Madeleine Peyroux, Careless Love, Rounder. Move over, Norah Jones. Peyroux's first disk in eight years only deepens her mystery: How does such a modest woman express such complex emotions? The writers help: Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, W.C. Handy. So does the exquisite backup, particularly keyboardist Larry Goldings, and production by Larry Klein. Don't let this get away.

Tom Waits, Real Gone, Anti. Because it's a rare Waits album. Because of songs like the infectious "Metropolitan Glide" and the waydown "Sins of the Father." Because he's an American original who refuses to sugarcoat or excuse. 5

Joel Harrison, So Long 2nd Street: Free Country II With David Binney, ACT. This blends traditional tunes, originals and Jimmy Webb for an unclassifiable, new hybrid. Harrison, an expressive vocalist and extraordinary guitarist, fronts a strong jazz-based group that swings and twangs like nothing else. 5

Key singles/videos:

Britney Spears, Toxic, Jive
Sean Paul, Get Busy, Island
Kelis, Milkshake, Star Trak
Velvet Revolver, Slither, RCA

Honorable mentions:

Eleni Mandell, Afternoon, Zedtone
Amy Correia, Lakeville, Nettwerk America
Van Hunt, Van Hunt, Capitol
Gerald Levert, Do I Speak for the World?, Atlantic

Key boxes:

Albert Ayler, Holy Ghost, Revenant
Nirvana, With the Lights Out, Geffen
Bob Brookmeyer, Mosaic Select
Faces, Five Guys Walk Into a Bar..., Rhino

Key reissues:

Johnny Winter, Second Winter, Legacy
Eccentric Soul: The Capsoul Label, Numero Uno
The Best of Mississippi Sheiks, Legacy

Disappointments:

Prince, Musicology, NPG/Columbia
U2, How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, Island. I have to admit the more I hear this, the more I like it. Gotta give a band credit that lasts more than 20 years and wants to (and often does) mean it. Besides, I want the U2 iPod; great cobranding there.
Kanye West, The College Dropout, Roc-A-Fella
Loretta Lynn, Van Lear Rose, Interscope
Ray Charles, Genius Loves Company, Hear/Concord