I will be the first to admit that I initially wrote Hilary Duff off, especially after one of her biggest hits to date happened to be a kind of annoying song called “So Yesterday”. However, when I heard the lead off single for her new album Dignity,
Now, let me get this out of the way, before those that are scratching your head wondering why Hilary Duff’s album is on my best of list wonder just what brought me to this inclusion; despite what you want to think, this album has more than a few hits. Is the album perfect? No. In fact, there are other albums that have hit the list earlier in this countdown that are much better than this album; but there are songs on this record that really garner more attention, and therefore, cause me to play them more. In fact, one of the songs in particular, Outside of You, is one of the best pop songs I have heard in years, and it is for star performances like that, the Dignity finds itself among my top records of this year.
While listening to Dignity, you really do realize that Hilary Duff isn’t totally like those other “Hollywood Starlets”; she doesn’t seem interested in the parties and paparazzi like other stars her age, and she is here to sing about why. Many of the songs exude a big F-U to that whole “attention-whore” attitude that many young stars seem to seek, and with more than a few tart-laced lyrics, Hilary clearly wants to separate herself from that lifestyle. She seems more intent on finding love, living her life, and just having a good time; all without the flash bulbs, problems, and pitfalls that afflict other girls her age that experience the same fame that she has found. While I can see how someone might think that she is being a bit hypocritical at times, I definitely see where she is coming from; Hilary hasn’t been to rehab, and isn’t flashing her cooch on the cover of a magazine, and that is because she has made a conscious effort to avoid it (unlike many of her Hollywood peers). Making it a main theme of her record is her way of saying how she feels about the whole thing, and I say good for her.
The other themes of the record clearly highlight some of what she went through when she broke up with Joel from Good Charlotte. When you hear what “really happened”, it reminds you that you never know what people go through; and especially famous people, because the all the media does is spin things for the purpose of a story. Again, this highlights the “problem” with being famous; you have to pay a price to get that fame, and Hilary is here to sing about her experiences. What’s great for the listener, is that she does it with a great affinity for pop; some of these songs are really great, despite a troubling story, or frustrated rant being the topic of discussion. There are a few duds on this record, but those are mostly overshadowed by the great production of the massive pop anthems that pop up throughout the record.
Having only seen her videos for Stranger and With Love, I am wondering why this record hasn’t propelled her higher as a pop singer, because there is more than enough material to rocket her into the pop spotlight. I for one, am glad that I gave Hilary another shot when I did, because Dignity is a great record, both for the way she tells her side of the story, and vents her frustrations with fame, as well as the superb production value on some pretty amazing pop songs. Seriously, some of these songs just demand your attention, and I am still surprised we haven’t heard more from this “new” Hilary on the charts and the airwaves; there is some really great material here, and it deserves to be heard.
My favorites from Dignity:
Outside of You (BEST song on the record, not to mention, one of the best pop songs in a long time), With Love, Stranger, Dreamer, and Between You and Me. (again, songs with links will take you to youtube-video-goodness!)
Rating: 
For whatever (stupid) reason, the Shins’ latest album initially wasn’t even in the running for my favorite records of the year; but then I listened to it again, and was like, “WTF? It totally should be!”. This is one of those albums that really sneaks up on you, because when you first listen to it, you DO realize how good it is, but you don’t really grasp how good it is until much, much later. That’s exactly what happened to me… it just took time; and thankfully, that time has come.
that I actually followed through with my curiosity. See, I am one of those people that goes through moods; sometimes I am just not in a place to be accepting of certain types of music, and the Shins are so different from what I was listening to at the time, that I wasn’t in a place to truly understand and embrace them. Not only are the vocals very inviting and comforting, but the layers of guitars, and beats really draw you into the rich landscape of the lyrical craft that the Shins musically portray. There aren’t many artists that I would even compare to them, because for me, they really have their own thing going; and that is not something you can say about very many artists these days. Sure they remind me of groups like Death Cab For Cutie and the Decemberists, but they do what even those groups do so well themselves; they carve out their own little corner in the music landscape, and make something truly interesting and good, and dare I say it, sort of unique to them.
Like many other Americans, I have always found myself somehow sucked into the spectacle that is American Idol, and every year, I say that I won’t do it again; either because of the results, or the sheer absurdity of the competition itself. However, the year that 
was on the show, I was reeled in, not only by her beauty, but her amazing singing ability. The girl definitely has a voice, and until they handed it to Taylor, I really thought she might go all of the way, and win the competition; because she really was the best singer on the show.
As a long time fan of Everything But the Girl, I was really pumped to find out Tracey was releasing a solo record. Her voice is extremely beautiful and haunting, and I was curious to see what direction she would take with her solo effort. 
I wasn’t initially impressed; there were few songs that I liked, but nothing that really stood out as fantastic to me. However, after several listens, and after paying this record the attention it deserves, I fell in love with the nuanced performances Tracey delivers. 
To start, I must unfortunately state that this is not actually the cover of the most recent Girls Aloud release, 
no matter how much I wish this fan created version really was (the real one is uber-plain and just downright boring). If you want to see that one, you can check it out on amazon.com… Now that I have gotten that off of my chest, I can begin to tell you about the campy goodness that is the new Girls Aloud album!
The first CD on the year end list, is Some Mad Hope by rocker Matt Nathanson. A sound that reminds me of many single male rock singers, like Ryan Adams or Damien Rice (but not so depressing), I have to admit that I wasn’t initially interested in this record. I downloaded it before a trip, and was determined to give it a go while I was traveling. Unfortunate choice or not, the first song on the record is Car Crash, which isn’t really something one wants to hear while flying (the imagery was just too uncomfortable). So the CD went on my back burner. 
as well as a fellow 2007 best of list artist, 
Matt’s earnest rock sound, alternative-rootsy feel, and warm male vocals reeled me in. The piano and acoustic-twinged rock made me sit up and take notice of this guy whom I had never heard of, other than the mention on iTunes that only got me “sort of” interested in the first place. Clearly, there is something more to him than him being “another male alternative vocalist”; Matt has put together a damn fine CD with Some Mad Hope.