Best of Music 2001

1. Aaliyah
"We Need a Resolution," from Aaliyah (Virgin/Blackground)
Producer Timbaland, the man responsible for 2001's hottest hip-hop songs (Petey Pablo's "Raise Up," Missy Elliott's "Get UR Freak On" and Bubba Sparxxx's "Ugly"), had another banner year. But he always seemed to do his best work when teamed with the late R&B songtress Aaliyah. Their finest moment together is the hypnotic "We Need a Resolution," on which the singer displays tremendous maturity, exuding sensuality as if she were making love to Timbaland's gorgeous composition. The track's futuristic drum pattern, staccato bass line and sinister synth loop represent R&B's future, but it's Aaliyah's whispery vocals that elevate this song to the next level.

2. Tech N9ne
"It's Alive," from AngHellic (JCOR)
Local rapper Tech N9ne has one of the best stage personas in the business, but he'd always had trouble capturing his energetic flow and lyrical adrenaline on wax -- until he recorded "It's Alive." The song features a dozen references to his home turf, with Tech even rhyming backward in the process. Icy Roc's production work is equally daring, combining Southern bounce, jungle beats and penetrating speed-metal percussion. It's calculated mayhem that results in beautiful noise.

3. India.Arie
"Video," from Acoustic Soul (Motown)
India.Arie's "Video," a beautifully written song about womanhood, inspires in much the same way as Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman" and Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman." India.Arie sings the self-empowering lyrics with an almost religious conviction. The future for this postmodern folk singer should be airtight, but if it isn't, she'll long be remembered for crafting the "Fast Car" of a new generation.

4. Ghostface Killah
"Ghost Showers," from Bulletproof Wallets (Epic)
I need Viacom money but rhyming ain't enough, Ghostface Killah spits on "Ghost Showers," the hottest track from his latest joint, Bulletproof Wallets. And if any rhymer deserves to make bank like that giant media conglomerate, it's Ghostface, a lyrical genius who inspires Wu-Tang Clan beat maestro RZA's best work.

5. The Isley Brothers
"Contagious," from Eternal (Dreamworks)
It has always been gimmicky for Ronald Isley to parade around as Mr. Biggs, but despite the stupidity of a musical legend's reducing himself to a video-clip character, you can't knock the creativity of this urban operatic gem. The high drama of Mr. Biggs and R. Kelly's fighting over a vixen voiced by Shante Moore is classic cinema. Pass the popcorn.

 

---

J.J. Hensley

Top Ten Albums

1. Blood for Blood
Wasted Youth Brew (Victory)
A classic street-punk record built on the holy triumvirate of fighting ("Hurt You"), drinking ("Goin' Down the Bar") and abject hopelessness ("Piss All Over Your Hopes and Dreams"), Wasted Youth Brew showcases these Beantown hooligans at their antisocial finest.

2. Now Time Delegation
Watch for Today (In the Red)
What happens to punks when they're too old to rock? Well, the successful ones (see John Lydon) can coast on their reputations while continuing to release crappy songs. But the less-than-iconic, including BellRays vocalist Lisa Kekaula and her friends from bands such as the Gospel Swingers and Monkeywrench, have to make a living, too. So Kekaula and company formed the Now Time Delegation, which fuses their latent rock sensibilities with a heavy dose of Booker T & the MGs'-influenced '60s soul, stuffing Barry Gordy's Music Factory into a garage. With some well-chosen covers from heavyweights like Curtis Mayfield and the TSU Tornados, the Now Time Delegation gives a nifty nod to the past and, one hopes, a premonition of what will come in its future.

3. White Stripes
White Blood Cells (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
The White Stripes were Y2K's version of the Strokes -- every critic's "it" rock saviors, pegged to change the face of mainstream music. And though the duo's follow-up to 2000's De Stijl might have gone unnoticed by these bandwagoneers, it is by any measure a better record. White Blood Cells is more polished than either of the Stripes' previous releases, but it manages to maintain the group's minimalist magic while exploring new arenas, such as country and folk-infused pop.

4. Air
10,000 Hz Legend (Astralwerks)
After Moon Safari and the Virgin Suicides soundtrack, it seemed as if Air, the preeminent French band, were running out of room to grow. After all, electronic bands usually last about as long as radio-friendly rap stars. But on 10,000Hz Legend, Air taps into its collective orchestral inner-child and comes up with a lush and complete album.

5. Brent Berry
Inland (Kick Save)
White boys playing reggae in Kansas: It ain't supposed to happen. But there are exceptions to every rule, and in the world of reggae, Brent Berry is one of them. Smooth throughout, with midtempo grooves and funky reggae rhythms, Inland could either lull listeners to sleep or make them feel irie. Berry and friends aren't trying to reinvent the wheel; they just want their fans to exist on the same mellowed-out plain they occupy.