100. DAVID ARCHULETA - "David Archuleta"(Zomba, 2008)
It was the first year I followed "American Idol" from beginning to end. I was won over by his charm and innocence, and stood in his corner from day one. There may not be anything groundbreaking here, but his beautiful voice and natural talent shine right through the production gloss.
99. JONNY LANG - "Long Time Coming"(A&M, 2003)
I've never cared much for blues music, which is why I'm one of the few people who like this rock-crossover effort far more than any of his other albums. Formulaic though they may be, the songs here excellently demonstrate the range and soulfulness of his amazing voice.
98. KURT NILSEN - "I"(RCA/Norway, 2004)
There's a reason this guy won not only the "Idol" competition in his native Norway, but also the global "World Idol" showdown ... he can sing like nobody's business. And not only are the original songs great, but the covers (Duran Duran! Tal Bachman!) are the icing on the cake.
97. NATURAL - "Keep It Natural"(BMG, 2002)
I don't know if they really played their own instruments like Lou Pearlman claimed they did, but these boys (the last product in Papa Lou's falling boyband empire) certainly packed this debut album with a bunch of super-catchy tunes ... definitely a guilty pleasure!
96. IMOGEN HEAP - "Speak For Yourself"(RCA Victor, 2005)
Dido seemed to be passing the electronica-diva baton to Jem, but Imogen Heap stole it instead, striking a massive hit with the ubiquitous vocorder-acappella single "Hide And Seek", while several other songs from this album became soundtrack staples. More power to her!
95. DANIEL BEDINGFIELD - "Second First Impression"(Polydor/UK, 2004)
More people seemed to like his danceable debut, "Gotta Get Thru This", but I was more taken with his comparatively laid-back singer-songwriter-like sophomore disc, particularly "The Way", the single "Nothing Hurts Like Love", and the fantastic "Wrap My Words Around You".
94. JOSH HOGE - "Everything She Was"(Blackledge, 2008)
I'm not familiar with his more popular brother, Will, but I'm really glad I stumbled upon mention of this album on the web. He packs in so many great songs, has such a fine voice, and touches on so many genres -- country, soul, R&B, pop, rock -- that it'll make your head spin!
93. THE SHORE - "The Shore"(Maverick, 2004)
They couldn't have chosen a more appropriate cover for this album ... a tantalizing blend of jangly California rock and prime '90s Britpop, played through a filter of '60s psychedelia ... imagine what the Eagles might have sounded like if they'd heard Blur or Oasis growing up.
92. "BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON" - soundtrack(Geffen, 2004)
I've never seen the movie, and have no intention of doing so, but the soundtrack is right up my alley ... Jamie Cullum, Will Young, Rufus Wainwright, and a great duet between Sting and Annie Lennox! Not to mention classics by 10cc and Minnie Riperton ... I think I'll put it on right now...!
91. SARA BAREILLES - "Little Voice"(Epic, 2007)
Her "little voice" arrived in a big way, resulting in a gold-certified top-ten album. This disc has plenty of enjoyable soul- and R&B-flavored piano-pop songs like "Love On The Rocks", "Morningside", and "Bottle It Up", and is one of the best major-label debuts to come along in quite awhile.
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