Damien Rice, 9 With transcendent beauty and cathartic emotion, this alt-folkie's second album seems to discover the secret passageway to your soul. One of the year's best, it creeps up on you until you are completely absorbed.
The Hold Steady, Boys and Girls in America This Brooklyn band, led by standout narrator Craig Finn, delivers a stellar indie-rock record that will let grown-ups channel their teenage years—and help the kids get through theirs.
My Chemical Romance, The Black Parade On an ambitious concept album, MCR marches forward with a goth grandeur that will have you breaking out your Doc Martens.
John Legend, Once Again Reaffirming that he is no ordinary performer, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and pianist continues to lovingly update old-school soul for the hip-hop generation.
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