In my quest to avoid being the crotchety old man who disparages any and all music, I’m happy to say there were some damn fine albums to come out this past year. My favorites are below. Enjoy!

10) The Darkness – "Easter Is Cancelled"

9) Melissa Etheridge – "The Medicine Show"

8) Alter Bridge – "Walk The Sky"

7) Gary Clark Jr. - "This Land"

6) Samantha Fish - "Kill Or Be Kind"

5) IZZ – "Don't Panic"

4) Tool – "Fear Inoculum"

3) Volbeat – "Rewind, Replay, Rebound"

2) The Wildhearts – "Renaissance Men"

1) Dream Theater – "Distance Over Time"

HONORABLE MENTION:

The Who – "WHO"

Stevie D featuring Corey Glover – "Torn from the Pages"

Joe Jackson – "Fool"