One of the most self-gratifying things to do at the end of the year is to reflect back on all the great music of the year and rank them in order from awesome to awesomest. If you don't like lists, you're fighting your humanity. Human beings are born with a natural love for breaking down information into lists. How else do you think sticky notes have been turned into a multimillion dollar industry? Plus, ranking things gives you a sense of power, kind of like Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The soundtrack to 2009 saw releases from heavy hitters (Jay-Z, Rihanna), fresh faces (Chester French, La Roux) and even old favorites returning from obscurity (Maxwell). Below are the top ten albums of 2009, according to Bark + Bite.
White boys can get crunk. Forget their debut album "Love the Future." The best Chester French offering is the Clinton Sparks-assisted mixtape "Jacques Jams, Vol 1: Endurance." The album pairs the Startrak-signed, Harvard-educated band with black artists such as Janelle Monae, Wale, Common, Diddy and a foul-mouthed Solange Knowles. The result is an enthralling ride on a rowdy party bus all the way through.
Black don't crack. Maxwell came out of the shadows of anonymity and quietly reclaimed the throne of R&B with the understated and delicate "Pretty Wings." But Maxwell did it all without crossing over or changing his sound. He just made great, real, soul music, reminding us that a timeless sound is always welcome in any year.
The space cadet touches down on earth. Kid Cudi's debut album is not meant for 2009. It's a rap album lacking obvious hit singles that can be parceled off to iTunes and radio. At its core, "Man On the Moon" is an intensely personal concept album and an emotional journey. Like his mentor Kanye West, Cudi isn't afraid to put a spotlight on the vulnerable side of hip hop, and tracks like "Soundtrack of My Life" and "Heart of a Lion" show there's strength in weakness.
British soul music didn't crash and burn with Amy Winehouse. Daniel's album was released in the UK but never made its way Stateside after "Change" featuring Wale failed to catch on. It's a shame because this album is glorious throwback to Motwon 60s music and the lyrics, melodies and production all faithfully paint the picture of Daniel's struggles with life and love. Consider it a male version of Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" if you will, but less druggy and not as warped.
She will survive. The wait is over and while "Rated R" doesn't follow in the dancefloor-friendly footsteps of its predecessor, "Good Girl Gone Bad," Rihanna's raw emotion and storytelling carry this collection to a higher level. "Cold Case Love" and "Firebomb" in particular detail the poisonous and deadly effects of a love gone wrong. And "Photographs" and "Te Amo" breezily spin off the woes of miscommunication and unrequited love. "Rated R" is a bitter pill at first, but once you swallow the medicine starts to work its magic.
The champ is here. Three albums post-retirement and Jay-Z finally gets his groove back. Outselling and outperforming his younger peers such as Eminem and 50 Cent, Jay proves there's still some fight left in this old tiger. On the territory-marking single "Run This Town" Jay, Ye and Rihanna let the world know the Roc is still in the building. The anthemic "Empire State of Mind" is still doing victory laps on the Billboard charts and "On to the Next One" finds Jay at his best when he's putting barking dogs to sleep. The old dog still has a few tricks left in him.
Such a huge ego. This album was so big that it really spans two years. Released in November of 2008, the album still managed to dominate much of '09, especially the leotard-sporting, pelvic-thrusting lead single "Single Ladies." When she wasn't making us jiggle, Beyonce was trying to make your soul cry with painful beautiful songs like "Halo" and "Ave Maria." Beyonce made the world dance and smile, and in these grim economic times, we needed that release.
Long live the synthesizer. Something wicked came this way and it had Sonic the Hedgehog hair. La Roux's synth pop was alive and hungry. Gems like "Bulletproof" and "Colourless Colour" made the 8-bit kid in all of us bob our heads. And even though the beats chirped, the lyrics were all melancholy and sorrow. La Roux had a song for every bleeding heart with a penchant for disco balls in 2009. The UK pop music scene is the gift that keeps on giving.
Autotune shines through the pain. Kanye's emotional trauma is our audio pleasure. The rapper poured his heart out over autotune and tortured lyrics, reflecting on everything from love, hope and tragedy. Even the quirky "Love Lockdown" defied the odds and turned itself into a pop art avant garde hit. Life feeds Kanye's music, so it'll be interesting to see how Taylorgate will influence his next album.
Rookie of the Year. "The Fame" is the biggest debut from the biggest star of 2009. Lady Gaga's first four singles from the Fame went to #1 on the Pop charts and her semi re-released version of the album with "The Fame Monster" and its lead single "Bad Romance" continued Gaga's winning streak. With her costumes, her story telling and her passion, Lady Gaga has reshaped pop music to her liking. And none of us will ever be the same after "Poker Face." Mum mum mum mah!
