Truthfully, I have to say it was a pretty disappointing year musically, though I must acknowledge that perhaps many groovy things went on that have just escaped my notice.

Among things that I have heard, perhaps six albums made the grade of being worth making the annual top 10. Operationally, "made the grade" here means that an album has at least two exceptional songs.

1) Elvis Costello - When I Was Cruel
This one is clearly the best Western pop album of the year. It absolutely has more outstanding songs than any other album all year. At least nine of these tracks are classics. CLICK HERE to get my full comments on this modern classic.

2) White Stripes - White Blood Cells
The effective raw Neil Young style performance of "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" constitutes the top reason for this album's inclusion. The other main beauty is the tender schoolyard romance of "We Are Going To Be Friends."

3) Eminem- The Eminem Show
"Without Me" was just one of the catchiest damned tunes of the year. "Cleanin' Out My Closet" may not have had the perfect anti-social outrage of, say, "97 Bonnie and Clyde." It does, however, constitute his best dramatic presentation, having something of an actual SONG underlying his story points. [Turns out he was on a roll with the drama thing, besting himself with "Lose Yourself."] Several other songs are catchy enough to merit repeated listening, particularly "Business."

4) Dolly Parton - Halos and Horns
Dolly does a really beautiful re-casting of "Stairway to Heaven." She takes the song backwards to the folk roots of the original composition. Also, ponder on the weird sadness and pluckiness of "These Old Bones." The affectation of her voice as the old granny witch doctor strikes me as incredibly cheesy and then again as a really effective unique Dolly style. It perplexes me. Indeed, most of the album bears repeated listening.

5) Johnny Cash - American Recordings IV: The Man Comes Around
Cash has this amazing vocal power, this old school Old Testament prophet of Yahweh thing. He can sell a song, and he has picked out some alternative rock songs of merit, and some perhaps less than obvious standards. Alongside the apocalyptic Biblical drama of the title track, he records a beautiful simple reading of "Danny Boy." His dry reading of John Lennon's "In My Life" drains away any easy sentiment or perfunctory prettiness of the Beatles' classic original recording.

6) Sinead O'Connor - Sean-Nos Nua
I'm not entirely sold on some of the production choices here. Sinead has always been about mixing old misty Irish mystic roots with modern production. You could, however, say that the exact way she's going about it here is arguably a little ham-handed. She's singing traditional ballads in strict traditional stylings, but adding obvious flourishes of modern studio vocal production. The effect is certainly novel, but may be more distracting than artistically meaningful.

Nonetheless, Sinead O'Connor is the singingest bitch on the face of this planet. When she wraps her lungs around "Lord Franklin" or "Peggy Gordon," she exudes a powerful draw in a very quiet and understated way. This album makes some strong listening, give or take minor production effects.