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TOM FERGUSON
Billboard deputy global editor
1. Hellwood, "Chainsaw of Life" (Munich). Johnny Dowd and Jim White scratch Americana's heart of darkness till it bleeds. Joyous.
2. Tom Waits, "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards" (Anti-). Madness, badness, sadness and a new, wonderful Ramones cover. Practically perfect.
3. Alejandro Escovedo, "The Boxing Mirror" (Virgin). Back to health and better than ever.
4. New York Dolls, "One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This" (Roadrunner). Worth the 32-year wait? Dance Like a Monkey and find out.
5. Jarvis Cocker, "Jarvis" (Rough Trade). More Pulp fiction-lyrically, full of cunning stunts.
6. Sparklehorse, "Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain" (Capitol). Still light years ahead of the pack.
7. Sonic Youth, "Rather Ripped" (Geffen). Punky and perky, the Youth go pop.
8. Candi Staton, "His Hands" (Honest Jon's/EMI). A rarity: a REAL soul record in the 21st century.
9. Sir Vincent Lone, "Songs for Lonely Americans" (Cooking Vinyl). Whatever alias he uses, Jackie Leven remains unmistakably great.
10. Republic Of Loose, "Aaagh!" (Loaded Dice Records/RMG). These Celtic soul brothers' "Comeback Girl" MUST be heard.
BRIAN GARRITY
Billboard senior correspondent
1. Arctic Monkeys, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" (Domino).
2. TV On The Radio, "Return to Cookie Mountain" (Interscope).
3. Hot Chip, "The Warning" (Astralwerks).
4. Belle & Sebastian, "The Life Pursuit" (Matador).
5. Silversun Pickups, "Carnavas" (Dangerbird Records).
6. The Raconteurs, "Broken Boy Soldiers" (Third Man/V2).
7. Band Of Horses, "Everything All the Time" (Sub Pop).
8. The Hold Steady, "Boys and Girls in America" (Vagrant).
9. The Decemberists, "The Crane Wife" (Capitol).
10. Be Your Own Pet, "Be Your Own Pet) (Ecstatic Peace/Universal).
Best single: "Crazy," Gnarls Barkley
Best singles artist: Lady Sovereign, "Public Warning" (Def Jam) / "Vertically Challenged," (Chocolate Industries).
Best hip-hop: Lupe Fiasco, "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor" (Atlantic).
Best bringing the sexy back: Timbaland's production on Justin Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds" (Jive) and Nelly Furtado, "Loose" (Geffen).
Best albm title: Yo La Tengo, "I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass" (Matador).
Best as-heard-on TV: The Teddybears, "Soft Machine," (Big Beat/Atlantic).
Best blogger band: the Knife, "Silent Shout" (Mute).
Best cover: Jose Gonzalez, "Heartbeats" (Mute).
Best video: OK Go, "Here It Goes Again" (Capitol).
Best sample: Jimmy Van and Richard Hieronymus, "I Weigh With Kilos" (Educational Film Systems).
GARY GRAFF
Billboard/Billboard.com contributor
1. Gnarls Barkley, "St. Elsewhere" (Downtown/Atlantic). Danger Mouse for president in '08!
2. (tie) Johnny Cash, "American V: A Hundred Highways" (American/Lost Highway); Rosanne Cash, "Black Cadillac" (Capitol). Father and daughter bookend the grave, each straddling the beautiful line between mourning and celebration.
3. Bob Dylan, "Modern Times" (Columbia). When the songs are this consistently strong, let he guy make as many iTunes ads as he wants.
4. Bruce Springsteen, "We Shall Overcome -- The Seeger Sessions (American Land Edition)" (Columbia). Americana at its best -- vibrant, celebratory and pointed enough to resonate deeper than the hootenanny.
5. Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint, "The River in Reverse" (Verve Forecast). Geniuses collaborating don't always click, but this genius collaboration is greater than the sum of its parts.
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Stadium Arcadium" (Warner Bros.). There's well over a single CD's worth of great stuff here, even if some of the experiments fall short.
7. Alejandro Escovedo, "The Boxing Mirror" (Back Porch/EMI). The long under-appreciated Texas troubadour stared down immortality and came out the other side with rich music and insights.
8. Dixie Chicks, "Taking the Long Way" (Open Wide/Columbia). Fiercely, proudly and maybe a bit gratuitously defiant, the Chicks superseded the issues that surrounded them.
9. The Fags, "Light 'em Up" (Idol). Exquisitely crafted power-pop tuned up with a Detroit garage rock sensibility.
10. Vince Gill, "These Days" (MCA Nashville). Four CDs with 43 new songs -- and all of 'em good? Who DOES that?
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RON HART
Billboard.com contributor
1. Sean Lennon, "Friendly Fire" (Capitol).
2. Bob Dylan, "Modern Times" (Columbia).
3. Donald Fagen, "Morph the Cat" (Reprise).
4. Thom Yorke, "The Eraser" (XL).
5. Yo La Tengo, "I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass" (Matador).
6. J. Dilla, "Donuts" (Stones Throw).
7. The Strokes, "First Impressions of Earth" (RCA).
8. Coach Fingers, "No Flies on Frank" (Locust Media).
9. Dub Trio, "New Heavy" (ROIR).
10. Converge, "No Heroes" (Epitaph).
KATIE HASTY
Billboard.com associate editor
1. Joanna Newsom, "Ys" (Drag City). Salient.
2. Justin Timberlake, "FutureSex/LoveSounds" (Jive). Fun.
3. Howe Gelb, "'Sno Angel Like You" (Thrill Jockey). Comforting.
4. Comets On Fire, "Avatar" (Sub Pop). Big.
5. Mastodon, "Blood Mountain" (Relapse/Reprise). Smart.
6. Lupe Fiasco, "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor" (Atlantic). Fresh.
7. Anathallo, "Floating World" (Nettwerk). Brave.
8. The Decemberists, "The Crane Wife" (Capitol). Forward.
9. Neko Case, "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood" (Anti-). Mature.
10. Solomon Burke, "Nashville" (Shout! Factory). Touching.
CLOVER HOPE
Billboard.com associate editor
1. Justin Timberlake, "FutureSex/LoveSounds" (Jive). The best pop album in years.
2. Mary J. Blige, "The Breakthrough" (Matriarch/Geffen). A glorious comeback fit for a Queen.
3. John Legend, "Once Again" (Columbia/Sony Urban). Like shabby chic -- classic.
4. Ne-Yo, "In My Own Words" (Def Jam). Sexy tunes and great songwriting.
5. Snoop Dogg, "Tha Blue Carpet Treatment" (Doggystyle/Geffen). The Doggfather gets back to business.
6. Rhymefest, "Blue Collar" (Allido/J). Heavily underrated.
7. The Game, "Doctor's Advocate" (Black Wall Street/Geffen). Doing bad all by himself.
8. Lupe Fiasco, "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor" (Atlantic). Introspective, witty, intelligent.
9. T.I., "King" (Grand Hustle/Atlantic). Proves he's the King.
10. Beyonce, "B'Day" (Columbia/Sony Urban). Irreplaceable.
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WADE JESSEN
Billboard director of country charts/bluegrass, Christian and gospel charts manager
1. Dale Ann Bradley, "Catch Tomorrow" (Compass). She is the best-kept secret in country and bluegrass, and the best damn voice in town.
2. The Primitive Quartet, "Who Rolled The Stone Away" (Mountain Home). A hot bluegrass gospel quartet with six pickers. Need I say more?
3. Kellie Pickler, "Small Town Girl" (BNA). I just love it when a real country girl gets the last laugh.
4. Kenny Bishop, "Kenny Bishop" (Daywind). Kenny reminds us that pulpits, steeples and pews have precious little to do with true redemption and mercy.
5. George Jones & Merle Haggard, "Kickin' Out the Footlights ... Again"
(Bandit). Pay close attention kids. When these guys are gone, there ain't gonna be no more -- ever.
6. Alabama, "Songs of Inspiration" (RCA Nashville). Ironically, the group's first set of religious songs. Ironic because they've been inspiring me since 1977.
7. Alan Jackson, "Like Red on a Rose" (Arista Nashville). Loved it, mean it.
Now, go find Keith Stegall and give us some righteous, all-up-in-your-face twang.
8. Josh Turner, "Your Man" (MCA Nashville). Where was this guy when we really needed him 10-12 years ago? Fabulous.
9. Alan Jackson, "Precious Memories" (ACR/Arista Nashville). Two words -- THANK YOU.
10. The McKameys, "The Old Path" (Horizon). Southern Gospel that speaks to you, not at you -- just like always. Profoundly moving and astonishingly genuine.
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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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