It seems kind of crazy sometimes, to do this "year in review" list for music. After all, I listen to so much music every year, I'm sure to leave out something that I truly loved. But at the same time, there are those CDs that rise above the others in my collection -- the ones I can listen to every day for two weeks (or even two months) without ever getting tired of them. Those are the ones that make this list. I may not be playing them constantly right now, but at some point in 2001 each of these CDs was in heavy rotation, usually in my car CD player.

Here they are, in an order that probably makes sense only to me:

The CD has a summer feel to it, very lush and warm. It's a new sound for R.E.M., a kind of experiment in electronica. But the guitars are there, and Michael's voice. So it still sounds like R.E.M.

In the end, I think this is my favorite new CD of 2001.

Favorite tracks: "I'll Take the Rain" and "I've Been High."

What's not to love about Bob Dylan? This year I positively wallowed in his music -- old and new.

Biograph is a great three-disc box set of his early stuff. It includes a selection of influential songs from his early catalog, and several rarities which are great as well. I bought this in July when Laura and I went to Waterbury, and played it for a month straight.

Love and Theft is Bob Dylan's latest release -- it came out on September 11 of this year. I bought it a couple of days later and -- again -- played it for a month straight. I liked it so much after my first listen that I came home and ordered one for my dad. It sounds like vintage Bob.

Favorite tracks:
Biograph: "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight," "You Angel You," "Abandoned Love"
Love and Theft: "Summer Days," "Moonlight," "Bye and Bye"

For my World in My Head project, I decided I needed "One Love" by Bob Marley (the song), so I headed over to Circuit City one day this summer. It turned out that this greatest hits compilation -- also called One Love -- had just been released a few weeks before.

I'd always known the basic Marley tracks, but I'd never spent any time really listening to his music. This CD changed that. From the opening rimshots of "Stir it Up," I knew I was hooked. I absolutely love the beat, the guitar, and the way his voice conveys emotion.

I played this CD all summer long, and several of the tracks made it onto my mixes this year. I didn't know what I was missing all those years when I wasn't listening to Bob Marley.

Favorite tracks: "One Love (People Get Ready)", "No Woman No Cry," and "Is This Love?"

I'm not sure how I avoided Aimee Mann for so long. She's just the type of artist I like -- a great female singer/songwriter. Of course I remembered her from Til Tuesday (after all, who could forget "Voices Carry"?), but I never really heard any of her solo work until this spring when Sonal sent me a mix CD of her favorite Aimee Mann songs.

I loved the whole mix, but most of the songs I loved the most were from her latest album, Bachelor No. 2. Her lyrics are great, and her voice is so sexy and warm... I could just play these songs all day. And believe me, I have. "Red Vines" became something of a theme song for me this year, and made its way onto two mixes.

Favorite tracks: "Red Vines," "How Am I Different," and "Susan"

So much has already been written about Everyday and The Lillywhite Sessions that I don't feel there's much left for me to say. People say Everyday is bloodless pop, that it doesn't measure up to DMB's best work. Then they say that despite being unfinished, the Lillywhite Sessions are pure DMB, that they truly are the record that should have been.

Well, I enjoy both of them. Everyday is very listenable and pop-oriented. I can listen to it anytime, anyplace, and I like almost all the songs. The sessions are very dark and sound somewhat raw, but the emotion runs deep and the music is great. Both of these collections are good DMB, and I've enjoyed both of them this year.

Favorite tracks:
Everyday: "The Space Between," "Dreams of Our Fathers," "If I Had it All"
Lillywhite: "Grace is Gone," "Sweet Up and Down," "Big-Eyed Fish"

Of course, it's not all about the music. As shallow as this sounds, it's a cultural imperative that you also have your favorite guy in a band like this. So here's my list, starting with my favorite:

1. JC
2. Lance
3. Joey
4. Chris
5. Justin

Favorite tracks:
*NSYNC: "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "I Want You Back"
No Strings Attached: "Just Got Paid" and "It's Gonna Be Me"
Celebrity: "Up Against the Wall" and "Girlfriend"

"...who would have thought Slim Shady would be somethin' that you would have bought?"

-- Eminem, "Who Knew"

Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are.

I don't know what to say about it -- I like his songs. I like his voice. I disagree with almost everything he says on both of these albums, but I enjoy them all the same.

I got into Eminem this fall, in a big way. It's been interesting to listen to this music and think about how I feel about censorship and about kids listening to explicit lyrics. I would say that these two albums have prompted me to think more than most of the others I've listed on this page. So they certainly deserve to be here.

However -- I did buy both these CDs used. Even I don't want to kiss Slim Shady's big white ass. (Double XL! Double XL!)

Favorite tracks:
Slim Shady LP: "My Name Is," "If I Had"
Marshall Mathers LP: "The Way I Am," "The Real Slim Shady," "Drug Ballad"

I agree, this is kind of a strange grouping of CDs, but somehow I find that Ewan McGregor movies often have great soundtracks.

I'll take them one by one.

Moulin Rouge first, since it's the new one (and my favorite). If you read this page, you know I love this movie. It's the first movie musical since the South Park movie that I've really thought captured the true spirit of the musical. And the soundtrack lives up to the movie. It's a collection of original songs and new arrangements of old pop songs. What impresses me about the cover songs on this CD is that although you will recognize them, they are able to stand alone as well as new songs. The artists involved in the soundtrack project include David Bowie, Bono, and Beck (and of course the ubiquitous Christina Aguilera and Lil' Kim, but you knew that). But the very best part is that Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman sing their own songs -- and they are wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Especially Ewan.

Trainspotting is just a great CD. I've owned it for a couple of years, but I didn't see the movie until this August during my big Ewan binge. After I saw the film, I loved the soundtrack even more. It's a very good collection of latter-day glam and drug rock (with some dance thrown in), some by oldsters and some by newbies. Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and Brian Eno make up the old guard, and New Order, Blur and Pulp are some of the youngsters. (Well, New Order is young compared to Iggy, Lou, and Brian, right?). I imagine this CD is a common choice for mood music when shooting heroin, but it's also just fun to listen to in the car.

The Velvet Goldmine soundtrack is an old favorite. It was what first got me interested in glam rock as a musical genre. This is a collection of glam music (with some early punk thrown in), some of which are original versions, while others are remakes by current artists. It works surprisingly well. And once again, the actors sing too -- Ewan McGregor and Jonathan Rhys-Myers do an amazing job on this soundtrack. The irony of the whole Velvet Goldmine project, of course, is that "Velvet Goldmine" is a Bowie song, and Bowie did not allow any of his work to be used in this movie or soundtrack. You might expect that to be a big problem, but it's really not. T. Rex, Lou Reed, Brian Eno and Roxy Music take up the slack very well, thankyouverymuch.

Favorite tracks:
Moulin Rouge: "Your Song," "Come What May," "Tango de Roxanne"
Trainspotting: "Lust for Life," "Nightclubbing," "Perfect Day"
Velvet Goldmine: "Hot One," "The Ballad of Maxwell Demon," "Satellite of Love"

The best word to describe their music is joyful. I am so in love with their guitars and their voices.

I actually have two other CDs besides Mosaique: they are Somos Gitanos and Love and Liberte. I recommend one of their greatest hits CDs if you're looking for a good start.

Favorite tracks: "El Camino," "Volare"

If you haven't heard Oliver Mtukudzi before, you're in for a treat. He's one of Zimbabwe's most popular performers, and he draws on the diverse musical traditions of southern Africa to create his unique sound.

Maybe you're thinking, "Huh, African pop? How good could that be?"

The answer to that question is, very, very good.

Tuku Music is the classic CD by Mtukudzi, although I have one of his other CDs as well (Paivepo). His guitar sounds like Van Morrison, and his voice sounds like nobody else. Believe me. Try it.

Favorite tracks: "Todii," "Wake Up"

Baaba Maal is from Senegal, and has several albums available in the US. My favorite of the ones I've heard is Mi Yeewnii (Missing You), his latest (2001).

His music, especially on this album, is absolutely gorgeous. Drums, acoustic guitars, voices, and the sounds of an African village (where Mi Yeewnii was recorded, outdoors) blend to create beautiful melodies and harmonies. This is an incredible CD.

Favorite tracks: "Miyaabele," "Fanta"

Papa Wemba
The Mahotella Queens
Miriam Makeba
Ladysmith Black Mambazo