Here is my list of my top picks in music for 2008 … sadly, this wasn’t a great year for music. As I sat down to go over my fave releases of the year, I found that there wasn’t much to choose from. But, even tho the pickin’s are slim that doesn’t take away from the quality of the music that was released this year. Here, in reverse order are my fave albums of the year:

In the #10 position, Beyoncé’s I Am …:

Altho I didn’t love every single track on this album, much of it is really fun and very memorable. Honestly, for Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) alone the album is a hit. I may not be totally on board with the whole Sasha Fierce thing but as long as Beyoncé keeps bringin’ the jams like the ones on this album, I think I can get used to it.

At #9, Jason Mraz’s We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.:

I’ve been a minor Jason Mraz fan for a while now but this album really won me over to Team Mraz. I must admit, I didn’t really pay that much attention to him before he started blogging on My Space but once he got my attention, I was hooked. I’ve yet to listen in full to Jason’s other albums but if this one is any indication, I think I’m gonna like what I hear. Additionally, Mraz just published his own book of Polaroid photos … which wins my heart in other ways as well.

At #8 is Juliana Hatfield’s How To Walk Away:

Juliana always comes at us with great music and this album is proof positive that she’s still got it. For me, this album was an even better treat because I ordered it from her official website and it came packed with a bonus disc of demos that were recorded with the album. I really wish more people knew about Juliana … I think she appeals to so many people. I’m just glad that she continues to make music because discs like this one are always welcome on my iPod.

In the #7 position is the Ryan Adams and the Cardinals album Cardinology:

Ryan Adams releases music almost on a daily basis and, amazingly, it’s all good. While I wasn’t too crazy about Easy Tiger, I really loved Cardinology. My only regret is that the album is too short. I wish there were about 3 more songs on the disc but, knowing Ryan, I’m sure it won’t be long before we get a whole new disc of stuff to enjoy.

At #6 is the new Leona Naess album Thirteens:

I was SHOCKED when I learned that Leona Naess had released a new album months before I heard about it … but was very happily surprised. Thirteens is a great album of somber and poignant tunes … and comes with 13 bonus tracks that are still downloadable HERE. One can never have too much Leona Naess … the hits just keep on comin’.

After the jump, check out my Top 5 Fave Albums of 2008 including my fave of the bunch AND my list of Top 10 Singles of the Year …

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I’ve been meaning to do a little write-up on another of my fave artists, Juliana Hatfield, that I have been a fan of since the very early ’90s. I have followed her career over the years, have seen her in concert many times and have thoroughly enjoyed her music from the onset. I was very happy to learn that she is about to release her first book (a memoir) titled When I Grow Up and was thrilled to learn that she just released a new album titled How To Walk Away last week:

Her publisher sent me a preview copy of her book a couple of months ago but I just got around to finishing it this week. I’ve been reading a few books at the same time and this one was one that I simply had to finish. After reading this memoir, Juliana Hatfield makes so much more sense to me know. In her songs she always appeared very happy-go-lucky but in person she always seemed … well, not happy at all. In her bare bones tome, she explains why that is so. She is totally open to exposing all of her flaws, unabashedly writing about her feelings and insecurities despite the fact that she is an insecure person. She finds power in her pen, in her words and writes about how that power has kept her going all these years, even after her fame has diminished over time (many of you may not even know who she is at this point, which is a shame because she is a brilliant musician … I urge you to check her out). In her memoir, she talks specifically about 2 shows that I was at … litterally, I’m reading her words going “OMG, I was there!” It’s pretty neat.

Two of these photos are from the shows that she described in the book (Cleveland, OH and St. Louis, MO) and the other is from a show she did in Ann Arbor, MI. I can’t stress enough how much I really enjoy Juliana’s work … she was selling her own music online way before Radiohead or NIN did (doing so by way of an honor system, trusting that fans would pay for songs they downloaded). She used some of that money to fund her newest album, How To Walk Away (which was just released last Tuesday).

Juliana enjoyed a pretty good run of success (appearing on My So-Called Life, on soundtracks to major motion pictures and having her videos labeled “buzz clips” on MTV back when MTV played videos often) and writes openly about how difficult it is to maintain a music career when that fame fades. I now have even more respect for the woman and her art. I really hope that those of you who are/were fans of hers will check out her new stuff … you’ll be happy to know she hasn’t lost a thing. If you’re not familiar with her work, check her out … you’ll be impressed, I promise.

There is something to be said about real talent and real dedication to one’s art. Juliana Hatfield deserves much for continuing to grace the world with her talents. I for one am very appreciative of her efforts.