I'm not including any J-pop on my list, and I'm not going to list all the big stars like Madonna , Beoynce , Britney & Mariah. I liked all their albums a lot, but people already know them well enough.

I'm mentioining two european releases I've liked the best over 2008:

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Rockferry by Duffy
very retro-style album full of great songs. "Mercy" might be a somekind of hit in the US too, I think it's on several big movie soundtracks. but IMO "Mercy" is the worst song off the album.

recommened songs:
- Stepping Stone
- Warwick Avenue
- Delayed Devotion

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Melody by Sharleen Spiteri

Sharleens first solo album, she used be the vocalist of the very succesful band Texas.
This album is also very retro-pop/rock in style, but it's more of a mixed bag than Rockferry. There are songs inspired by old Motown style to 60's brit-pop.

recommended songs:
- I Wonder
- Day Tripping
- Where Did I Go Wrong

01. Girls Aloud - Out Of Control
02. The Saturdays - Chasing Lights
03. Britney Spears - Circus
04. Sugababes - Catfights And Spotlights
05. Same Difference - Pop

basically all ive been into lately.

1. Epik High - Pieces, Part One
2. Nell - Separation Anxiety
3. Epik High - LOVESCREAM
4. TBNY - Side A H.I
5. GReeeeN - Aa, Domo, Ohisashiburidesu.
6. BREAKERZ - BIG BANG!
7. BIG BANG - Remember
8. SHINee - A.MI.GO
9. Hamasaki Ayumi - GUILTY
10. Vanilla Unity - Commonplace

Not in particulary order

1.Saori@destiny - JAPANESE CHAOS
2.LM.C - GIMMICAL☆IMPACT!!
3.KOKIA - Fairy Dance ~KOKIA meets Ireland~
4.Girugamesh - MUSIC
5.Dir en grey - UROBOROS
6.ayaka - Sing to the Sky
7.Versailles - NOBLE
8.SAWA - Colors
9.JUNE - I.L.X
10.HOME MADE KAZOKU - Home

I'm really sorry to haven't include GUILTY too but I think is the most forgottable album from Ayu :/

Dido's new album?

I looove Dido but her new album is so boring and generic and blargh. Except Grafton Street, Quiet Times and The Day After The Day.

omg Idina yes <3

Leah Dizon - Communication
She can't sing but the production and varied styles in this album is fantastic.

Emi Hinouchi - ME...
Super star vocals and fantastic production in this album. Defiantly an undiscovered gem.

LISA - ready to disco
Great dance mini album, shame it didnt chart in the top 200

probably more I just cant think of anymore.

Best of albums from DOUBLE melody., were all great but I wouldn't put compilations on a list.

As for western releases~ nothing from 2008 was that great IMO, Madonna's got stale quickly, Mariah's had some highs but many lows, same with Lady GaGa. Robyn's album was a best of all time but was originally releases quite a few years back.

@Halla: I agree about Duffys song Mercy!
And, those are my favorite tracks from the CD too!! :)

Actually, that was a joke between Jake and I, so you wouldn't understand :rolleyes
I actually like Ami, thanks.

Mine would be:
#1: Miley Cyrus "Breakout"
#2: TVXQ "T"
#3: DBSK "Mirotic"
#4: Jennifer Hudson "Jennifer Hudson"
#5: Koda Kumi "Kingdom"
#6: Jordan Pruitt "Permission To Fly"
#7: The Ting Tings "We Started Nothing"
#8: Pushim "Renaissance"
#9: Yoshika "WORLD"
#10: Pink "Funhouse"

1. Viva La Vida by Coldplay
These guys really took a step in a new direction with this one. Painting scenes of a Europe long ago, one where vampires roam the cemeteries of london and kings are relegated to sweeping the streets and lamenting their many losses through a soaring chorus. This is actual one album that is best listened to as a whole. I always feel strange listening to a single track. It feels like looking at one part of a large painting.

2. Smilers by Aimee Mann
I didn't know Aimee Mann before this but after listening to her previous work, this remains my favorite. This lady has an amazing knack for bringing out emotion without really being all that emotional. Most songs are sung in a somewhat nasal, off-hand way. You can almost see her eyes rolling sometimes. And yet through her display of apathy and all-too-expected disappointment, she still manages to make you feel for the characters of her songs. A specific highlight for me is Looking For Nothing, a story of three people going to a county fair with very different hopes and expectations and interesting outcomes. One finds happiness, one finds trouble and one finds exactly what she was looking for. I can't stress it enough, this woman is a genius. I'm really not even sure about putting her at number 2. If I had my way, they would both be number 1.

3. Can't Love, Can't Hurt by Augustana
Why is this band not really famous? Why are they not the next best thing? Where are the raving critics and the legions of fans? Why does every mention of them elicit only the occasional "They did that Boston song, right?". This is why music is a personal thing for me more than a social thing. If a truly brilliant artist misses a wave, they just don't catch on. That seems to be the case with Augustana, a band that put out a pretty damn decent debut album a few years ago and followed it up with what I consider to be a masterpiece.

The first track really sets the mood, starting off light but with a somewhat ominous undertone of the vocals and guitar, promising a storm to come. That's not to say it's a dark song or that a storm is a bad thing. It just means get ready for one hell of a chorus, one that perfectly expresses the desperation of youth trying to find their way. In many ways, this song reminds me of a summer storm. Cathartic and refreshing all at once, a balance that Augustana truly excels at.

Also of mention is Twenty Years, a powerfully nostalgic track that builds from wistful musing into a power ballad of sorts but not of the typical variety. It's this album's answer to Boston and possibly even better. That's a matter of taste though. Either way, this song is likely to draw a tear or two from those who worry their life has passed them by.

Dust has the dirtiest, grittiest, slimiest guitar riff of any pop-oriented rock song I have heard in quite some time. A rather dark song about accepting the death of one's faith and learning to live without it. The stand-out lyric is "I believed in the Lord, but he don't come around anymore". It has personal meaning for me, as I can relate it to events in the past year or two of my life.

Lastly, Where Love Went Wrong is the perfect peaceful but ever catchy closer to a perfect album.

I know I've written like four paragraphs on this one but please, if you listen to one of the albums on my list, make it this one. As much as I love Coldplay and Aimee, this is the one album I want to share with people, want them to connect to because I know many will.
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And that is all I have for now. I know, I know, it's supposed to be a top 10. But I didn't have as much love for most of the releases this year as I did for those three. There are a couple though (GUILTY, HEART STATION, The Killers' Day & Age, The Music and a few others who will definitely be getting a write-up eventually).