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MICHAEL D. AYERS
Billboard.com contributor
1. Cat Power, "The Greatest" (Matador).
2. Jolie Holland, "Springtime Can Kill You" (Anti-).
3. Tom Waits, "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards" (Anti-).
4. Sparklehorse, "Dreamt of Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain" (Astralwerks).
5. Espers, "II" (Drag City).
6. Ane Brun, "A Temporary Dive" (V2).
7. TV On The Radio, "Return to Cookie Mountain" (Interscope).
8. Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris, "All the Roadrunning" (Nonesuch).
9. Liars, "Drums Not Dead" (Mute).
10. Joanna Newsom, "Ys" (Drag City).
AYALA BEN-YEHUDA
Billboard correspondent
1. Calle 13, "Calle 13" (White Lion/Sony BMG). Hilarious rhymes and funky electronic touches break new ground for reggaeton.
2. Ricardo Arjona, "Adentro" (Sony BMG). Emotionally raw lyrics and soulful production are a rare blast of honesty in pop's big leagues.
3. Various Artists, "Quinceañera" (Lakeshore Records). The year's most underappreciated soundtrack is full of danceable, slice-of-life gems from the Sundance standout.
4. Ricky Martin, "Ricky Martin MTV Unplugged" (Sony BMG). The joy is infectious in this beautifully produced live album.
5. Paulina Rubio, "Ananda" (Universal). Catchy, sassy pop with unforced personality and great hooks.
6. Julieta Venegas, "Limon y Sal" (Sony BMG). Venegas strikes the right balance between emotional intelligence and pop accessibility.
7. Don Omar, King of Kings tour, at Gibson Ampitheater, Los Angeles, Nov. 2006. Sophisticated, inventive Cirque-du-Soleil-ish staging raises the bar for reggaeton performance.
8. Idan Raichel Project at the Wilshire Theatre, Los Angeles, Nov. 2006. World music with sex appeal brought the house to its dancing feet.
9. Juan Gabriel at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, Oct. 2006. Though he's been at it for more than 30 years, Gabriel inhabits every song with passion and drama. And dancing mariachis!
10. Belanova, "Por Ti" (Universal Latino). Anthemic electro-pop single from debut album is still uplifting thousands of spins into its release.
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JIM BESSMAN
Billboard contributor
1. Dixie Chicks, "Taking the Long Way" (Open Wide/Columbia). A proud, unafraid and unapologetic response by a historic group to a historic injustice.
2. Rosanne Cash, "Black Cadillac" (Capitol). Intense album from a most intense artist at her most intense.
3. Kris Kristofferson, "This Old Road" (New West). "Sing a sadder song of freedom...."
4. Nellie McKay, "Pretty Little Head" (Hungry Mouse/spinART). Second double-disc set confirms initial finding of extraordinary talent.
5. Tony Bennett, "Duets: An American Classic" (RPM/Columbia). Octogenarian Bennett made newcomers like Paul McCartney sound equally venerable.
6. Mary Lee's Corvette, "Love, Loss, and Lunacy" (Western Force). Another lesson from Mary Lee Kortes in tunefully concise songwriting.
7. Alan Jackson, "Like Red on a Rose" (Arista). Bold artistic move for the country superstar in producer Alison Krauss's intimate, jazzy setting.
8. Lisa Gemano, "In the Maybe World" (Young God). But definitely one of preternatural, if not peaceful beauty.
9. Vienna Teng, "Dreaming Through the Noise" (Zoe). Exquisitely atmospheric, piano-based pop.
10. New York Dolls, "One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This" (Roadrunner). Now's the day to remember even this pioneering band.
PHILIP BOOTH
Billboard.com contributor
1. Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint, "The River in Reverse" (Verve Forecast). New Orleans R&B genius Toussaint partners with rock-rooted fan Costello for deeply soulful music about love and loss, tinted with Katrina-induced sorrow.
2. Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau, "Metheny Mehldau" (Nonesuch). Together again for the first time. Guitarist Metheny and pianist Mehldau, likeminded players/composers of two different generations, pair for searching, sublime collaborations.
3. Jason Moran, "Artist in Residence" (Blue Note). Three commissioned pieces, intriguingly cut and spliced by the pianist with the help of bassist Tarus Mateen, drummer Nasheen Waits, guitarist Marvin Sewell and spoken-word artist Adrian Piper.
4. Medeski, Scofield, Martin and Wood, "Out Louder" (Indirecto). Scofield reconnects with the kings of improvised funk-fusion-jazz jams for New Orleans and Brazilian music, Beatles, reggae and blues.
5. Steve Swallow, "So There" (ECM/Watt). The electric bassist, utilizing his distinctively fluid instrumental voice, Steve Kuhn's piano and a string quartet, collaborates with jazz-influenced poet Robert Creeley on a project that the latter didn't live to see completed.
6. Winard Harper Sextet, "Make It Happen" (Piadrum). The drummer augments his brand of high-energy hard bop with an appealing exploration of global rhythms and textures.
7. Derek Trucks Band, "Songlines" (Columbia). Former child prodigy Trucks fulfills the promise of his youth with an eclectic set of jam-informed tunes topped with the instantly recognizable sound of his slide guitar, alternately sweet and biting.
8. Sonny Rollins, "Sonny Please" (Doxy). The tenor saxophone titan, still roaring on occasion, leads his band through a well-paced set of originals and standards.
9. Kenny Garrett, "Beyond the Wall" (Nonesuch). The alto saxophone firebrand is joined by a stellar lineup, including saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and drummer Brian Blade, for a program heavily indebted to the modal explorations of John Coltrane.
10. Los Lobos, "The Town and the City" (Hollywood). The world's greatest rock band thunders on, demonstrating the nearly lost art of sophisticated songcraft within the context of eclectic styles and durable musical camaraderie.
MIKE BOYLE
Billboard correspondent
1. The Killers, "Sam's Town" (Island).
2. Disturbed, "Ten Thousand Fists" (Reprise).
3. Tool, "10,000 Days" (Tool Dissectional/Volcano).
4. Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Stadium Arcadium" (Warner Bros.).
5. The Fray, "How to Save a Life" (Epic).
6. My Chemical Romance, "The Black Parade" (Reprise).
7. Breaking Benjamin, "Phobia" (Hollywood).
8. Elton John, "The Captain and the Kid (Rocket/Interscope).
9. Keane, "Under the Iron Sea" (Interscope).
10. The Kooks, "Inside In/Inside Out" (Astralwerks).
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LARS BRANDLE
Billboard global news editor
1. Lambchop, "Damaged" (City Slang). Beautiful and melancholy in equal amounts, Kurt Wagner and friends deliver a refined, sublime set.
2. Bernard Fanning, "Tea and Sympathy" (Dew Process/Universal). Powderfinger's Fanning goes it alone and finds the tea tastes good.
3. Thom Yorke, "The Eraser" (XL). This time it's Radiohead's Yorke stepping out, taking the listener on a journey through blips, bleeps and obscure beats.
4. The Beatles, "Love" (Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol). Genius, naturally.
5. Sonic Youth, "Rather Ripped" (Geffen). Best Youth album in many a year.
6. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah" (Wichita). Does what it says on the box.
7. Sparklehorse, "Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain" (Capitol). Mark Linkous prove that it ain't broke, and he doesn't need to fix it.
8. Tom Waits, "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards" (Anti-). Extraordinary voice, touching songs. What a combination.
9. Birdy Nam Nam, "Birdy Nam Nam" (UWe). Amid a dearth of quality electronic releases, this stands out.
10. Arctic Monkeys, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" (Domino). No banana peel for these monkey-boys.
FRED BRONSON
Billboard.com Chart Beat columnist
1. Lily Allen, "Alright, Still" (Capitol). If Kate Bush were an Eastender, she might sound like Lily Allen. The melodies are pop, the lyrics sublime.
2. Yuki, "Wave" (Epic Japan). I can't understand a word but I love her J-Pop anyway.
3. Sandi Thom, "Smile ... It Confuses People" (Columbia). She had me at "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker."
4. Diana Ross, "Blue" (Motown). Lady sings the Blue. Recorded in 1972, finally released in 2006. Timeless.
5. Original Off-Broadway Cast, "Grey Gardens" (PS Classics). I love the now-on-Broadway show and Christine Ebersole's performance. Had to have the CD immediately.
6. Pet Shop Boys, "Fundamental" (Rhino). Their talent has not diminished. As original as ever.
7. Texas Lightning, "Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch..." (X-Cell). Country music from a German band led by an Australian female. Don't ask, just listen.
8. Persephone's Bees, "Notes From the Underworld" (Columbia). Why wasn't this a massive hit?
9. Ronnie Day, "The Album" (The Militia Group). I second that Emo. This year's Pure Pop for Now People selection.
10. Diana Ross, "I Love You" (Angel/EMI U.K.). Peter Asher-produced new collection of covers, not released in the United States. Deserves to be.
KEITH CAULFIELD
Billboard chart manager, Billboard.com contributor, BillboardChartAlert.com editor
1. Gnarls Barkley, "St. Elsewhere" (Downtown/Atlantic).
2. My Chemical Romance, "The Black Parade" (Reprise).
3. Pink, "I'm Not Dead" (LaFace/Zomba).
4. Nelly Furtado, "Loose" (Mosley/Geffen/Interscope).
5. Scissor Sisters, "Ta-Dah" (Universal Motown).
6. Pet Shop Boys, "Fundamental" (Rhino).
7. Dixie Chicks, "Taking the Long Way" (Open Wide/Columbia).
8. Corinne Bailey Rae, "Corinne Bailey Rae" (Capitol).
9. Justin Timberlake, "FutureSex/LoveSounds" (Jive).
10. Girls Aloud, "Chemistry" (Polydor). A December 2005 U.K. release that came out too late for last year's list.
LEILA COBO
Billboard executive director of content and programming/Latin music and entertainment
1. Ricardo Arjona, "Adentro" (Sony BMG). Artistry meets commerciality.
Wonderful.
2. Calle 13, "Calle 13" (White Lion/Sony BMG). The new sound of reggaeton.
3. Los Tigres del Norte, "Historias Que Contar" (Fonovisa).
4. Akwid, "E.S.L." (Headliners/Univision Music Group). We pray banda rap will stay.
5. La Oreja de Van Gogh, "Guapa" (Sony BMG).
6. Joan Sebastian, "Mas Alla del Sol" (Musart/Balboa).
7. Jeremias, "Ese Que Va Por Ahi" (Universal). A great debut from a strong songwriter.
8. Fonseca, "Corazon," (Emi Televisa). A new, fresh take on Colombian music.
9. Julio Nava, "No Tengas Mas Prisa" (FM Discos). Audiences here don't know this Colombian troubadour yet, but we hope it won't be long.
10. Chetes, "Chetes" (Emi Televisa). Reminds us of Cafe Tacuba, with a fresh twist.
JONATHAN COHEN
Billboard senior editor and album reviews editor/Billboard.com news and reviews editor
1. Loose Fur, "Born Again in the U.S.A." (Drag City). Jeff Tweedy, Jim O'Rourke and Glenn Kotche strike gold again with witty pop, epic jams and the most clever song about the Ten Commandments of all time.
2. I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, "Fear Is on Our Side" (Secretly Canadian). Overdriven bass leads, pinpoint guitar lines and ominous synths that hit with maximum impact.
3. Fleet Foxes, "Fleet Foxes" (self-released). Seattle up-and-comers craft vocal and guitar melodies that keep one-upping each other in a battle to see which can be catchier.
4. Pearl Jam, "Pearl Jam" (J). Seattle survivors make a welcome return to melody and storytelling.
5. Gwen Stefani, "The Sweet Escape" (Interscope). The musical love child of Prince and Madonna makes pop interesting again.
6. Paul Simon, "Surprise" (Warner Bros.). Producer Brian Eno brings a tangible sonic resonance to some of Simon's most creative songs in two decades.
7. Sonic Youth, "Rather Ripped" (Geffen). Still making a joyful noise after
25 years.
8. Band Of Horses, "Everything All the Time" (Sub Pop). Sure, they sound like My Morning Jacket, but with gems like "Weed Song" and "Our Swords," who cares?
9. Clark, "Body Riddle" (Warp). Hypnotizing electronica from the heir to the Aphex Twin/Boards Of Canada throne.
10. Donald Fagen, "Morph the Cat" (Reprise). Steely Dan frontman's imaginative, jazzy song suite about spectral cats, a forgotten bar band and an inevitable visit from the Grim Reaper.
Top Tunes: "Burning," the Whitest Boy Alive; "Eighty Eights," Tom Verlaine; "The Garden," Cut Chemist; "Mercury," Channels; "Songbird," Willie Nelson; "Message to the Boys," the Replacements; "Traces," Built To Spill; "Violet Furs," the Whigs; "One Time Too Many," Phoenix; "Hold On, Hold On," Neko Case.
THOM DUFFY
Billboard special features editor
1. Bruce Springsteen, "We Shall Overcome -- The Seeger Sessions (American Land Edition)" (Columbia) and in performance at Madison Square Garden, New York, June 22.
2. Neil Young, "Living With War" (Reprise).
3. Sarah Pedinotti, "Masters of War," a young singer's performance of an all-too-relevant classic, both riveting and heartbreaking, at the Freihofer's Jazz Festival, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., June 24.
4. Various Artists, A Phil Ochs Tribute, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Hillsdale, N.Y., July 22.
5. Dixie Chicks, "Taking the Long Way" (Open Wide/Columbia).
6. Maceo Parker, with surprise guest Prince, opening night of the Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, Prospect Park Bandshell, Brooklyn, N.Y., June 15. Did the master of funk take the F train?
7. Care Bears On Fire, "(I Don't Wanna Be Like) Everybody Else" from the debut album "Confuse Me" (Beautiful Records). A standout track from a bonafide band of sixth-grade rockers from Brooklyn, N.Y.
8. Johnny Cash, "American V: A Hundred Highways" (American/Lost Highway).
9. The All-American Rejects, "Move Along" (Interscope). A 2005 power-pop gem that rocked along into this year.
10. Daniel Powter, "Bad Day." Inescapable and irresistible.
CHUCK EDDY
Billboard senior editor
1. Montgomery Gentry, "Some People Change" (Columbia). Some people even start telling jokes, swiping Stooges chords, shooting bears and liking hippies.
2. Damone, "Out Here All Night" (Island). Impossibly sweet co-ed bubble-metal about going nuts at night.
3. Toby Keith, "White Trash With Money" (Show Dog Nashville/Universal). Laid-back on the bus, taking one for the team amidst Dixieland horns.
4. The Kentucky Headhunters, "Flying Under The Radar" (CBUJ). The country charts left these soul-infused biker-rockers behind, then they got better.
5. Paris Hilton, "Paris" (Warner Bros.). Maybe the loveliest album ever made by someone with so little talent.
6. The Hold Steady, "Boys and Girls in America" (Vagrant). Greetings from the Mall of America, now located in Asbury Park, N.J.
7. Victory Brothers, "Kowboyz De Loz Angeleez" (Victorybrothers.net). A disco-rocking country duo win big at poker, get to pinch-hit for Big & Rich.
8. Huck Johns, "Huck" (Hideout/Capitol). Tough singer/songwriter rock from Detroit via L.A., in a Bob Seger System trucker's hat.
9. Leanne Kingwell, "Show Ya What" (Krill). An Aussie Divinyls descendant gets saucy in the glam garage, then pulls a gun.
10. Fentanyl, "Feeble Existence" (Fentanyl.nl). Gang-shouted Dutch thrash-metal with hooks, and a fixation on chemical warfare.
GORDON ELY
Billboard contributor
1. Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers, "Finale: Acts I & II" (EMI Gospel). Lawrence and longtime ensemble's loving parting of company is an overwhelming triumph of passion, power and near-perfection.
2. Alan Jackson, "Precious Memories" (ACR/Arista Nashville). Softly and tenderly, Jackson wraps his rich baritone around a heavenly host of hymns.
3. Vickie Winans, "Woman to Woman: Songs of Life" (Verity). The work of a lifetime from one of gospel's enduring greats.
4. Alabama, "Songs of Inspiration" (RCA Nashville). Superstar group reverentially brings standards of the church into a modern-day context.
5. Tye Tribbett & G.A., "Victory Live" (Sony Urban/Columbia). True gospel trailblazers turn in easily the most eclectic, adventuresome album of the year.
6. Smokie Norful, "Life Changing" (EMI Gospel). Third time out solidifies Norful's place as a serious, long-term runner.
7. The Caravans, "Paved the Way" (Malaco). Legendary traditional gospel forebears join for jubilant, dare-you-to-sit-still reunion.
8. Introducing DeWayne Woods & When Singers Meets (Quiet Water/Verity).
Dazzling debut from Donald Lawrence proteges portends great things to come.
9. Montgomery Gentry, "Some People Change" (Columbia). Title tune from terrific album is country/rock redemption song for the ages. Serious chill-bump stuff.
10. Various Artists, "Uncloudy Christmas" (CE Music). All-original acoustic soul, a cappella, doo-wop and gospel creates a thoroughly hearty, non-traditional, Christmas feast.
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Jay-Z, Beck, Carrie Underwood, Josh Groban, members of Def Leppard and more share their faves of 2006.
The personal picks of the year's best from the Billboard staff and our worldwide freelance contributors.
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