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CHUCK TAYLOR
Billboard single reviews editor
1. Jon Secada, "It's Over" (B3).
2. Karine Hannah, "I'll Be Alright," "The Only One" (Blue Planet).
3. Delta Goodrem, "Last Night on Earth" (Columbia).
4. Natalie Grant, "Held" (Curb).
5. Celine Dion, "Je Ne Vous Oublie Pas" (Epic).
6. Green Day, "Wake Me Up When September Ends" (Reprise).
7. Vonzell Solomon (live on "American Idols 4"), "When You Tell Me That You Love Me."
8. Amy Diamond, "What's In It for Me" (Bonnier).
9. Natasha Bedingfield, "These Words" (Epic).
10. Sugababes, "Push the Button" (Island).
BRAM TEITELMAN
Billboard Radio Monitor managing editor, rock
1. Queens Of The Stone Age, "Lullabies To Paralyze" (Interscope). Nick Oliveri is missed, but this is still a great album.
2. My Morning Jacket, "Z" (ATO/RCA). MMJ have a knack for creating songs that sound like instant classic rock. If only they could capture their live sound.
3. Pelican, "The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw" (Hydrahead). Instrumental indie metal at its best.
4. Tie: Dead Meadow, "Feathers" (Matador) and Black Mountain, "Black Mountain" (Jagjaguwar). Both bands combine stoner rock, '70s pyschedelia and a touch of '60s pop with indie rock. A little like Black Sabbath fronted by Neil Young.
5. Clutch, "Robot Hive/Exodus" (DRT). With the addition of a Hammond B3 player, Clutch move closer to becoming a metal jam band, yet still write idiosyncratic catchy songs.
6. The Mars Volta, "Frances the Mute" (GSL/Universal). 60% of this album is amazing, the rest is excruciating.
7. Bloc Party, "Silent Alarm" (Vice/Atlantic). I hate hype, but somehow this band overcame it.
8. Death Cab For Cutie, "Plans" (Atlantic). Don't tell my metal friends about this being on here.
9. Corrosion Of Conformity, "In the Arms of God" (Sanctuary). Their heaviest album in years is also their best since 1993's "Deliverance."
10. Opeth, "Ghost Reveries" (Roadrunner). Prog/death metal merchants that go from haunting to guttural, often in the same measure.
The "I Should Have Heard This Last Year" Award: the Arcade Fire, "Funeral" (Merge).
Automatic entry into next year's top 10: the Sword, "The Sword" (Kemado).
CHRISTA TITUS
Billboard copy editor
1. Divinity Destroyed, "Eden in Ashes" (Escapi Music/Screaming Ferret). Discovery of the year. Many genres combine for captivating metal sound.
2. Chimaira, "Chimaira" (Roadrunner). Ohio sextet comes into its own fierce style. Bonecrushing tracks "Salvation" and "Lazarus" are Grammy-worthy.
3. Thrice, "Vheissu" (Island). Post-hardcore thundering and soothing interludes dominate intelligent, meticulously crafted and tautly performed set.
4. Arch Enemy, "Doomsday Machine" (Century Media). Ozzfest's breakout act delivers blistering dual-guitar attack.
5. Opeth, "Ghost Reveries" (Roadrunner). More brooding gothic pastorals from Sweden's progressive black metal band.
6. Judas Priest, "Angel of Retribution" (Epic). Reunion of classic lineup is a return to the Priest's glory days.
7. As I Lay Dying, "Shadows Are Security" (Metal Blade). Hardcore act's breakthrough with this album was well-deserved.
8. Sarah McLachlan, "Bloom Remix Album" (Nettwerk/Arista). Her sensual work is transformed into smooth dance mixes.
9. Tori Amos, "The Beekeeper" (Epic). Bright melodies, beautiful vocals and polished production.
10. John Butler Trio, "Sunrise Over Sea" (Lava/Atlantic). Aussie acoustic trio jams as hard as their electric counterparts.
ANASTASIA TSIOULCAS
Billboard Classical Score columnist
1. Dawn Upshaw & The Andalucian Dogs, "Golijov, Ayre" (Deutsche Grammophon). Osvaldo Golijov's new song cycle -- both fabulous and important -- receives a spectacular performance here.
2. John Eliot Gardiner, "Bach Cantatas, Vol. 1" (Soli Deo Gloria). Conductor Gardiner's "Bach cantata pilgrimage" is transcendently beautiful. Kudos to him for realizing this dream.
3. Amadou & Mariam, "Dimanche a Bamako" (Nonesuch). The Malian couple offers an inventive tour de force, produced by the unstoppable Manu Chao.
4. M.I.A., "Arular" (XL). A constant on my Ipod since it was released: sexy and gritty, with a perfect mix of hot beats and M.I.A.'s cool voice.
5. Rolando Villazon, "Gounod & Massenet, Arias" (Virgin Classics). Villazon's gorgeously dark voice and expressive performance are a true joy -- this is a must-have.
6. Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane, "At Carnegie Hall" (Blue Note/Thelonious Records). A true treasure. The chemistry between Monk and Coltrane is dazzling.
7. Takacs Quartet, "Beethoven, Late String Quartets" (Decca). This group gets inside these milestone works in a way that few other ensembles have ever managed. No matter how many recordings of these quartets you may have, get this one.
8. Cecilia Bartoli, "Opera Proibita" (Decca). Bartoli's vocal fireworks are ignited by this unusual collection of oratorio arias by Handel, Scarlatti and Caldara. Simply brilliant.
9. Asha Bhosle & Kronos Quartet, "You've Stolen My Heart" (Nonesuch). RD Burman never sounded quite like this before.
10. Cheb I Sabbah, "La Kahena" (Six Degrees). I haven't always been a fan of Cheb I Sabbah, but this North African "roots" recording is addictive, especially the track "Esh 'Dani, Alash Mshit" with Algerian rai singer Cheba Zahouania.
JEFF VRABEL
Billboard.com contributor
1. Sufjan Stevens, "Illinois" (Asthmatic Kitty). I could recommend a few places in Indiana he could start next.
2. White Stripes, "Get Behind Me Satan" (Third Man/V2).
3. Kanye West, "Late Registration" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam). Damn, Ye, it'd be stupid to dis you.
4. The New Pornographers, "Twin Cinema" (Matador). Like those Transformers that came together to form a more massive Transformer.
5. M.I.A., "Arular" (XL/Beggars).
6. Lyrics Born, "Same S*#! Different Day" (Quannum Projects), A Bay Area remix jam that trumps the original.
7. John Legend, "Get Lifted" (G.O.O.D. Music/Columbia). Cool buttered soul for anyone who's never been trapped in a closet.
8. Bright Eyes, "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" (Saddle Creek). Points alone for "When The President Talks to God."
9. Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane, "At Carnegie Hall" (Blue Note/Thelonious Records) - Been a good year for finding unlabeled things in boxes.
10. Wilco, "Kicking Television: Live in Chicago" (Nonesuch). I made it to No. 10 without using the word "Wilco!"
RAY WADDELL
Billboard senior touring editor
1. Patty Loveless, "Dreamin' My Dreams" (Epic). An effortless melding of her bluegrass and contemporary country. Loveless remains simply the best.
2. Kings Of Leon, "Aha Shake Heartbreak" (RCA). Sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.
3. My Morning Jacket, "Z" (ATO/RCA). Think Coldplay, but with guitars and balls.
4. Lee Ann Womack, "There's More Where That Came From" (MCA Nashville). Classic country, sublime voice.
5. Gary Allan "Tough All Over (MCA Nashville). A wounded masterpiece.
6. Bruce Springsteen, "Born To Run -- 30th Anniversary Edition" (Columbia). One of rock's best albums, but the real prize is the fiery 1975 concert DVD.
7. Drive-By Truckers, "The Dirty South: Live at the 40 Watt" (New West DVD). Stock cars, moonshine, family feuds and Buford Pusser, powered by belligerent Southern rock.
8. Martina McBride, "Timeless" (RCA). For those who always wondered what it would sound like if Martina sang country music.
9. Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, "Soul's Chapel" (Superlatone/Universal South). Can I get an amen?
10. Junior Brown, "Live at the Continental Club: The Austin Experience" (Telarc). Ernest Tubb on acid, live.
ERIC WARD
Billboard.com brand manager
1. My Morning Jacket, "Z" (ATO/RCA). Expansive and stunning, yet concisely delivered. Jim James and company have created a masterpiece.
2. Sigur Ros, "Takk" (Geffen). Whether you speak Hopelandic or not, the glorious, cinematic layers are worth a thousand words.
3. Sufjan Stevens, "Illinois" (Asthmatic Kitty). A long, intricate journey, but every lookout along the way is worth the stop.
4. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah" (Self-released). The freshest debut of the year. It's difficult not to climb aboard this bandwagon. Next challenge: the dreaded sophomore slump.
5. Antony and the Johnsons, "I Am a Bird Now" (Secretly Canadian). Haunting and uncomfortably honest, Antony's wavering voice heightens the captivating drama.
6. The New Pornographers, "Twin Cinema" (Matador). An indie-pop stew with a hint of everything. "The Bleeding Heart Show" is the defining ingredient.
7. Various Artists, "KCRW Sounds Eclectic Vol. 3" (Palm). Nic Harcourt offers rare and intimate live in-studio performances from his public radio show.
8. Halloween, Alaska, "Halloween, Alaska" (ESD). Originally a local stealth release in Minneapolis, this extended reissue from Bad Plus drummer David King and friends more than deserved its quiet resurrection.
9. Love As Laughter, "Laughter's Fifth" (Sub Pop). Minimal, stripped down, gritty, lo-fi demo tape rock is really all you need.
10. Aimee Mann, "The Forgotten Arm" (Superego). More of what we've come to expect: dreary imagery and lonely hope coupled with Aimee's distinctive drone.
MARK WORDEN
Billboard international contributor
1. Katie Melua, "Nine Million Bicycles in Beijing" (Dramatico single). Beautifully simple, simply beautiful.
2. Giovanni Allevi, "No Concept". (Bollettino Edizioni Musicali/BMG). Soothing piano compositions, like a more classical Keith Jarrett.
3. The Rolling Stones, "A Bigger Bang (Virgin). The first Stones studio album to hit No. 1 in Italy, deservedly so.
4. Lura, "Di Korpu Ku Alma" (Nun/Edel). Cheerfully haunting songs from Cape Verde, the islands that brought us Cesaria Evora.
5. Coldplay, "X&Y" (Parlophone). Showcases the songwriting skills of Chris Martin and company.
6. The Magic Numbers, "The Magic Numbers (Heavenly/EMI). A hit band concentrating on music rather than physical appearance: surely a message here.
7. Chris Rea, "Blue Guitars" (Ear Books). Loving tribute to the blues, featuring 11 CDs, a DVD and even paintings.
8. Robert Plant, "Mighty Rearranger" (Sanctuary). Raunchy, eclectic and mysterious.
9. Poppa Chubby, "Ten Years With Poppa Chubby" (Dixiefrog). One of the most energetic, talented guitarists around.
10. Kanye West, "Late Registration" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam). So enjoyable because it's so varied.
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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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