29. Bruce Springsteen – The Rising
Written after the tragedy that is 9/11, Springsteen has crafted his most important album probably since Born In the USA. Full of anthems about hope and well rising, Springsteen and the reformed E Street Band hop into the Delorian and take us back to 1984 when they were on top of the world, but with a sound closer to Nebraska. Springsteen and Co. show why they are legends.

Standout tracks include "Worlds Apart," "Into The Fire," & "Countin' on a Miracle."

28. Silverchair – Diorama
Remember Silverchair? The last few years I have heard more about singer Daniel Johns problems with anorexia more than anything from the band. That changed with this year's Diorama, which is more melodic with very little heavy bass and dark guitar riffs. Always called a Nirvana knock off, Silverchair is almost free of the "grunge" era that categorized them for so long with the more melodic music.

Standout tracks include "World upon Your Shoulders," "Without You," & ""The Greatest Way."

27. Justin Timberlake – Justified
Probably the one disc on this list that we are fully prepared to take the most shit for. On his firt solo outing, Timberlake weaves his sultry voice to the beats of Timberland & The Neptunes, all the while showing the charisma that made him a star in the first place. Timberlake shows there is more than his bubblegum image and in fact shines when he does so. There is life after N Sync and in fact it looks like it will be a good one. Oh yeah, he is a pimp…Britney Spears to Janet Jackson to Alyssa Milano? Lucky bastard!

Standout tracks include "Like I Love You," "Right for Me," & " Cry Me A River."

26. Ash – Free All Angels
One of a few discs on the list that don't really belong here since they actually came out last year, Ash is already huge in their native UK. Hitting number one in the UK, Ash has had problems since hitting the US soil but that is changing after high profile tours with Dashboard Confessional, Saves the Day, and opening the Area 2 tour. Free All Angels, their Brit pop sound should be cranking in your speakers.

Standout tracks include "Burn Baby Burn," "Pacific Palisades," & "Someday."

25. Tom Petty – The Last DJ
The last few Tom Petty discs really haven't been that good. Can we all stop kidding ourselves please? That is until this year with the release of The Last DJ. Tom is pissed and apparently works his best this way. Using the record industry as an running theme, Tom disses everything from disposable pop music, selling music to commercials, to the corrupt radio system. Who knew Petty was the original blonde slim shady?

Standout tracks include "Money Becomes King," "When a Kid Goes Bad," & Like A Diamond."

24. Phantom Planet – The Guest
With a model lead singer and an actor for a drummer, Phantom Planet have decent day jobs if this whole music thing doesn't pan out. But this is a first love for all with the other careers as a bonus. The Guest is one of a few discs that just kept climbing up this list the more I listened to it. I just am a sucker for the catchy ass hooks that get stuck in my head all day. There are plenty of them here to go around.

Standout tracks include "California," "Anthem," & "Lonely Day."

23. Norah Jones – Come Away With Me
Sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar's little girl busted onto the scene this year. If you don't know Shankar, he is the guy who gave the Beatles their first taste of the drug scene. This 22 year old's voice brings back reminders of Billie Holiday…a voice like an angel. Her disc is awesome, a great calming disc….a little too calming at times but still awesome.

Standout points include "Cold Cold Heart," "The Nearness of You," "Don't Know Why."

22. Missy Elliot – Under Construction
"Get UR Freak On" was a huge hit last year and brought Missy Elliot back to the forefront. With the loss of her good friends Aaliyah & Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez, Missy has taken like another diva and tried to end all the drama. What she has done here is hit it old school with phat beats and smooth rhymes and a filthy hit single, "Work It." Missy has outdone herself with her best disc to date.

Standout tracks include "Back in the Day," "Gossip Folks," & "Work It."

21. Rusted Root – Welcome To My Party
They are back and better than ever. Rusted Root took a break after 1999 and most thought the band was no more. With the return of Jenn Wertz, the band seems reenergized and ready to take it to a whole new level, but diehards need not worry, they know where their roots are. The songs are much tighter as the band is much more focused on songwriting than in the past.

Standout tracks include "Welcome to My Party," "Blue Diamonds," "Too Much," & the re-recorded "Artificial Winter."

20. John Mayer – Room For Squares
Described by some as Dave Matthews Lite, John Mayer is another aritst who blew up this year. He had the ladies itching to drop 'em for him when I saw him in Wilmington, DE. The guy aint just a pretty face though he has mad skills and is a way better, bluesier guitar player than I would have imagined. It will be interesting to see what direction he moves next.

Standout tracks include "No Such Thing," "Your Body Is a Wonderland," & "Love Song for No One."

19. rubyhorse – Rise
Straight out of Cork, Ireland, rubyhorse put out a very impressive debut effort. Probably the biggest compliment that the band could receive was when the late George Harrison heard there independent release how far have you come? and offered to play on the song "Punchdrunk." Does it get any better than that? Rise is a disc that will be hard to top.

Standout tracks include "Into The Lavender," "Horseless," & "Teenage Distraction."

18. The Roots – Phrenology
After upping the ante with their performance with Jay Z on his unplugged session, there is a lot of pressure on The Roots to finally hit big. Phrenology is the first Roots disc that has been able to fully capture the bands sound and live feel. It's time for everyone to fully enjoy Philly's best band.

Standout tracks include "Complexity," "The Seed 2.0," & "Pussy Galore."