20. Montt Mardié - Clocks/Pretender



After a string of successful singles and eps, Mardié released this (relatively short) double disc, clearly positioned to be the opus of his early career. The discs were seperated among two genres. Clocks pointed to the music of times gone by, while Pretender was a disc full of 80's styled duets. Both are fantastic albums in their own right, but combined together they form a work that can't be passed up. I go back and forth as to which disc is my favorite. Clocks has more of the obvious singles, but I'm also very partial to the dancier sounds of Pretender. It's a credit to Mardié that he's able to conquer two genres this successfully. Most artists can't even manage one.

Montt Mardie - Daughters

19. Girls Aloud - Tangled Up



It's hard to believe that this is already the girls' fourth album. What started out as a bit of a joke (a Spice Girls wannabe, if you will) has morphed into one of the most reliable sources for sugary, and even slightly experimental, commercial pop. Tangled Up continues where Chemistry, their last release ended. It adds even more of a club edge to the music but also looks to push the boundaries a little, such as on the explosive single Sexy! (No No No). All in all, I think it is their strongest album to date, with some fantastic singles yet to be.

Girls Aloud - Close To Love