Here are my selections of my fave music of the year. I’m afraid it was another lackluster year in music releases but, thankfully, there was enough great music to make 2009 bearable. Here is my list of my Top 10 Fave Albums of 2009 in reverse order:
At #10 is a tie between Whitney Houston‘s I Look To You and Mary J. Blige‘s Stronger With Each Tear:
Whitney Houston managed to pull off a stunning comeback with I Look To You (an album she’s been promising for years now) and I was lucky enough to be among the first folks to hear the album at an album listening event here in SoCal. Whitney‘s ’09 effort is full of great tracks, many of which got a lot of play in my house this year. Mary J. Blige‘s album just came out last week and I’m already crazy in love with it. It almost didn’t make the list but I’ve been listening to it non-stop since I bought it … compared to so much of the garbage that was released all year long, Stronger With Each Tear really shines brightly.
At #9 is Pete Yorn‘s Back & Forth:
Pete Yorn released another album this year with Scarlett Johansson and that disc, IMHO, is horrible. Back & Forth is classic Pete Yorn, full of great songwriting and melodies. There is a quality to Pete’s voice that really resonates with me … always has since he debuted on the music scene. This album is one of my fave pop/rock albums most definitely.
At #8 is White Lies, To Lose My Life …:
This British band was recommended to me by a Pink reader and I am so thankful for the head’s up. White Lies have this gothy sound to their music, which is most deffo pop in nature. They remind me a bit of a pop version of Bauhaus. This album was a very nice discovery this year. I can’t wait to hear more from this young band.
At #7 is Mariah Carey, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel:
To be honest, this album is far from Mariah‘s most successful album … and that is a damn shame. There are a bunch of really great Mimi tracks on this album that are just as good as the biggest, most successful singles of her career. It wasn’t until my good friend David Russell declared this album Mariah Carey‘s best of all time that I gave it serious consideration (David‘s opinions on pop music are impeccable). This is a great Mariah album, one which will prolly not be listed as such among her other monster hit releases.
At #6 is Bat for Lashes, Two Suns:
Lush, sensuous, mesmerizing, beautiful, magical. I can only think of adjectives when describing this album. It is a stunning effort by a new star on the musical landscape. My only wish is that Bat for Lashes enjoys a very long career so that she can continue to make music this wonderful.
After the jump, check out my Top 5 Fave Albums of 2009 and check out my Top 10 Singles of ’09 …
At #5 is Tori Amos, Midwinter Graces:
Holiday album be damned, Midwinter Graces is one of Tori Amos‘s finest albums in years. The music and orchestration hearkens back to early Tori music. I’m not a big fan of Xmas music so I was not really that thrilled that Tori was releasing a holiday album … I was relieved and very surprised at how great the album really is. Tori Amos fans, rejoice, she still has that good ol’ Toriness inside her. This album is proof of that fact.
At #4 is Brendan Benson, My Old, Familiar Friend:
Brendan Benson is my Detroit homie and I just love him TO DEATH. He’s gotten a lot of fame for being in Jack White‘s band The Raconteurs but I much prefer Benson solo. The man knows how to write awesome pop songs. Period. I know his music is classified as “rock” but he is a pop master … and I love him dearly for it.
At #3 is Imogen Heap, Ellipse:
Imogen blogged thruout the entire process of creating Ellipse, sharing bits and pieces of her songs as they were written. Being able to follow along with this process sort of gave me a sense of ownership of the album. Hearing it in full upon it’s release felt … like a revelation. Imogen‘s talent is vast … Ellipse does much to encapsulate that talent. Hearing the album live just makes it all the more special.
At #2 is Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It’s Blitz!:
Blitz! is by far my fave rock album of the year and my fave band record of the year. Karen O‘s voice just KILLS me. Her songs are so simple yet powerful … she makes it seem so easy to write an amazing song. I always hear new things when I listen to this album. It’s one of those discs that never gets old. It’s Blitz! is truly a masterpiece.
My #1 fave album of the year is MoZella, Belle Isle:
Like Brendan Benson above, MoZella hails from Detroit Rock City … and my guess is that a vast majority of you have prolly never heard her name before. Tho, it is very likely you have heard her music (in commercials for cell phones, movies and on shows like The Hills). I became familiar with her this Summer when her song Thank You was used in a Noxzema commercial. It was one of those songs I couldn’t get out of my head. I bought the song on iTunes and played it constantly for months (I still do, actually). When Belle Isle was released this Fall I was very happy to discover that it was an album of tracks just as infectious as Thank You is. MoZella‘s voice has a Ronnie Spector/Motown quality to it that I love so much (funny enough, this album was released on Motown Records, too) … Belle Isle (named after the small island in the Detroit River, I might add) is most deff my fave album of the year. I hope that 2010 is a great year for MoZella … I must have more music from her!!!
Here is a quick rundown of my fave singles of 2009:
Okay … I know that I chose Beyoncé‘s Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) as my #1 single of last year too but, damnit, that song came out late last year and just dominated this year as well. It was everywhere … and I just love it. I also know I should be shot for including Kim Zolciak‘s Tardy for the Party but that song is like crack. It’s terrible and very likely deadly but once you’re hooked, you’re hooked. This was my fave music of 2009 … what was yours?
NOTE: It’s worth stating that I have not listened to every single album and/or song that was released this year so it’s quite possible that an album and/or song you think should be included is not listed because I didn’t see it. This list is just a compilation of MY personal faves of the year.
Thank you for putting this out. I need new music, and you have excellent taste!
WHAT!? NO GAGA!? She had 5 #1 songs and was the second highest selling artist of the year (after susan boyle. lol) I mean sheesh, i know shes probably not your cup of tea but you should also give credit to the artists who actually HAD hit songs this year.
Not only that but you totally forgot kelly clarkson. KELLY CLARKSON! And insted you picked people like KIM FROM THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA, and Mariah Carey (who i usually love, but COMMON, that album was a HUGE bomb and everyone knows it).
i hate gaga. woo! great list. i am in love with mozella now!
[...] 2009 was a spectacular year for MoZella. Her album ‘Belle Isle‘ was released in October by Universal/Motown Records, on the strength of several high-profile film and TV placements and has since been included on several lists of the best albums of 2009, including http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com. [...]