maximo Park.
THOM DUFFY
Billboard special features editor
1. The Live 8 concerts, July 2. Pop trounces politics.
2. Bruce Springsteen, "Devils & Dust" (Columbia) and in solo performance at the Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, N.J., Nov. 16.
3. "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan," on DVD, as directed by Martin Scorsese. The mother lode, seen as well as heard.
4. The Rolling Stones, "A Bigger Bang," (Virgin) and in performance at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J., Sept. 15
5. Paul McCartney, Madison Square Garden, New York, Oct. 1
6. Green Day, "Bullet in a Bible" (Reprise). Live confirmation of the power of "American Idiot."
7. The Black Eyed Peas, "Monkey Business," (A&M/Interscope).
8. Neil Young, "Prairie Wind" (Reprise).
9. Sarah Pedinotti, "One Mirror" (Self-released). A striking second album from a talented young singer/songwriter on the rise.
10. Celebrate Brooklyn, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, N.Y., June 15-Aug. 7. Consistently, New York's finest outdoor summer festival.
GORDON ELY
Billboard contributor
1. Kirk Franklin, "Hero" (Fo Yo Soul/Gospo Centric). Franklin proves his amazing talents remain boundless.
2. Lee Williams & the Spiritual QC's, "Tell the Angels" (MCG). Group redefines quartet music for modern sensibilities.
3. Antonio Neal, "Days of My Life" (EMI Gospel). Retro R&B and hip-hop create a head-spinning debut.
4. Mary Mary, "Mary, Mary" (My Block/Columbia). Duo deals hits on its most diverse work to date.
5. Donnie McClurkin, "Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs" (Verity). With a lush pop veneer and otherworldly vocals, McClurkin continues to amaze.
6. Micah Stampley, "The Songbook of Micah" (Dexterity Sounds). Staggering vocals and strong songs make Stampley a hot newcomer.
7. Dorinda Clark Cole, "Live from Houston/The Rose of Gospel" (Gospo Centric). Clark Sister Cole builds on family legacy, refining a distinctive, often devastating, signature sound.
8. Anointed, "Now Is the Time" (Columbia/Integrity Gospel). Duo boldly asserts an arresting R&B/gospel posture.
9. George Huff, " Miracles" (Word/Curb). "American Idol" alum arrives with a sense of something enduring unfolding.
10. The William Murphy Project, "All Day" (Sony Urban/Epic). An extraterrestrial voice, and fine songwriting, yield an explosive debut.
PATRICK EVES
Billboard Radio producer
1. Queens Of The Stone Age, "Lullabies To Paralyze" (Interscope).
2. ASG, "Feelin' Good Is Good Enough" (Volcom Entertainment).
3. Pitty Sing, "Pitty Sing" (Or. Music).
4. Cave In, "Perfect Pitch Black" (Hydra Head).
5. Neil Diamond, "12 Songs" (Columbia).
6. Ween, "Shinola, Vol. 1" (Chocodog).
7. The Detroit Cobras, "Baby" (Bloodshot Records).
8. The New Pornographers, "Twin Cinema" (Matador).
9. Porcupine Tree, "Deadwing" (Lava).
10. Ann Peebles, Billy Preston, Mavis Staples, Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, "I Believe to My Soul" (Rhino/Work Song/Hear Music).
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Beck, Oakenfold, members of Rascal Flatts, QOTSA, Doves & more share their faves of 2005.
The personal picks of the year's best from the Billboard Information Group staff and our freelance writers.
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