1. Paul Westerberg - Stereo (Vagrant)
This is the kind of album I love. Good songs performed rough and honest. Itís catchy but not predictable. And to top it off, it came with a free bonus disc with another complete album on it. Hey, I never said I couldnít be bought!

2. Elvis Costello - when i was cruel (Island)
Elvis is back! And heís made an album that sounds good with the volume turned up! Now the only thing keeping me from dying a happy man is lots of mindless sex and a Coward Brothers reunion.

3. Badly Drawn Boy - About A Boy (XL/Artist Direct)
Mr. Boy does it again. This time with a soundtrack album that almost sounds like a various artists collection. I just wonder if sales would have been better if Hugh Grant wasnít on the cover.

4. Tom Waits - Alice/Blood Money (Anti-)
"Alice" is the pretty album and "Blood Money" is the one where Waits uses his Shirley Temple "you might wake with a tummy ache" voice a lot. Two more brilliant efforts by Barry Manilowís favorite singer.

5. Bruce Springsteen - The Rising (Columbia)
Maybe itís not considered hip to still like Bruce Springsteen but thatís never been the main criterion for the music I listen to. Besides, if itís unhip to like someone who can still write great songs, just call me Mr. Unhip Great Song Lover Guy.

6. Ryan Adams - Demolition (Lost Highway)
Adams took a bunch of old demos he had lying around the house and turned them into his third album. That kind of makes him the Martha Stewart of rock and roll. Only he uses music instead of empty thread spools and doily bits to create something of beauty.

7. Linda Thompson - Fashionably Late (Rounder)
For over a decade Linda Thompson couldnít sing at all. I know, the same could be said about Courtney Love, but in Thompsonís case it was for psychological reasons. Okay, that could be said about Love, too. Anyway, this is the perfect Sunday morning album. Enjoy.

8. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch)
The album so good a major label refused to release it. Perhaps they thought guitar bands were on the way out.

9. Van Morrison - Down The Road (Universal)
The sun comes up in the morning. The river flows into the sea. Van Morrison releases another album and itís really good. Some things are a given.

10. Spoon - Kill The Moonlight (Merge)
Ah, that coveted 10th spot. Always the toughest to pick because finishing 11th is like kissing your sister. But Spoon gets the honor because their last album was pretty groovy, too, and every time I play this CD for someone, they instantly dig it.

11. Beck - Sea Change (Geffen)
I guess this is supposed to be Beckís version of "Blood On The Tracks." Well, it may be a depressing record about lost love, but I like it because of the excellent musical backing and production. Hands down, the headphones album of the year.

12. Grandpaboy - Mono (Vagrant)
I wasnít sure where to put this because I think of it as the free bonus disc I got when I bought Paul Westerbergís "Stereo." But the Webmaster says itís a separate thing, so Iíll stick it here, just slightly out of the Top 10 but high enough to give it proper respect.

13. Los Lobos - Good Morning Aztlan (Mammoth)
Make up a list of the Top Five rock and roll bands to stick around for twenty years or more and Los Lobosí name should be on it. They havenít made a bad record yet and this one ranks up there with their best.

14. Sondre Lerche - Faces Down (Astralwerks)
When the scribes write about this young Norwegian singer-songwriter, names like Prefab Sprout, Badly Drawn Boy, Aztec Camera and Donovan are used in comparison. So why hasnít LEE given him a chance?

15. Kasey Chambers - Barricades & Brickwalls (Warner Brothers)
Iím a sucker for a woman singer with that Hank Williams ache in her voice. Especially when she sings about how lonesome she is and asks that musical question, "Am I not pretty enough?" Of course you are, honey. Just loose the piercing.

16. The Flatlanders - Now Again (New West)
Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock and Joe Ely. Theyíre the Crosby, Stills and Nash of lonesome twangy heartache music. And they donít need Neil Young to come around and give them credibility.

17. Sleater-Kinney - One Beat (Kill Rock Stars)
Christina Aguilera posed naked with a guitar on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, but Carrie Brownstein really knows what to do with the instrument. Girls that can rock donít have to flaunt their naughty bits.

18. The Vines - Highly Evolved (Capitol)
Sure they sound like a bunch of old bands mixed together, but itís not stealing. Itís a homage. And who cares if theyíre assholes? You donít have to eat dinner with them. Just listen to the music.

19. Buddy Miller - Midnight And Lonesome (Hightone)
This is the third album on this list that has a blurry picture of the artist on the cover. Since the other two are Paul Westerberg and Bruce Springsteen, I figure itís a good sign. Hell, just another fine batch of songs from one of the Millers. What else is new.

20. George Harrison - Brainwashed (Capitol)
Give the late Beatle guitarist an "A" for effort. Itís not his fault Jeff Lynne went against his wishes and slicked up his last album to sound like an Electric Light Wilbury record. Too bad Georgeís best buddy wasnít Ryan Adams.

Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Live 1975 (Coulmbia Legacy)
Ah, Mr. Dylan during his Rolling Thunder Revue Period. Good band, great songs, bad makeup. Yeah, life really used to be this wonderful.

The Rolling Stones - Abkco Reissue Program (abkco)
All those great albums finally getting the treatment they deserve. Itís about time!!! And for those of you who think all the good stuff is on "Forty Licks": WRONG!!

The Who - My Generation (Deluxe Edition) (MCA/Universal Chronicles)
The extra disc of bonus tracks is nice icing but the real treat is getting to hear this classic album remastered from the original master tapes. Whyíd it take so long? It was a legal matter, baby.

Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Armed Forces (Rhino)
Rhinoís double disc reissue program of the Costello back catalog is a shining example of how to do something right, but this one deserves extra kudos for the inclusion of nine live tracks from the legendary Hollywood High concert. And the bookletís really cool, too.

Johnny Cash at Madison Square Garden (Columbia/Legacy)
The Man in Black Revue featuring The Carter Family, Carl Perkins and The Statler Brothers. Recorded live in 1969, this show captures Johnny Cash at his peak. And it disproves the old joke that the only way you could get good seats as a Johnny Cash concert was to commit a felony.

The Knack Reissues (Capitol)
Power pop is good and these albums are a lot of fun. Plus I think whoever produced and compiled them for reissue mustíve really had their shit together.