Favorite CDs of the '90s -- #20 to #16

20. JOHN WILLIAMS - "Greatest Hits 1969-1999"
(Sony, 1999)

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- John Williams was the king of movie scores for the second half of the 20th Century. If you don't believe me, just look at the track listing on this phenomenal two-disc collection: "Star Wars", "Indiana Jones", "E.T.", "Jaws", "Close Encounters", "Superman", "Jurassic Park", "Home Alone" ... if it didn't have John Williams' name on it, one could easily confuse it for a general best-of movie music compilation.

19. "INTERNATIONAL MUSIC: SONY MUSIC AROUND THE WORLD" - compilation
(Sony, 1999)

This is a natural progression of sorts from "Bop Boys!", though I didn't happen upon it until a number of years later. Rather than the traditional ethnic folk rhythms of faraway lands, this is my kind of "world music": contemporary, radio-groomed pop and rock tunes from every corner of the globe, from superstars like Shakira and Ricky Martin to the best-kept secrets of smaller nations. If you like Top-40 fare with an international flavor, don't pass this one up!

18. COLIN HAY - "Transcendental Highway"
(Lazy Eye, 1998)

Until I picked up this unassuming little album one day (purely on a whim, I might add), my appreciation for Colin Hay was limited to his '80s days as frontman for Men At Work. Oh, how short-sighted I was! Needless to say, this disc opened me up to a whole different side of the master singer-songwriter, and has made me (so far) a lifelong fan -- not to mention that it contains what's probably my favorite Colin Hay song ever, "Don't Believe You Anymore".

17. BEN LEE - "Breathing Tornados"
(Capitol, 1999)

This was the album that introduced me to a guy who'd turn out to be one of my absolute favorite artists. A real change-up (I would later find out) from his previous, primarily acoustic works, this album's tracks were full of samples, loops and other programming tricks, and made for a very unique listen -- probably too unique for a major label to know what to do with him. I'm just really glad that I gave him a fair chance ... and that there were some independent labels willing to do the same.

16. DURAN DURAN - "Duran Duran (The Wedding Album)"
(Capitol, 1993)

In the first of what would be two (and counting...?) comebacks for the seminal '80s pop-rockers, Duran Duran had an unexpected smash hit on their hands, and deservedly so. Crowned by the supremely gorgeous singles "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone" (perhaps the two best songs that the band have ever written), this is the album that made Duran Duran relevant again, after nearly fading into the footnotes of pop culture at the end of the '80s.