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CHUCK TAYLOR
Billboard singles reviews editor
1. Naomi Striemer, "Cars" (S Records).
2. Anna Nalick, "Breathe (2 AM)" (Columbia).
3. Rascal Flatts, "What Hurts the Most" (Lyric Street).
4. Anthony Callea, "Live for Love" (Sony BMG).
5. Lindsey Haun, "Broken" (Showdog).
6. Simon Webbe, "No Worries" (EMI International).
7. Celine Dion, "Let Your Heart Decide" (Epic).
8. Delta Goodrem, "Together We Are One"/"Flawed" (Sony BMG).
9. Jewel, "Again and Again" (Atlantic).
10. A sack-load of No. 10 ties that conveniently adds up to the top 20 singles, mysteriously in order, even: "Amazing," Westlife; "A Public Affair," Jessica Simpson; "Drink," Karine Hannah; "What's Left of Me," Nick Lachey; "Maybe I'm Crazy," Kim Wilde; "Sooner or Later," Duncan Jaymes; "Crazy," Gnarls Barkley; "Instrument of Peace," Olivia Newton-John; "Woman in Love," Liz McClarnon; "That's My Goal," Shayne Ward; "Everytime We Touch," Cascada.
CHRISTA TITUS
Billboard copy editor
1. Blue October, "Blue October" (Universal). Superb heartbreak rock; its strength lies in its vulnerability.
2. Charlotte Martin, "Stromata" (Dinosaur Fight Records/Fontana). Harder, percussive edges elevate songbird's contemporary style.
3. Riverside, "Voices in My Head" (Inside Out). Atmospheric prog hovers on the spiritual plane.
4. AFI, "Decemberunderground" (Interscope). Alterna-punk evolution bursts with shout-along anthems.
5. Dir en Grey, "Withering to Death" (Warcon/Fontana). Japanese import merges brutality with surprising jolts of beauty.
6. 30 Seconds To Mars, "A Beautiful Lie" (Virgin). The year's most enjoyable surprise.
7. BT, "This Binary Universe" (DTS Entertainment). DJ depicts the sounds of a wondrous, ambient cosmos.
8. Anberlin, "Never Take Friendship Personal" (Tooth & Nail). Impressive pop/rock record deserved more attention.
9. Park, "Building a Better (Noun)" (Lobster Records/Digital Music Group). Ditto for this dry-eyed emo treat.
10. Natalie Walker, "Urban Angel" (Dorado Records). A hypnotic undercurrent lingers beneath her music's drowsy sensuality.
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KEN TUCKER
Billboard Nashville Scene columnist
1. Keith Urban, "Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing" (Capitol). His albums just keep getting better.
2. Vince Gill, "These Days" (MCA Nashville). Four Vince CDs? Awesome.
3. Sugarland, "Enjoy the Ride" (Mercury). Their debut was hard to top. They did.
4. Alan Jackson, "Like Red on a Rose" (Arista Nashville). Alan Jackson produced by Alison Krauss is pure magic.
5. Dierks Bentley, "Long Trip Alone" (Capitol). Like Urban, Bentley's work just keeps improving.
6. Trent Tomlinson, "Country Is My Rock" (Lyric Street). Saturday night and Sunday morning meet on one CD.
7. The Wreckers, "Stand Still, Look Pretty" (Maverick). Fresh country duo, fresh country music.
8. Eric Church, "Sinners Like Me" (Capitol). This is his first record. The future looks bright.
9. George Jones & Merle Haggard, "Kickin' Out the Footlights ... Again" (Bandit). Two legends singing each other's songs makes for one great album.
10. Craig Morgan, "Little Bit of Life" (Broken Bow). Solid, solid country.
SUSAN VISAKOWITZ
Radio & Records online editor
1. TV On The Radio, "Return to Cookie Mountain" (Interscope). The experimentalism pays off -- big time.
2. The Walkmen, "A Hundred Miles Off" (Record Collection/Warner). Classic rock + indie aesthetics = pretty close to perfection.
3. The Benevento/Russo Duo, "Play Pause Stop," (Butter Problems/Reincarnate Music). A soundtrack for your trippy postmodern adventures.
4. Sonic Youth, "Rather Ripped" (Geffen). The best thing this band has done since "Dirty."
5. Neil Young & Crazy Horse, "Live at the Fillmore East" (Reprise). Neil rocks the free world -- hard.
6. Thom Yorke, "The Eraser" (XL). Thom may sound icy, but there's still a fire in his heart.
7. Justin Timberlake, "Sexyback" (Jive). Out of place on this list? Yes. The best pop single we've heard in ages? Yes.
8. The Place, "Songs For Creeps" (High Plains Sigh). Quirky and wonderful, with vocals that will get under your skin.
9. Sean Lennon, "Friendly Fire" (Capitol). Betrayal, death and beautiful
melodies: what else do you need?
10. The Subways, "The Subways" (Sire). At the opposite end of the spectrum from "Cookie Mountain," this boisterous debut is simple but perfect rock'n'roll fun.
JEFF VRABEL
Billboard contributor
1. The Hold Steady, "Boys and Girls in America" (Vagrant). I am endeavoring to replace memories of my own lame adolescence with the much livelier one Craig Finn writes about.
2. The Decemberists, "The Crane Wife" (Capitol). A swooning, soaring jump to The Show. Totally white and nerdy, though.
3. Bruce Springsteen, "We Shall Overcome -- The Seeger Sessions" (Columbia). Loose and drinky; Bruce's 150-year-old folkie jams bring more racket than today's kids do.
4. TV On The Radio, "Return to Cookie Mountain" (Interscope). Winner: Noxious, Self-Destructive Online Hype Machine Nails It Award, '06 Edition.
5. Bob Dylan, "Modern Times" (Columbia). Karmically evens out crappy musical.
6. Pearl Jam, "Pearl Jam" (J). Angry Eddie = potent Eddie.
7. Lindsey Buckingham, "Under the Skin" (Reprise). Pump up the treble.
8. Neko Case, "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood" (Anti-).
9. Lupe Fiasco, "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor" (Atlantic).
10. Drive-By Truckers, "A Blessing and a Curse" (New West).
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RAY WADDELL
Billboard executive director of content and programming/touring and live entertainment
1. Bruce Springsteen, "We Shall Overcome -- The Seeger Sessons" (Columbia). The most inspiring and inspired Springsteen album in 20 years.
2. My Morning Jacket, "Okonokos" (ATO). A sweeping, stirring live set from one of America's great live bands.
3. The Killers, "Sam's Town" (Island). The Killers swing for the fence on their second album, tapping loads of influences but ending up with a sound uniquely their own.
4. Drive-By Truckers, "A Blessing and a Curse" (New West). White trash, all Truckers.
5. Johnny Cash, "American V: A Hundred Highways" (American/Lost Highway).
The strength is in the weakness.
6. Elton John, "The Captain and the Kid" (Interscope). A refreshing and authentic return to mid-'70s glory.
7. Paoli Nutini, "These Streets" (Atlantic). The fish and chips career will have to wait.
8. Alan Jackson, "Like Red on a Rose" (Arista Nashville). A master showcasing new dimensions.
9. Billy Joel, "12 Gardens" (Columbia). A spirited showcase of a transcendent engagement.
10. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, "Hammersmith Odeon London '75" (Columbia). So THIS is why I got into this guy.
CHRIS M. WALSH
Billboard.biz news editor
1. Tool, "10,000 Days" (Tool Dissectional/Volcano).
2. Pearl Jam, "Pearl Jam" (J).
3. Silversun Pickups, "Carnavas" (Dangerbird Records).
4. Neko Case, "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood" (Anti-).
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Show Your Bones" (Interscope).
6. The Raconteurs, "Broken Boy Soldiers" (Third Man/V2).
7. The Hold Steady, "Boys and Girls in America" (Vagrant).
8. Zero 7, "The Garden" (Atlantic).
9. Audioslave, "Revelations" (Epic).
10. Brazilian Girls, "Talk to La Bomb" (Verve Forecast).
NIGEL WILLIAMSON
Billboard international contributor
1. Bob Dylan, "Modern Times" (Columbia).
2. Ali Farka Toure, "Savane" (World Circuit/Nonesuch).
3. David Crosby, "Voyage" (Atlantic/Rhino/Warner).
4. Mariza, "Concerto em Lisboa" (EMI).
5. Tom Waits, "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards" (Anti-).
6. Neil Young, "Living With War" (Reprise).
7. Fun-da-mental, "All is War" (Five Uncivilised Tribes).
8. Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra, "Boulevard de l'Independence" (World Circuit/Nonesuch).
9. Joanna Newsom, "Ys" (Drag City).
10. Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins, "Rabbit Fur Coat" (Rough Trade).
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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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