Here's my Top 10 on the year.
This list originally ran in Lehigh Valley Music, the music blog of  
the Allentown (Pa) Morning Call, where I cover PA politics and  
government.

http://blogs.mcall.com/lehighvalleymusic/2010/12/top-ten-cds- 
of-2010.html

Happy New Year,
John


1. "Wake Up The Nation," Paul Weller.
After a bit of creative stagnation, the Modfather put out one of his  
strongest solo sets in years with this disc. Dancing from Northern  
Soul to Dad Rock to Space Age Bachelor Pad music, "Wake Up The  
Nation," finds Weller at his adventurous best. The disc is worth the  
price of admission alone with his caustic admonition to the kids to  
"Get your face out of Facebook" on the title track. Best of all, he's  
rejoined by oringal Jam bassist Bruce Foxton on one track.

2. "Contra," Vampire Weekend.
These precocious Columbia grads get a lot of stick for peppering  
their lyrics with references to Louis Vuitton and what, to shallow  
observers, seems a celebration of the Upper East Side lifestyle.
A closer inspection, however, reveals some sharp social commentary  
and the unavoidable reality that Vampire Weekend are making some of  
the most melodically challenging music around. You can't be a slouch  
and still find your way around African poly-rhythms. Stand out tracks  
here include "California English" and the absolutely joyous "White Sky."

3. "Body Talk (Parts I and II)," Robyn.
You can keep your Lady GaGa and her Warhol-On-Training-Wheels stylings.
When it comes to brainy dance-pop, we'll take this brace of EPs from  
the Swedish pop singer born Robin Miriam Carlsson.
Sprung from the same Nordic pop-factory that stamped out the earlier  
offerings from Britney and Christina, Ms. Carlsson took her fate in  
her own hands a few years back, shunned the majors, went indie, and  
quietly began making some absolutely exhilarating dance-pop.
This year, she hit her apogee with "Body Talk," a pair of EPs that  
put current pop divas, like the increasingly predictable and amelodic  
Rihanna, to shame. Listen to the biggest hit from this collection  
"Dancing on My Own," and you can swear you hear her heart breaking.

4."Heaven Is Whenever," The Hold Steady
The Brooklyn combo uneasily wore the crown of America's greatest bar  
band this year, occasionally hitting and missing the mark with their  
follow-up to 2008's "Stay Positive."
Going without the services of departed keyboardist Franz Nicolay, who  
seemed to play the Jay Bennett role to hyper-wordy lyricist/vocalist  
Craig Finn, the 10 tracks here lack some of the melodic subtlety of  
earlier releases.
That said, Finn has not lost his touch with a hook or the deftly  
turned phrase as standout track "Hurricane J" reminds us.

5. "Alive Till I'm Dead," Professor Green.
With American hip-hop seemingly out of creative juice, the arrival of  
this English MC seemed just the tonic that rap fans were looking for  
in 2010. Sadly, only available as an import, you had to look hard to  
find this LP. Stand-out here is "Just Be Good to Green," which  
features a guest vocal from UK pop chanteuse Lilly Allen.

The Bottom Five starts after the jump.

6. "Unreleased Demos," Wiley.
The East London grime maestro opened the vaults this year, making  
literally hundreds of unreleased tracks available as free downloads  
to his fans. An absolute embarrassment of riches, and a reminder of  
the loyalty that's spawned when performers rip down the walls that  
separate them from their fans. It also tells you all you need to know  
about the current pop scene that a treasure trove of unreleased demos  
was more interesting than anything actually released by a major label  
in 2010.

7. "Unseen Music/Unheard Words," Steve Kilbey/Martin Kennedy.
Thirty years into his rock career, Kilbey, the bassist and lyricist  
for Aussie guitar legends The Church, teamed with Kennedy, of the  
ambient outfit All-India Radio, for this lounge-y collection that  
makes for perfect late-night or cloudy Sunday afternoon listening.  
Not the most accessible introduction for newbies, but for Kilbey  
completists, it's an essential addition to an already varied solo  
catalogue.

8. "The Queens English," Mark Bacino.
If anyone ever tells you that power-pop is played out as a genre, and  
nothing interesting has been said since The Raspberries and Big Star  
hung up their guitars, you can remind them that the scene is, in  
fact, burgeoning. And you can use the latest solo offering from the  
NYC-born singer/songwriter to make your argument.
Bacino has penned a love letter to his hometown on his newest outing  
and the tunes are about as diverse as you'd expect from a city where  
you can walk through Chinese, Italian and Irish neighborhoods in just  
a few blocks. Recommended: "Bridge and Tunnel," a string-driven  
number for a musical yet to be written.

9. "The Sound of the Sunshine," Michael Franti & Spearhead.
If you're not dancing after listening this irresistible collection of  
reggae and dancehall from the veteran singer/guitarist, seek help.  
There's clearly something wrong with you.

10. "Postcards From a Young Man," Manic Street Preachers.
Two decades into their career, this Welsh three-piece have rarely  
sounded as energized. One suspects it may have something to do with  
the mainstream success of 2007's "Send Away the Tigers," and last  
year's cathartic "Journal for Plague Lovers," which found James Dean  
Bradfield and Co. recover their creative mojo after a bit of water- 
treading. They may never hit the high water mark of "The Holy Bible"  
ever again. But the Manics on a bad day tend to be better than most.

Honorable Mentions: "I Hate Girls," Parallax Project; "Raucous  
Americanus," The Tim Lee Three; "This is Happening," LCD Soundsytem;  
"Sale y Sol," Shakira, "Duppy Writer," Roots Manuva; "My Best Friend  
Is You," Kate Nash; "Head First," Goldfrapp; "One Life Stand," Hot  
Chip; "Love is Rain," The Badlees, "S/T," Broken Bells.