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MICHAEL PAOLETTA
Billboard brand marketing editor
1. James Blunt, "Back to Bedlam" (Custard/Atlantic).
2. Mariah Carey, "The Emancipation of Mimi" (Island/Def Jam).
3. Goldfrapp, "Supernature" (Mute U.K.).
4. Common, "Be" (G.O.O.D. Music/Geffen).
5. Kate Bush, "Aerial" (Columbia).
6. Gorillaz, "Demon Days" (Virgin).
7. Bettye LaVette, "I've Got My Own Hell to Raise" (Anti-/Epitaph).
8. Morcheeba, "The Antidote" (Echo/World's Fair).
9. Mary Gauthier, "Mercy Now" (Lost Highway).
10. Feist, "Let It Die" (Cherry Tree/Interscope).
SVEN PHILIPP
Billboard Radio Monitor online editor
1. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, "Cold Roses" (Lost Highway). Monumental.
2. My Morning Jacket, "Z" (ATO/RCA). Stratospheric.
3. David Gray, "Life in Slow Motion" (ATO/RCA). A triumph of understatement.
4. Feist, "Let It Die" (Cherry Tree/Interscope). Crisp, organic, groovy pop.
5. Sigur Ros, "Takk" (Geffen). Lost in translation, deluxe version.
6. Bruce Springsteen, "Devils & Dust" (Columbia). The trilogy is complete.
7. Daniel Lanois, "Belladonna" (Anti-/Epitaph). Sparse, delicate, beautiful instrumentals.
8. The Rolling Stones, "A Bigger Bang" (Virgin). Their best in decades.
9. Kathleen Edwards, "Back to Me" (Rounder). Gorgeous, haunting.
10. Aqualung, "Strange And Beautiful" (Red Ink/Columbia). Compellingly soulful piano balladry.
PAUL POMFRET
Billboard global charts manager
1. Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Matt Sweeney, "Superwolf" (Domino). Sometimes, when worlds collide, the result is unconventional beauty.
2. Roots Manuva, "Awfully Deep" (Big Dadda). U.K. hip-hop godfather Rodney Smith battles his demons.
3. Ry Cooder, "Chavez Ravine" (Nonesuch). Gently nudges the listener to scratch beyond the surface.
4. Dan Sartain, "Dan Sartain Vs. The Serpientes" (Swami). Heart, soul and humour. Licks and hooks for getting down and dirty to.
5. The Fall, "Fall Heads Roll" (Slogan). Crunching rhythms, a brilliant band and the untamed enigma that is Mark E. Smith.
6. John Cale, "Black Acetate" (EMI). JC in experimental mood, still knocking out great songs.
7. Modey Lemon, "The Curious City" (Mute). "Mentalist" guitar underpinned by driving percussion: garage rock lives!
8. Jeffery & Jack Lewis, "City And Eastern Songs" (Rough Trade). Musically embodies the feeling that there aren't enough hours in the day.
9. Art Brut, "Bang Bang Rock 'N' Roll" (Fierce Panda). Full-on disjointed punk sounds plus genuine wit.
10. Bright Eyes, "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" (Saddle Creek). Conor Oberst's alt-country masterpiece, beautifully bolstered by Emmylou Harris.
GREG PRATO
Billboard.com contributor
1. Queens Of The Stone Age, "Lullabies To Paralyze" (Interscope). Would have been even better with the great Nick Oliveri on bass, but as a Josh Homme solo album, it's the year's best.
2. Ric Ocasek, "Nexterday" (Sanctuary). Although he's mostly a producer nowadays, the former Cars leader can still cook up new wave gems.
3. Curt Kirkwood, "Snow" (Little Dog). Not "Meat Puppets II," but nobody can strum the acoustic and monotone-sing like Kirkwood.
4. Various Artists, "Texas Funk: Black Gold from the Lone Star State 1968-1975" (Now Again). '70s funk can't be topped, and this compilation of obscure acts doesn't let you down.
5. Adrian Belew, "Side One" (Sanctuary). Belew shows why he's the world's most underrated rock guitarist, with the help of Primus' Les Claypool and Tool's Danny Carey.
6. Hater, "The 2nd" (Burn Burn Burn). The belated second release by Ben Shepherd features a healthy helping of damp and dusty garage rock.
7. King's X, "Ogre Tones" (Inside Out Music). My all-time metallic guilty pleasure can still vocalize like Queen, riff like Sabbath, and groove like Sly.
8. Arik Marshall, "Pleasures of the Funky" (Arik & 'Em). One of the shortest-tenured Chili Peppers guitarists finally get to show his funk chops.
9. John Doe, "Forever Hasn't Happened Yet" (Yep Roc). The one time X bassist/singer issues possibly his best solo release yet, and shows he's still a roots rocker at heart.
10. Hermano, "Dare I Say" (Meteor City). Ex-Kyuss singer John Garcia returns with all the hot desert fury of his previous band.
DEBORAH EVANS PRICE
Billboard contributor
1. Charlie Daniels, "Songs from the Longleaf Pines" (Blue Hat/Koch).
2. Brad Paisley, "Time Well Wasted" (Arista Nashville).
3. Third Day, "Wherever You Are" (Essential).
4. Casting Crowns, "Lifesong" (Beach Street/Reunion).
5. Bon Jovi, "Have a Nice Day" (Island/Def Jam).
6. Tie: Lee Ann Womack, "There's More Where That Came From" (MCA Nashville) and Sara Evans, "Real Fine Place" (RCA).
7. Chris Rice, "Amusing" (Eb + Flo/INO).
8. Dean Miller, "Platinum" (Koch).
9. Tie: Bart Millard, "Hymed" (Simple/ONO) and CeCe Winans, "Purified" (INO/Epic).
10. Tie: The Afters, "I Wish We All Could Win" (Simple/INO) and Matthew West, "History" (Universal South).
WAYNE ROBINS
Billboard copy editor
1. Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, "Exploration" (New West).
2. Ry Cooder, "Chavez Ravine" (Nonesuch).
3. Robert Earl Keen, "What I Really Mean" (Koch).
4. Thea Gilmore, "Loftmusic" (Compass).
5. Oasis, "Don't Believe the Truth" (Epic).
6. Amy Rigby, "Little Fugitive" (Signature Sounds).
7. Delbert McClinton, "Cost of Living" (New West).
8. Poncho Sanchez, "Do It!" (Concord Picante).
9. Soundtrack Of Our Lives," "Origin Vol.1" (Republic/Universal).
10. Waco Brothers, "Freedom & Weep" (Bloodshot).
KEN SCHLAGER
Billboard executive editor
1. John Prine, "Fair & Square" (Oh Boy).
2. Mary Gauthier, "Mercy Now" (Lost Highway).
3. Bonnie Raitt, "Souls Alike" (Capitol).
4. Gretchen Wilson, "All Jacked Up" (Epic).
5. Rodney Crowell, "The Outsider" (Epic).
6. The Raveonettes, "Pretty in Black" (Columbia).
7. Los Super Seven, "Heard It on the X" (Telarc).
8. Ray Wylie Hubbard, "Delirium Tremelos (Philo).
9. The Magic Numbers, "The Magic Numbers" (Heavenly/Capitol).
10. Shane Nicholson, "It's a Movie" (Virt/Warner Music Australia).
PAUL SEXTON
Billboard international contributor
1. The Rolling Stones, "A Bigger Bang" (Virgin). The old devils trade illness and indifference for team spirit and their best songs in decades.
2. Rodney Crowell, "The Outsider" (Columbia). An articulate, informed outsider at that, making essential non-country music.
3. Hard-Fi, "Stars Of CCTV" (Necessary). The year's most vital new British rock band, with a confident Englishness rarely found since the days of the Clash.
4. Nickel Creek, "Why Should The Fire Die?" (Sugar Hill). A courageous expedition from their bluegrass base camp.
5. B.C. Camplight, Hide, "Run Away" (One Little Indian). A late entry for the most tune-packed album of the year.
6. Dar Williams, "My Better Self" (Zoe). Her best set to date, acoustic rock with added adhesiveness.
7. Paul McCartney, "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard" (Parlophone). Unusually dark at times, and rewardingly reflective.
8. John Prine, "Fair & Square" (Oh Boy). Uniquely observational as ever.
9. Turin Brakes, "JackInABox" (Source/Virgin). Gale Paridjanian and Olly Knight's third album, flavorful and distinctive.
10. The Hazey Janes, "Hotel Radio" (Measured). Vivid Scottish country/rock from Dundee, with more than a gram of Parsons.
WOLFGANG SPAHR
Billboard German bureau chief
1. Annett Louisan, "Unausgesprochen" (105 Music/Sony BMG). With her tender voice, the shooting star of 2004 stayed at the highest level.
2. Chris Rea, "Blue Guitars" (Edel). Rea's "ear book" -- combining 10 albums and a book with his paintings -- is a milestone for music lovers.
3. Madonna, "Confessions on a Dance Floor" (Warner Bros.). Madonna again proves that she is unrivaled.
4. Robbie Williams, "Intensive Care" (Chrysalis/EMI). Robbie's records are bestsellers and his performances make him unique.
5. Anna Netrebko, "Violetta -- Arias and Duets" (Deutsche Grammophon/Universal). A completely new classical experience. Her voice surpasses even her great beauty.
6. Enya, "Amarantine" (Warner Bros.). Enya continues to fascinate with the combination of her tender voice and gripping atmospherics.
7. Juli, "Es ist Juli" (Island-UDD). This German band really surprises with their songs.
8. James Blunt, "Back to Bedlam" (Custard/Atlantic). Blunt's star arrived out of nowhere.
9. Tokio Hotel, "Schrei" (Island-UDD/Universal). The teen band is all grown up.
10. Stefan Raab. The comedian and producer was a deserving recipient this year of two German Echo Awards.
PHYLLIS STARK
Billboard Nashville bureau chief
1. Ray Scott, "My Kind of Music" (Warner Bros. Nashville).
2. Dwight Yoakam, "Blame the Vain" (Via/New West).
3. Van Zant, "Get Right With the Man" (Columbia).
4. Brad Paisley, "Time Well Wasted" (Arista Nashville).
5. Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband, "Dream Big" (Capitol Records Nashville).
6. Chris Rice, "Amusing" (Eb + Flo/INO).
7. Gretchen Wilson, "All Jacked Up" (Epic/).
8. Cherryholmes. "Cherryholmes" (Skaggs Family/Lyric Street/Hollywood).
9. Patty Loveless, "Dreamin' My Dreams" (Epic).
10. Jon Randall, "Walking Among the Living" (Epic).
Honorable mention: Lee Ann Womack, "There's More Where That Came From" (MCA Nashville), Miranda Lambert, "Kerosene" (Epic), the Greencards, "Weather and Water" (Dualtone).
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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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