Because I couldn't narrow it down to just 10, here are 12 other notable albums from 2003 through 2005:
Evanescence - Fallen
With its dark, but accessible tones, the gothic yet top 40 friendly Evanescence struck a chord in 2003 with its hit single "Bring Me to Life." Better yet was their gorgeous third single "My Immortal." I remember particularly enjoying this album walking around the city on cold but sunny winter days that year. Essential: My Immortal
Innocent Eyes - Delta Goodrem
Australian Delta Goodrem's debut showcased the pop singer as a classy act, as adept in front of the piano as she was in front of the microphone. Sadly, her tabloid romance with former Westlifer Brian McKnight seems to have completely eclipsed her musical career, but back in 2003, she looked on course to become the next Celine Dion. Essential: Lost Without You
Dido - Life for Rent
Dido's second album was almost as good as her first, continuing in the electronic adult pop vein with songs like "White Flag" and "Don't Leave Home"--the latter of which was about drug abuse but mistakenly assumed to be a love song and played at weddings (according to Dido, who told this story during her 2004 concert tour). Essential: White Flag
Sugababes - Three
Three was the Sugababes last great album. Although it lacked singles as good as its predecessor, the other tracks were more consistently good, such as the slamming "Whatever Makes You Happy" and cool "Conversations Over." It was with this album that the group tried but failed to break into the US market. Essential: Hole in the Head
Alicia Keys - The Diary of Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys' albums haven't quite lived up to their hype, but this, her second, was the best of the trio. I love its old school flair, and there are a lot of great moments here (like the spoken word confession of the diner waitress on "You Don't Know My Name"). Essential: If I Ain't Got You
Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin
Avril Lavigne's second album largely avoided the punky/pop sound she cultivated on debut Let Go. Pity it didn't work out for her, for I actually think this is by far her best album, with darker more mature themes. Essential: Together
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
As a stepping stone between their indie roots and their recent, more mainstream Under the Blacklight (which I'll be featuring later), More Adventurous effectively shows off both sides of the band. Essential: I Never
Gwen Stefani - Love.Angel.Music.Baby
Breaking from No Doubt in the mid 2000s, Gwen Stefani released two stylized dance pop albums. This, the first and better received of the two, showcased the singer's taste for fashion, dance, hip-hop and '80s synths. Essential: Cool
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi
After seeing the quality of her albums decline from Daydream through Rainbow (and hitting rock bottom with Glitter and Charmbracelet), Mariah Carey reinvented herself with The Emancipation of Mimi, a winning set of modern R&B with a retro sensibility. Essential: We Belong Together
Gorillaz - Demon Days
With Demon Days, Gorillaz, the cartoon band side-project from Blur's Damon Albarn stepped off the page to become a legitimate musical act ("Feel Good Inc." was a much bigger hit than anything Blur's released in years). Essential: Feel Good Inc.
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
The playful debut from the Kaiser Chiefs was upbeat and fun, with nods to punk and '80s new wave similar to that of the Killers (who broke out at about the same time). Essential: I Predict a Riot
James Blunt - Back to Bedlam
Earnest, acoustic male pop singers proliferated this decade (see John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Daniel Powter, etc.). While I'm generally not into this kind of thing, I rather liked James Blunt's 2005 debut. Essential: You're Beautiful
4 comments:
Oh, how I remember Avril's Punk Rock Pop thingy is the craze everywhere. She is BIG. She used to have really good songs. I think people moved on to the next best thing.
And the radio killed You're Beautiful. It was sooooooo overplayed to death here.
"You're Beautiful" was overplayed everywhere, and Blunt's career has never recovered from it. None of his other singles had a chance.
Brian McKnight dated Delta? I'm pretty sure he wasn't in Westlife either lol.
I can't believe you said MC's quality declined starting from Daydream--don't you think it was more from Butterfly?
Shoot. I meant Brian whatshisface--McFadden! You're probably right about Butterfly, which I do really like. She doesn't sound as good on it though, but the songs are still strong.
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