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Year in Review 2008: Music

10:19 AM CST on Monday, December 29, 2008

By Mario Tarradell / Music Critic

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Rock music, with its noisy angst and rebellious riffs, dominated the headlines for much of 2008. First you had the megacomebacks of Metallica and AC/DC, two veteran bands that returned to artistic form and were rewarded with top-selling CDs.

Then, of course, there was the Guns N' Roses debacle. Axl Rose's bloated disc, Chinese Democracy, took 17 years and millions in studio fees to finally arrive in stores (exclusively at Best Buy). But the public did a collective yawn. Democracy sold a paltry 318,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, during its first two weeks at retail.

Meanwhile, rapper Lil Wayne's profile skyrocketed thanks to selling more than a million copies of Tha Carter III in a mere seven days. Fellow rhyme master Kanye West wallowed in a failed love affair on 808s & Heartbreak, and art rock outfit Coldplay rejoiced with Viva La Vida.

Somewhere along the way, stellar records from Christian rockers Third Day, country traditionalist Lee Ann Womack, Aussie pop-dance diva Kylie Minogue and soulful singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton were released.

MARIO TARRADELL'S TOP 10 CDs OF 2008

1 Third Day, Revelation (Essential/Sony) – The most passionate melodic rock record of the year happens to be from a contemporary Christian band. With mainstream rock producer Howard Benson at the helm, Atlanta's veteran outfit delivered riffs and righteousness for all audiences.

2 Lee Ann Womack, Call Me Crazy (MCA Nashville) – Traditional country music can embrace the modern world and still retain its stunningly lonesome heart. Ms. Womack, our present-day incarnation of the legendary Tammy Wynette, conveys pain and resilience with gorgeous results.

3 Kylie Minogue, X (Astralwerks) – The Australian queen's first release since battling breast cancer is an irresistibly effervescent and coquettish affair. Beats and melodies abound. Her voice is totally ear-pleasing. Put this one in your iPod, run to the gym and work out all your cares away.

4 Ricardo Arjona, 5to Piso (Warner Music Latina) – The Guatemalan singer-songwriter, one of the most respected and successful Latin pop artists of the day, comments on personal and societal ills from an imaginary fifth floor. His creative vantage point only strengthens his panoramic and poetic songs.

5 Anthony Hamilton, The Point of It All (Zomba) – Well, what do you know? Contemporary R&B isn't an artistic wasteland of preprogrammed hooks and samples. Mr. Hamilton, who co-wrote all 14 tunes on this set, gets his inspiration from the icons (from Teddy to Donny) and infuses his own brand of real grown-up soul.

6 Metallica, Death Magnetic (Warner Bros.) – Producer Rick Rubin brings the heavy-metal gods back to prominence on a piercing, blistering and musically impressive collection of 10 tracks that had die-hard fans in a Metallica-induced musical stupor.

7 AC/DC, Black Ice (Columbia) – Is it 1980 all over again? It sure is. For the venerable hard-rockers, revisiting the sound and style of Back in Black not only proved commercially beneficial, it also assured them their spot in the annals of rock 'n' roll.

8 Jamey Johnson, That Lonesome Song (Mercury Nashville) – Outlaw country ain't dead. In fact, in Mr. Johnson's hands, it's raw, emotional and world-weary. "High Cost of Living" and "In Color" are sobering masterpieces. And he's got more just like those.

9 Jorge Villamizar, Jorge Villamizar (Warner Music Latina) – The former lead singer-songwriter of Latin pop's Bacilos steps out solo to make the most important music of his career. "El Colombiano Errante" should be an anthem for anybody in search of an identity

10 Al Green, Lay It Down (Blue Note) – Fads come and go. R&B posers get hot and then quietly head home. But the reverend of soul never goes out of fashion. With a little help from John Legend, Anthony Hamilton, Corrine Bailey Rae and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, Mr. Green croons and grooves like it's the 1970s.

MARIO TARRADELL'S TOP 10 CONCERTS OF 2008

1 Tina Turner, Oct. 26, American Airlines Center – Tina! She's still an amazing force of nature. At 68, she looked fabulous, owned the stage for two hours and sang just about every song you'd want to hear. Oh, she danced up a storm, too. The woman was riveting.

2 Third Day, Oct. 2, Superpages.com Center – The Christian rockers mixed messages and melodies during a vibrant set that showcased lead singer Mac Powell's resonating voice and his bandmates' instrumental prowess. Most importantly, we got plenty of great songs.

3 Juanes, April 18, American Airlines Center – Colombia's lauded pop-rock singer-songwriter just gets better onstage. He never let up on the energy, the showmanship and the ability to sing about socially conscious issues without ever sounding preachy.

4 Dianne Reeves, March 28, McFarlin Auditorium – Smooth, sultry and so sublime. The jazz vocalist seamlessly switched from scatting to crooning to belting with such cool passion that she never broke a sweat.

5 Joe Nichols, Jan. 29, Billy Bob's Texas – Touring behind his first, stellar album, 2007's Real Things, the country traditionalist wrapped his warm baritone around one great number after another.

6 Shelby Lynne, April 17, Granada Theater – Ms. Lynne can do the drama. But she did it with an almost nonchalant flair, all the while keeping the audience entranced. She sang her compositions as well as cuts from her tribute to Dusty Springfield, Just A Little Lovin'.

7 Cyndi Lauper, the B-52's and Joan Jett, June 22, Superpages.com Center – The 2008 installment of the True Colors Tour highlighted the B-52's' comeback performance, which was ultrafab. Also groovy: headliner Ms. Lauper and rocking Ms. Jett.

8 Maureen McGovern, March 14, Irving Arts Center – With only a piano as accompaniment and a mike to highlight the purity of her pipes, Ms. McGovern used the Carpenter Performance Hall stage to take us through tunes by '60s singer-songwriters.

9 Brad Paisley, Aug. 2, Superpages.com Center – Rousing country tracks, fiery guitar solos, a little bit of good-ol'-boy humor and nifty animated graphics. That's a Brad Paisley gig in a nutshell. He never disappoints.

10 Sarah Brightman, Nov. 12, American Airlines Center – Although she still has a few glitches to correct in the centerpiece of this tour, her ambitious 3-D holographic images, the English soprano always mesmerizes with a colorful banquet of sights and sounds.