Best Albums of the 1990s (71-80)

80. Jewel - Pieces of You (1994). 1994 you say? Yes, this album was out for two years before it broke out with "Who Will Save Your Soul," and its two major hits, "You Were Meant for Me" and "Foolish Games" followed a year later. Too bad the versions that were popular aren't included here though. Essential track: You Were Meant for Me.







79. Spice Girls - Spice (1996). The late '90s and Spice Girls go together like grunge and coffeehouses. These girls were everywhere, especially in Britain, where they scored 6 consecutive #1 hits, sending a total of 10 singles into the top 10. Essential track: Wannabe

78. Hootie & the Blowfish - Cracked Rear View (1994). This album was a major phenomenon, selling 16 million copies. It became the blue print for late-90s mainstream rock. Essential track: Let Her Cry

77. Travis - The Man Who (1999). Before Coldplay there was Travis, who scored a major hit in Britain with their second album, The Man Who, which won a Brit Award in 2000 for album of the year. Essential track: Why Does it Always Rain on Me?

76. Jennifer Lopez - On the 6 (1999). Actress Jennifer Lopez was flying high after successes from Selena and Out of Sight, and like many before her, attempted a crossover to music in 1999. The move was the beginning of a successful pop career, and the first album gave Jennifer her first #1 hit ("If You Had My Love") and her first #1 dance hit ("Waiting for Tonight"). There's also two duets with Marc Anthony, who five years and two husbands later she would marry. Essential track: Waiting for Tonight

75. Celine Dion - The Colour of My Love (1993). Celine's third English album provided her first #1 hit ("The Power of Love"), which became another of those '90s wedding anthems. It also scored her first #1 hit in Britain, "Think Twice," which spent 7 weeks at #1 there but was her least sucessful U.S. single, peaking at #98. Essential track: The Power of Love

74. Alanis Morissette - Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998). After providing everyone and their mother with a copy of Jagged Little Pill, Alanis returned 3 years later with an excessive but still decent follow-up. Too many lyrics, but still some good songs. Essential track: Thank U

73. Everything But the Girl - Temperamental (1999). After going electronic with 1996's Walking Wounded, EBTG took another step away from their previous adult rock roots with this almost purely house dance album. Still sounds great a swanky parties. Essential track: Low Tide of the Night

72. Cher - Believe (1998). Never count out Cher. Just when you think she's over, she snaps back with something amazing. Single "Believe" became her biggest hit ever, the #1 single of 1999. With massive crossover appeal, the dance track was a tremendous international hit, and became the blueprint for a mini dance revival around that time, followed by Enrique Iglesias's "Be With You" and all those Whitney Houston remixes. Essential track: Believe

71. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). At once soul and hip-hop, old and new school, Fugees singer Lauryn Hill's solo debut was a critical and commercial smash--one she would never replicate. Essential track: Doo Wop (That Thing)