Favorite CDs of the '90s -- #40 to #36

40. DIDO - "No Angel"
(Arista, 1999)

Like most people probably did, I discovered Dido when her song "Here With Me" gained prominence in its use as the theme for the fantastic TV series "Roswell" ... and then I discovered a whole album full of dreamy, ethereal pop songs, all graced with her captivatingly beautiful voice. "Don't Think Of Me" and the (thankfully) Eminem-less original version of "Thank You'" are just two of the other highlights on this stellar debut album.

39. "BOP BOYS!" - compilation
(Interhit, 1998)

As I explained a while ago in a full-sized post, this is the album that essentially opened up my ears to the world of international pop music ... and I haven't been able to shut those wonderful sounds out since (not that I'd ever want to try). Boyzone, 911, Peter Andre, and of course two of my bigger favorites, Kavana and Espen Lind, are just some of the artists I've discovered thanks to this one CD, and the ongoing import-pop hunt that it inspired.

38. BARENAKED LADIES - "Gordon"
(Reprise, 1991)

I don't remember just what TV show it was on which I first heard Barenaked Ladies performing, but I do remember that the song I heard was "If I Had $1000000", and I remember that it made me march right out and buy this debut album of theirs. It took another three albums for the rest of America to discover their charms, but "What a Good Boy", "Grade 9", "King of Bedside Manor", and "New Kid (On The Block)" won me over immediately.

37. OCTOBER PROJECT - "October Project"
(Epic, 1993)

Fitting in somewhere between the new-age serenity of Enya and the techno-tinged trippiness of Enigma, October Project put out hauntingly beautiful melodies in tidy pop packages -- almost like arias written for Top-40 radio. Mary Fahl's soaring voice could barely contain these songs which, in a more perfect world, would have launched this group on a successful, decades-long career, rather than cutting it short after just one more album.

36. SCOTT GRIMES - "Scott Grimes"
(A&M, 1989)

A few years into his acting career, a 17-year-old Scott Grimes got the chance to record an album under producer Richard Carpenter, and as far as singing actors go, the results are pretty good. Being from the synthesized-instrument-happy turn of the decade, it can't help but sound dated and a bit cheesy, but the songs were nice, and so was his voice. We may have had to wait sixteen years for his next album, but it was worth the wait; both he and his music matured nicely.