10) Pitbull - The Rebelution
I shall start this off with a definitive party album with Pitbull's The Rebelution. Love or hate him, this dude makes the hits and this one is full of them even though some of the ones are from last year with "Krazy," "Go Girl," and "The Anthem." If you were at the clubs though, you would go crazy every time "Calle Ocho," "Hotel Room (Room Service)," or "Shut It Down" gets blasted and it is just good times. I mostly enjoyed the hits and party jams of this album as the other stuff kind of fall a little flat, but if you just want to party and go nuts, Pitbull's latest should be heavy in rotation.
9) Silversun Pickups - Swoon
I actually like The Silversun Pickups as "Lazy Eye" (a Rock Band 2 favorite of mine) and "Well Thought Out Twinkles" are my personal favorite hit songs from them. "Panic Switch" is now my new favorite from them which is the lead single for their Swoon album. I just love hearing that song every time it gets played on KROQ. Anyway, their latest album is more of the group and that is enough for me to make my top ten.
8) Jay Sean - All or Nothing
My favorite new male artist of the year has to be Jay Sean (well not technically new since he has been around in the UK world of music, but new to us here at the states). The beginning of the album starts off right with "Do You" and "Fire" as great songs to get the tempo going before the megahits "Down" and "Do You Remember" go off. Jay Sean's latest does use songs from his album My Own Way with "Ride It," "Stuck in the Middle," "All or Nothing," and "Stay" for food reasons introducing the American audience to what they missed back at England. With already his success here in the States, I think Jay Sean is here to stay for a while not being an one hit wonder like most upcoming male R&B artists that came in recent years.
7) Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Back to some real hip-hop with Mos Def and his latest, The Ecstatic. This is some good old fashion hip-hop music that does not rely on house music beats, auto-tune, or meaningless lyrics as Mos delivers once again. If you're a fan of "good" hip-hop and rap, this album should not be missed and worth your listening time.
6) Robin Thicke - Sex Therapy: The Experience
This is a last minute addition as Robin Thicke's latest album just came out today and I'm already loving it. This is him at his best right now as he kills it in Sex Therapy: The Experience. The album definitely lives up to the theme as if it is like some story being told as you're in some waiting in some room to be operated. This album is also filled with cameos from Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Young Money's rising female rapper Nicki Minaj, Estelle, and The Game. Still though with the cameos, Robin delivers the soul music with his own style and why he is one of the better artists coming out from this decade with previous hits like "I Wanna Love You Girl" and the amazing ballad "Lost Without You." If you love that soul music, this is a must listen as soon as possible as if you are actually in sex therapy.
5) Alicia Keys - The Element of Freedom
Also coming out today is Alicia Keys's latest, The Element of Freedom, and it is already up there on my list because its Alicia Keys first of all and she does not disappoint as well. I already mentioned my thoughts about the album in an earlier music roundup, but she delivers again with amazing songs from beginning to end. Actually, this is one of those albums every time you blast, you would start from the beginning and finish it out. Personally, added to her repertoire of instant classics are "Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart," "Wait Until You See My Smile," "Unthinkable (I'm Ready)," "Like A Sea," and "Empire State of Mind (Part II)." Even her new ladies anthem with Beyonce, "Put It in a Love Song" is not that bad and I don't mind if it is one of her next singles considering its radio playback lately. This is another album that should be missed by one of the better music artists of today.
4) David Guetta - One Love
My latest appreciation of house/club music this whole year (since apparently I like to go clubbing I guess) has made this album go way high in my top ten list. David Guetta has now become of the known DJs this year with One Love filled with club bangers especially "Sexy Chick" with Akon even though I love the remix with Lil' Jon more now these days (refer to my top 10 songs I'm blasting list). Actually my favorite song from the album is the first track, "When Love Takes Over" with Kelly Rowland. This is a great starter to get things going and Kelly surprisingly delivers in the song as well. Of course, "Sexy Chick" is more known to us due to its constant radio playback and a favorite at the nightclubs, but the rest of Guetta's album is top notch. Other than the two songs I mentioned previously, other favorites of mine range from "Memories" with Kid Cudi, "Missing You," "How Soon is Now," and the title track "One Love" with Estelle. If you that house music, David Guetta gives you various aspects of it and gets you into that nightclub vibe no matter where you at in the time of day.
3) Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition)
This may come as a surprise, but admit it, Lady Gaga is kind of awesome and taking over the pop music world as we know it. The Fame Monster is an extension of her first album with eight more songs as an EP, but I'm counting the deluxe edition because it includes all of her first album along with then new stuff. So you get the hits you love or hate every time you hear them from "Just Dance," "Poker Face," "Paparazzi," and "Lovegame" to her new stuff like the lead single, "Bad Romance." I already said my thoughts about this album in an earlier post and how she is that good of an musician and talented as hell, but the EP is filled with singles to choose from to make videos make "Alejandro," "Monster," and hopefully her next single, "Telephone" with Beyonce. It is likely she will go with "Speechless," one of her better ballads showcasing a different side of her than being crazy all the time and she has been performing it on television lately, which I don't mind since she kills it every time she performs that song. Let's face it people, Lady Gaga will be around for a while delivering her crazy antics and weird style to the world while making some good music at the same time.
2) Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of Day
Number two on my top ten is Kid Cudi's debut album, which is amazing from beginning to end. Sure, its hard to tell whether or not he is a true rapper or someone that can deliver good hooks, but Cudi does bring it. I wished more singles came out of his album as the potential for videos of certain videos seems crazy, but "Day N Nite" has been his statement that Cudi is no joke. Both the original and the remix are great songs, but the rest of the album's production is awesome with the various beats being used. I don't care if Cudi is going through an identity crisis of what to stick with in the future, but being multi-talented appearing on everyone's albums seems to be a good thing and I'll support that.
1) Muse - The Resistance
In case you don't know, my favorite band is Muse and it is not shocking that their newest album, The Resistance, is my favorite album of the year. From start to finish, this is Muse at their best being one of their better albums in their career with their earlier stuff still having the slight edge. Also, if Black Holes and Relevations didn't elevate them to mainstream status, their latest surely did reaching the mainstream crowd performing on American programs left and right from MTV's Video Music Awards, KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas last Sunday, and Saturday Night Live this weekend. "Uprising" starts the album right being a typical lead single type of song you expect out of a rock band. After that is when the album truly shines with the title track, "United States of Eurasa," and the rest. This is some special stuff and I'm glad Muse is finally getting that success they deserved. Just watching that KROQ concert online the other night made me appreciate them even more because they are that good live and their hit songs are just a blast to listen every time they get played. This album is among my highest recommendation for any music fan that enjoys the art as a whole.
So there are my top ten albums for 2009 and my top 100 songs of the year will be up soon as I need to start organizing that list, but don't be shocked to see songs by these artists from this list on there as well.
