Best Albums of the 1990s (100-91)

100. Westlife - Westlife (1999). Eight years later this Irish boyband is still going strong, hitting #1 in the UK most recently with "The Rose" last year. This was where they got their start. Essential track: "Swear It Again"

99. Eric Clapton - Unplugged (1992). 1993's Grammy Winner for Album of the Year. Essential track: "Tears in Heaven"

98. Boyz II Men - II (1994). Boyz II Men's second album gave them three major hits, including "I'll Make Love to You," which spent 14 weeks at #1. Essential track: "On Bended Knee"

97. Babyface - For the Cool in You (1993). Babyface was one of the decade's hottest producers, although he never managed to turn his own songs into as big of hits. This was his best solo effort. Essential track: "When Can I See You"

96. Savage Garden (1997). The Australian duo caught fire in '97 with "I Want You," but had their bigest hit a year later in "Truly Madly Deeply," which stayed on the charts forever and became the definitive wedding song of the late '90s (under the band's next big hit, "I Knew I Loved You"). Cool at one point, but now strictly adult contemporary.

95. Wilson Phillips (1990). Wilson Phillips was the big breakout group of 1990. They scored three #1 hits with this album, including the biggest hit of the year, "Hold On." Success was fleeting though, and their follow-up album wasn't nearly as popular. Essential track: "Hold On"

94. Amber (1999). Amber's second album was one of the best of the decade's dance-pop efforts that leaned more toward the club than the radio. Essential track: "Sexual (Li Da Di) (Thunderpuss 2000 Remix)"

93. Michael Jackson - HIStory (1995). His star was fading pretty quickly by this point, but the album portion of HIStory--a 2-disc set with a greatest hits disc and a new album--is still pretty good, despite its excesses (there's a whole song where all Michael does is rail against Don Sheldon, who I believe was a prosecutor in one of Jackson's molestation cases). Essential track: Stranger in Moscow

92. Sheryl Crow (1996). Sheryl Crow's grittier second album (you can tell it's gritter just by the cover!) was another big success for her. Essential track: If It Makes You Happy

91. *N Sync (1998). Backstreet Boys were the reigning boyband until N Sync came along to challenge them for the crown. To this day, raging arguments ensue as to which band was the bigger. This album gave the world the first taste of Justin Timberlake. Essential track: God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You.