Honorable Mentions
#25-#21
#20-#16
#15-#11
#10-#6
#5-#2
#1
All that being said, out of the nastiness of so much music, there were some shining examples of what good music really is. For me, these albums were beacons of hope that kept me going in this year of music that was often lacking in many areas. So, based on the ratings I gave these disc in my reviews and based on my own pleasure that I took from each disc, I present to you my Top 25 Albums Of 2005.
THE HONORABLE MENTIONS
What would a best-of list be without some honorable mentions, right? These five discs...they almost made it. Because, you see, there were not just 25 discs out there that were excellent...no, there were more. These are five of "the others" that deserve to be mentioned as well.
Redemption Songs by Jars Of Clay-If you've ever thought that hymns were boring church songs that you could never enjoy in any real sense, this was the disc that proved you wrong. Jars Of Clay provided listeners with an entirely different experience from other worship stuff out there. The movement back to hymns for worship has been growing, but Jars proved on this disc that hymns could be great not just in their lyrics, but in the music as well (If you just make the songs your own). Tracks like singles God Will Lift Up Your Head and I'll Fly Away, as well as collaborations with some not-so-typical choices (Like, say, The Blind Boys Of Alabama) created one great mixture of past present. The thing that most doomed this disc was the version of It Is Well With My Soul that the execs forced the boys to create (It's entirely clear that it is not what the boys intended it to be).
One Thing Remains by Default-This is one of those discs that received little fanfare when it was released. It was a moderately successful release for a band that has consistently been moderately successful on radio and video. Sadly, this one probably got lost in the muck this year. It is a solid release that deserves far more recognition than it has gotten. And with tracks like the single Count On Me and Beautiful Flower, it is a more optimistic disc than the previous releases from Default, which is another plus. This one is worth the time. Don't let radio tell you differently.
Dawn Escapes by Falling Up-The sophomore release from Falling Up was as good as the debut, maybe a little better. The down side to that is that people, myself included were expecting it to be a lot better. The up side, however, is that the debut was pretty solid, and this release is too. More piano-based rock takes over on this disc, which is probably the biggest reason it slipped out of the Top 25. However, with tracks like Exit Calypsan, Moonlit and Searchlights leading the way, this disc does deliver for fans of the group.
Crimson by Alkaline Trio-Something is just catchy about this group. The singles, Time To Waste and Mercy Me delivered powerful punches on alternative radio. And the rest of the disc did the job as well, particularly tracks like Burn and The Poison. It was an infectious disc that was done well.
Imagination by Bethany Dillon-Oh, I wanted so badly to put this disc in my Top 25. I was not the biggest Bethany Dillon fan, and her debut disc did not do much for me. But the girl has got a set of pipes. She's only 16, and she's rivaling some of the veterans of the Christian music scene. This disc is full of infectious but mature pop sounds. Singles like Dreamer and All That I Can Do put her on the map in the mainstream realm as well. This disc is beyond Bethany's years. It's an excellent offering.