10. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Cardinology
It's definitely not my favorite Ryan Adams album, but there is always something about him that makes his music incredibly listenable. If you ever get the urge to listen to songs that aren't going to surprise you, and just give you a solid melody, a full sound, and an easy flow this is the album for you. Nothing shocking here, just another solid disc from an amazing performer. Check out some tunes from Cardinology on Ryan Adams's myspace page.Ryan Adams myspace
9. Matt Pryor - Confidence Man
One of my other favorite songwriters, who I have written about a few times released his first solo album this year. It has the feel of a New Amsterdams cd, but the lyrics really seem to be what made him release it under his own name. Most of the songs detail experiences that he may have had personally or advice that wants to give to others. It's a solid cd, but again nothing too out of the ordinary for this singer-songwriter either. Check out the title track below which adds a nice harmonica to his acoustic strumming.Matt Pryor - Confidence Man
8. Estelle - Shine
Now I mentioned that I was into older soul for a lot of the year, but Estelle grabbed me a bit with this neo-soul offering. She dabbles into a little reggae, a little hip-hop, and a lot of soul which keeps the album interesting the whole way through. There are also great guest spots by John Legend and Cee-Lo in two of the most memorable tracks. Go check out Estelle's myspace page and listen to my personal favorite 'No Substitue Love'.Estelle's myspace page
7. Dear and the Headlights - Drunk Like Bible Times
The boys from Phoenix, AZ have landed in my top 10 for the second year in a row with their sophmore release. They lose a little bit of the catchiness and replace it with a touch of darkness and maturity that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It took me a few listens to really get into this album, but after a while I really started to like the direction they are headed. It's not going to replace Small Steps... anytime soon, but it's a great second release. Enjoy one of the crowd favorites below.Dear and the Headlights - Talk About
6. Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint that Shit Gold
First of all, if you have never seen Atmosphere in concert...go! I just saw them for the first time here in Atlanta, and I might credit that show to vaulting this album up to #6 on my list. I was pretty lukewarm on the disc until I saw exactly what Ant and Slug had in mind when they were making it. There is so much pain in this album, but if you can get past that you can really see the innovation in their beats and the flow that just seems to wrap around your head and not let go. Check out my favorite track "Puppets" on their myspace.
Atmosphere's myspace
5. Rhymefest - Man in the Mirror
I like Michael Jackson and I like Rhymefest, so this should have been a no-brainer. I wrote about this album earlier (the post was deleted apparently), and just consistently listened to this album all year. Rhymefest and Mark Ronson do a great job of taking some lesser known MJ tunes and sampling them in between some heavy beats and Rhymefest's forceful style of hip-hop. Enjoy the tunes if you can find em...because it's a great disc!4. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
I'll be honest and say that I never really listened to Lil' Wayne until this album. I never really cared for his style of hip-hop, but after this disc I'm tempted to go back and listen to some of his older stuff. Tha Carter III blends a bunch of catchy and unique songs together. "Let the Beat Build" just keeps you waiting for that explosion of the full beat, and "Mrs. Officer" has you whistling like a cop car. There are a few duds on the CD, but they are far outweighed by the rest of the hits. Check out his myspace for a few tunes.Lil' Wayne's myspace
3. Sunfold - Toy Tugboats
As previously posted about a few times, Sunfold put out a great debut album. Great enough in fact, to be Alec and my discovery of the year for 2009. Check out my post here for a real description of the band. But in short...if you like jazzy pop and some good guitar noodling in acoustic/electric style songs check out Sunfold. They bring together some American Football, some Annuals, and some straight up pop. Listen to some songs on my previous post!2. Sleepercar - West Texas
Sleepercar's CD West Texas was absolutely one of the CDs I listened to the most this year. I really liked the mix of alt-country and straight up rock. They carry an edgy twang that is normally not found in the more mainstream alt-country acts (Ryan Adams, Wilco, etc.). It's a band that would fit great in a dirty bar serving High Life, a road trip across the farmland of the Midwest, or even when rocking out alone in your room. Check out some tunes on their myspace.Sleepercar's myspace
1. Q-tip - The Renaissance
This CD just became my #1 this week. When I drafted this post, I had it in the #2 slot, but after driving all around Florida I realized that front to back this was my favorite CD of the year. Q-Tip has risen from the dead. He successfully combines the style and element of his old-school Tribe days with new, heavy beats and modern sampling techniques. He also has some great guests such as D'Angelo, Raphael Saddiq, and surprisingly Norah Jones in a great track. All of this combined makes for an extremely enjoyable album. Check this one out....you won't be disappointed.Q-tip's myspace
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