#5: Business Up Front, Party In The Back by Family Force 5: Crunk rock. Apparently that is the only way to describe the music of Family Forde 5, because only a self-proclaimed genre will work on these guys. They simply do not fit into one musical genre. They're not rock, they're not hip hop, they're not pop. No, they are all of this and more. Business Up Front, Party In The Back left no doubt to which band is the new artist of 2006. Any other band or artist can be thrown in that category in '06 and it wouldn't matter: Family Force 5 was, hands down, the top new act of the year. They brought something completely different to the music industry: they brought fun. What these guys did on this disc was something that hasn't been done in years. Business Up Front, Party In The Back put together five guys with strong Christian values and said, "Hey, look...it's okay for us to have fun too!" The disc truly felt like you were having a live show in the middle of your own room (And actually seeing them live...wow. Simply indescribable). What's more, these guys combined fun, feel-good headbanging music with some strong messages. Tracks like Replace Me and Love Addict hit as singles, and they weren't just about breakdancing or partying and "gettin' crunk." They showed a depth in the band that truly made the disc excellent. This is why one of the year's new artists managed to get so high on this list. Business Up Front, Party In The Back was spectacular.
#4: Dusk And Summer by Dashboard Confessional: From fun to serious. Dashboard Confessional has always been known for creating emotionally charged tracks that tug at listeners and draw them in. Dusk And Summer did just that, and created a great rebound disc for the band. After A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar, many fans wondered whether or not Dashboard should have stuck to just being an acoustic band. The addition of more band members seem to drag the disc down. But on Dusk And Summer, the band proved that this was simply not the case. From up-tempo stuff like Rooftops And Invitations and The Secret's In The Telling to mid-tempo stuff like the hit single Don't Wait and Currents, the band proved their worth as a whole. The highlights of the disc came in the form of tracks like Stolen, So Long, So Long (Which features guest vocals from Adam Duritz of Counting Crows) and the title track, where things slowed down a bit. Throughout the disc, however, it was clear that lyrics and vocals were the focal points. Lead singer Chris Carrabba's incredible vocal strength is shown off in many of these tracks, and the lyrics are done incredibly well. One day, a song may be incredibly uplifting, while the next day the same song could be incredibly depressing. This is the fine line walked through many of the tracks on this disc, and this is what made Dusk And Summer a great piece of music in 2006.
#3: Between The Dreaming And The Coming True by Bebo Norman: Bebo Norman has always been one of the best songwriters out there. He has also consistently been one of the most underrated and overlooked artists in the industry. Radio has seemingly always had a bit of difficulty in playing his stuff. Perhaps this was because he was "a little too folk" for many people's taste. On Between The Dreaming And The Coming True, Bebo went a little more pop. Not drastically so, but enough to get a little more attention. Though this disappointed some fans, the disc actually ended up becoming one of Bebo's best. Every track on the disc was written well. Tracks like I Will Lift My Eyes and Into The Day (It's Over Now) take a slightly poppier approach to things, yet they work seamlessly in with the rest of the disc. Find My Way To You and Sunday are typical incredible Bebo tracks, and, really, the entire disc is just full of songs that are catchy and unique. Bebo's songwriting ability shines once again, and the music becomes a great vessel for that. Add in Norman's solid vocal skills, and Between The Dreaming And The Coming True simply has to be one of the year's best discs.
#2: Comatose by Skillet: If any disc was going to challenge the #1 disc of the year, Comatose was the one to put the most pressure on. Skillet put out an incredible disc in 2006, and to put it any lower than #2 simply seemed wrong. Comatose was simply a great disc. Combining hard rock tracks with a couple of slightly poppier tracks, Skillet put forth an offering worthy of any "Albums of the Year" list. Singles Rebirthing and Whispers (In The Dark) were the first indication that this disc would be something special. Tracks like Falling Inside The Black and the title track confimed those thoughts. Slowing things down a bit didn't hurt either, with Yours To Hold, The Older I Get and Don't Say Goodbye all holding their own and giving the disc a nice mix. And the addition of the experimental nature on Looking For Angels could have killed the disc (That risk is always there when a band creates a track that can be deemed "experimental"). Yet, the track ended the disc on a great note, with some thought-provoking speech and some really great musical stylings. Skillet owned the last three months of 2006, so it was not difficult at all to name Comatose the #2 disc of 2006.
#25-#21
#20-#16
#15-#11
#10-#6
#5-#2
#1