Earlier this year I had bemoaned the fact that this was a substandard year for music releases. However, when I began to really listen to the year’s releases with an ear to compile my annual list I realized how wrong I truly was.
Sure, there was no disk that stood head and shoulders above the rest like McDermott and Ritter have the last two years.
But that is a good thing. All in all of the 70+ albums I have released this calendar year there were about 40 that really deserved to be in my final 20. And, in looking at my top 10 I see that any of them could have been number one.
I will take 20 stellar albums any year. However, before I get to the top 20 beginning tomorrow I wanted to give a nod to a few that just missed the cut:

The Geography of Light by Carrie Newcomer–The fact that one of my perennial favorites like Newcomer did not make my top 20 is testament to how competitive this year was. Although not a Christian artist she writes the most profound lyrics of faith of anyone out there.
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Exit Strategy of the Soul by Ron Sexsmith
You are not a Singer-Songwriter fan if you don’t love Sexsmith. This clip, Brandy Alexander, is one of my favorite tunes of the year;
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Changing Things (EP) by Meaghan Blanchard
If I considered EPs for my year end list this would be in my top 10. Blanchard is a 19 year old singer-songwriter from Prince Edward Island. I was blessed to find this on eMusic.

Some other Albums of note:

Mountain Goats–Heretic Pride

The Nadas–There Are Ghosts Inside These Halls

Laura Cantrell–Trains and Boats and Planes

Flogging Molly–Float

Idina Menzel–Brave

Kimya Dawson–Alphabutt

The Killers–Day & Age

Keane–Perfect Symmetry

She & Him–Volume One

Jackson Browne–Time The Conqueror

James McMurtry–Just Us Kids

John Mellencamp–Life, Death, Love and Freedom

Jesse Malin–On Your Sleeve