Call it the Year of the Diva, or the Year I Became Just That Much Gayer. But how could you not feel overcome by big-female artist albums? Madonna, Mariah, Kylie, Celine, Cyndi – the list goes on, and so did that ear-to-ear smile on my face. For most of them, at least. But only two gay icons swooped into this annual year-end tally (Mariah, at No. 3; Cyndi, No. 6), which means I was left – happily – with divas-in-the-making, hot rock-lite dudes, a lesbian fave and a quasi-country cutie I'm probably too old to listen to.
1. Coldplay, 'Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'
A little stylistic switcheroo never hurt – especially when everything starts sounding like it's being engineered in a hit factory. Deja vu might've marred their creatively-tired "X&Y," but limiting the pop sheen – and invigorating their rock-lite sound with experimental tinkering and band-bellwether Chris Martin's stray from distraught falsetto – Coldplay recorded an epic opus. Singles swoon, but "Vida"'s a ceaseless mesmerizer, knee-deep in mind-probing, achy, romantic sounds. The anthemic closer "Death and All His Friends" is a grandiose awakening, "Lost!" rides a catchy clap-groove, and "Lovers in Japan" offers up the kind of perseverance we need most now. Or, hell, whenever.
iPod it: "Lost!," "Lovers in Japan," "Violet Hill"
2. Robyn, 'Robyn'
And the No. 2 album of the year is … Robyn? No one would've guessed that the Swedish "Show Me Love" popster could muster anything of great significance. Which might be why she redefined her sound, and her image – self-titling her third disc, a contempo pop gem besting releases from Britney and Beyonce. Between bouncy in-your-face bits like "Konichiwa Bitches" and "Handle Me," Robyn knows how to twist our heart, stinging us with the bittersweetness of "With Every Heartbeat" and the sparse "Eclipse." So, show it love.
iPod it: "Robotboy," "With Every Heartbeat," "Eclipse"
3. Mariah Carey, 'E=MC2'
Mariah, she's so bad. Experimenting with her cheeky side – and who knows what else (this was MC at her horniest) – "Touch My Body" helped her reign over the Beatles record for No. 1 singles. And the rest of "Emancipation" Part Two? So good. And thuggish. And personal. She dishes on still living with ex-hubby "Side Effects" and laments her dad's death on "Bye Bye." Say bye bye to this album? Not anytime soon.
iPod it: "Migrate," "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time," "Side Effects"
4. Kathleen Edwards, 'Asking for Flowers'
Four albums in, this alt-country Canadian goes quieter, letting the feistiness that marked previous rock-oriented releases fall to the wayside. But with more emotion than a funeral home, Edwards keeps her edge – in the songwriting. The joshing is left to "The Cheapest Key," a brief, salty morsel. But, elsewhere, she's an actress, playing the guy avoiding the draft on "Oil Man's War," and a woman kidnapped, beaten and left for dead ("Alicia Ross"). It's powerful enough to leave a mark. And it obviously has.
iPod it: "Alicia Ross," "Buffalo," "Goodnight, California"
5. Duffy, 'Rockferry'
Aimee Duffy was unjustly declared Amy Winehouse's replacement. Sure, the structure, delivery and even the "yeah, yeah, yeah" might've coincidently – or even conveniently – matched the druggie's "Rehab." On the Welsh's debut, though, she makes her name known, using her sweeter voice to accentuate a blistering, cloudy-day affair doused in neo-soul. Without the Winehouse sass, Duffy still knows how to nail a break-up ballad, like "Hanging on Too Long," or a sweeping sweller like "Distant Dreamer."
iPod it: "Mercy," "Scared," "Distant Dreamer"
6. Cyndi Lauper, 'Bring Ya to the Brink'
Madonna's "Hard Candy" went with the fad flow, but Lauper kept it so unusual, releasing an almost-entire retro dance album. And one of the best of her two-decade-plus career. "Rain on Me," the only ballad (and a sublime one it is), is a "Time After Time" throwback, but the album's brimming with disco-ball shimmer, like on the synthy, dizzying "Into the Nightlife." Her elastic, expressive voice didn't just lure us to the dance floor, especially on mood-lifter "Set Your Heart." It kept us moving in a different way.
iPod it: "Echo," "Into the Nightlife," "Rain on Me"
7. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, 'Cardinology'
This classic-rock cutie knows woe-be-gone weepies better than his trendy, grunge-dude wardrobe. And he knows that pretty damn well. Dressing their fourth album in blistering mellow rock, shades of country and aural U2 swooshes, Adams and Co. record a gut-punching masterwork. And "Fix It," a there-for-you ode, and the wistful "Crossed Out Name" could explain the title "Cardinology": They've got this down to a science.
iPod it: "Go Easy," "Crossed Out Name," "Stop"
8. Lucinda Williams, 'Little Honey'
Lucinda Williams, happy? Finally. After the grim "West," the country-rock queen returned to her roots, exuding a boisterous blast on songs like radio-bait "Real Love," sexually-charged "Honey Bee" and "Little Rock Star," a cautionary tale. She scales back a bit on delicate stingers "Plan to Marry" and "If Wishes Were Horses" – a metaphorical second-chance lament. But signature raw energy is always in check, and the varied ways of "Little Honey" is refreshing, tapping into twang and bluesy professions. It's sweeter than honey, for sure.
iPod it: "Real Love," "Little Rock Star," "If Wishes Were Horses"
9. Estelle, 'Shine'
Some called this Londoner Lauryn Hill's stand-in, and though she's got the smoky voice – and, too, she splits time between rapping and singing – the witty lyrics on her bigwig-produced American debut epitomize her sly style. "Wrap it up, 'cause I'm not carrying your embryo," she warns on "Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)." And though "American Boy" with Kanye West might've cast her into the mainstream, on Bob Marley-flavored "So Much Out the Way" and "No Substitute Love" – sampling George Michael's "Faith" – she makes it clear: This year, there was no substitute for Estelle Swaray.
iPod it: "So Much Out the Way," "American Boy," "No Substitute Love"
10. Taylor Swift, 'Fearless'
So what if pre-pubescent girls put half of these songs on their break-up mix-tapes? Or that hearing her sing live is a painful, painful chore? This hit-spitter is crafted and delivered so well it's easier than a hooker to get sucked into her fairytale charmers and the boy hateration. "Love Story" and "Hey Stephen" are smiley tales of young love, while "Breathe" and "White Horse" are quiet heartbreakers. It's enough to forget her off-album shortcomings.
iPod it: "Love Story," "White Horse," "You're Not Sorry"
