100 Best Albums of the Decade, 81-90

90. Jack Johnson
Brushfire Fairy Tales, 2001

Not only was Brushfire Fairytales Jack Johnson’s debut, it was also the first of five platinum albums for the surfer-turned-adult-alternative dude. At the time of its release, the record felt like a pleasant and engaging fusion of John Mayer, Dave Matthews and Ben Harper. But looking back, Brushfire Fairytales feels downright prophetic. Johnson has gone on to spawn an ever-growing army of finely tanned crooners, specializing in the kind of funky fresh folk-pop that he single-handedly pioneered. — Justin Farrar

89. Cat Power
The Greatest, 2006

The mercurial Chan Marshall returned to her Southern roots and recorded this blissful album in Memphis. The Greatest glows with a new ease, and the music itself — which features many of the greatest soul musicians in history — is sunny and open. There’s a sense of joy coming through here that you’ll want to share with friends. — N.D.

88. Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend, 2008

From the advance hype, you’d think Vampire Weekend were the first to consummate Anglo indie rock’s infatuation with Afro-pop. But don’t let the vague Africana of “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” or self-aware skank of “A-Punk” distract; the studious appropriations are more akin to Paul Simon’s: merely terrific pop songs wearing funny hats. Even then, the lion’s share of these tunes — including “Campus” and “Oxford Comma” — cite less exotic influences, like Spoon and the Strokes. But from whom they borrow hardly matters — they do it wisely, resulting in an instantly familiar, hugely promising debut. — N.C.

87. Missy Elliott
Under Construction, 2007

Under Construction is a testament to Missy Elliott’s skill as a pop star. Yes, you read that right. Not to downplay her considerable abilities as an emcee — the woman’s got flow, and it’s very much on display. But she also knows how to channel that flow into some conduits of serious pop genius. Literally almost every track here is steeped in Elliott’s particular brand of pop brilliance: fierce, exciting, hopping with creative beats and, most of all, fun. Even less musically thrilling cuts like “P***ycat” are saved by Elliott’s incorrigible wit. Forget construction. This is a finished product. — Rachel Devitt

86. The Roots
Phrenology, 2002

Phrenology was the Roots’ most ambitious work to date. The mercurial and epic “Water” is a tone-poem of sorts dealing with the drug addiction of departed member Malik B., while “Something in the Way of Things (In Town)” features controversial poet Amiri Baraka. Though experimental, the CD also has pop nuggets such as “Break You Off” and “The Seed 2.0.” — S.C.

85. Four Tet
Rounds, 2007

Four Tet's third album continues in the vein of its predecessor, Pause, looping guitars and bell tones over fluid breaks and the incidental rhythms of found sounds. The largely acoustic palette gives the music a certain tenderness, but the rough-hewn drums are tougher and the sonic ideas more cryptic. Funk and folk bleed together against a suggestive, clattering backdrop, and free-jazz drum fills go up against intricate chiming patterns, like a particularly muscular version of musique mechanique, or a player piano set on fire and pushed down a hill. John Cage would approve. -- P.S.

84. T.I.
Trap Muzik, 2003

In 2003, just a couple of short years after September 11, this Atlanta emcee introduced himself to the world on the song “Rubber Band Man” as being “wild as the Taliban.” It was audacious, but T.I. was so talented — his inherent charisma is matched by a preternatural talent — that America merely smirked and bobbed its head to the track’s elastic electro funk. This was the first important dispatch of a singular, powerful new voice, and throughout Trap Muzik, T.I. threaded the esoteric (grimy slice-of-life hood vignettes like “24's”) with the universal (pop-y fair such as “Let Me Tell You Something” or the aforementioned “Rubber Band Man”). — S.C.

83. Keith Urban
Golden Road, 2002

Keith Urban’s 2002 sophomore album showcases a singer who is incredibly comfortable in his skin; where some artists buckle under the pressure of their sophomore effort, Urban seems to revel in it. What else explains the breezy “Who Wouldn’t Want to Be Me” and “Somebody Like You”? Both are unabashedly upbeat songs spurred on by infectious banjo plucking and the kind of soaring choruses found in only the best pop hits. Golden Road overflows with quality songs — eight of which Urban wrote or co-wrote — including the “under the covers” song “Raining on Sunday”; the playful “You Look Good in My Shirt”; and “You’ll Think of Me,” one of the best breakup songs ever written. — L.R.

82. Basement Jaxx
Rooty, 2001

Where Basement Jaxx’s previous album, Remedy, charted underground house on a course for the planet Pop, Rooty triumphantly touched down on a world even stranger than we’d imagined. Familiar disco licks paved the ground underfoot, but the atmosphere was something new, aswirl with delirious hooks and R&B choruses, and bounding boom-thwack beats flaunted gravity with every bounce. “Romeo,” “Breakaway,” “Just 1 Kiss” and “Where’s Your Head At” attained classic club status, but avant-funk like “SFM” and the Spanish-inflected breakbeat ballad “Broken Dreams” round out an album that’s back-to-front bananas. — P.S.

81. R. Kelly
Chocolate Factory, 2003

With a big debt to some brothers named Isley, R.Kelly drops another album rich with laid-back, convertible-friendly slow jams. The title track is a highlight, but there are gems throughout that further reveal Kelly’s songwriting excellence. Rhapsody’s version includes the previously bootlegged Loveland EP as a bonus. — Jon Pruett

Albums
100-91
90-81
80-71
70-61
60-51
50-41
40-31
30-21
20-11
10-01