Common, "Finding Forever." The Chicago rapper born Lonnie Lynn is one of those thoughtful hip-hop guys who has trouble getting real street cred because he's just not, you know, nasty enough. Since 2005's CD "Be," when he hooked up with fellow Chi-town native Kanye West, Common has stepped up his game. Unlike "Be," "Forever" is expansive, dense with verbal dexterity.

Miranda Lambert, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." Miranda Lambert gets your attention because she's such an incredible badass. The rocked-out country sharpshooter steps up as the protagonist of the title cut, loads her shotgun, and takes aim at an abusive boyfriend. But she holds you rapt with the quality and beyond-her-24-years wisdom of her songs.

LCD Soundsystem, "Sound of Silver." Masters of spastic electro-funk rarely write great songs. And geeky indie hipsters aren't usually so good at making dance music that shakes its booty with reckless abandon. LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy is the exception on both counts, and "Sound of Silver" manages to be melancholy and exuberant.

Jens Lekman, "Night Falls Over Kortedala." Jens Lekman hails from Angered (Sweden), but on his third full-length album, the droll songsmith seems imperturbable. Lekman is often compared to Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields, but his hummable songs aren't quite so fussy.

Nick Lowe, "At My Age." Though he's been making mellow records for 13 years now, it's hard to resist wishing that Nick Lowe, once known as the Jesus of Cool, would rip it up again like in his Rockpile days. Once it's clear that that's not going to happen on "At My Age" - which happens to be 58 - the disc's pleasures come to the fore.

Various Artists, "I'm Not There: Original Soundtrack." Bob Dylan loomed large as a cultural figure in 2007, and there wasn't an album with better songs than this one. It's a who's who of indie rock, with Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, and the Hold Steady, while presenting oldsters such as Richie Havens and Roger McGuinn in a most favorable light.

Kanye West, "Graduation." "I'm like the fly Malcolm X, buy any jeans necessary," Kanye West quips on his third album. No subject is more fascinating to West than himself, and lucky for us, he's nearly as talented as he thinks he is.

White Stripes, "Icky Thump." Nothing wakes you up in the morning quite like Jack White turning his amp up to 11 on the title track, which kicks off this raging return to rock by the guitarist and his ex-wife and drummer, Meg. "Rag and Bone" provides the metaphor for the album, and the Stripes' career, as they scavenge away, turning trash into treasure.