In no particular order and the ones that most quickly come to mind:

1) Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere

I was hesitant to purchase this because I’d read a lot of reviews from people saying that “Crazy” was the only good track. I caved in after they released the recent deluxe edition and I was pleasantly surprised. Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse together are absolute geniuses. The album more than deserves all the praise it’s been receiving.

2) Aterciopelados – Oye

I’d heard of them before but I didn’t know they were a Colombian duo, nor did I know they had just released a long awaited new album. Saw the album on sale for ten bucks at Target and became a new fan. Great musicianship, sharp lyrics (in Spanish of course), and catchy tunes. I may be a bit biased here since I’m Colombian myself. 🙂

3) Gloria Estefan – The Essential Gloria Estefan

This woman…I’ve never been a fan of hers. Well, I used to rock out to “Conga” when I was about five but besides that, I never cared for her English material. Her Spanish songs I’ve always appreciated because they use lots of instruments and carry that whole Cuban vibe but anyhow, I decided that since I do collect music, this would be my first and only Gloria purchase. A wise move since it provides a concise and still complete overview of the woman and her music which, in some cases (“Heaven’s What I Feel”, “Words Get in the Way”, “Wrapped”) are genuinely good. I also recommend her Spanish language hits package, “Oye Mi Canto: Los Exitos”.

4) Christina Aguilera – Back to Basics

Yes, it’s a bit sprawling and longer than necessary but it’s creative, it feels old school, and it’s not that big rebellious mess that was Stripped. And yes, I know Stripped sold well but this shows Ms. Aguilera (Mrs. Bratman?) at her classiest and most daring. I’m actually looking forward to what she might do next.

5) Nelly Furtado – Loose

To a certain degree, I do concur with many critics that she “sold out” after Folklore (an album I also own and highly recommend) went nowhere. But since when was jamming to ultra catchy tunes like “Promiscuous”, “Maneater”, and “No Hay Igual” a bad thing? Sometimes you just gotta put the “I’m an artist and want to be taken serious” ego aside and take music for what it’s also known for: escaping the daily grind and just having a good time.