By far the highest ranking German album on my countdowns ever, this was a real pleasant surprise this year. It’s the longest album on the countdown, so that means there’s a little bit of filler, but all in all this band’s electro/glam makeover was a resounding success, even if it wasn’t met with the sales it deserved. Bounding between dramatic power ballads and dancefloor stompers, it’s an extremely strong set of mainstream pop/rock songs, and the album Tokio Hotel should have released this year. I doubt many people have even heard it, which makes it the perfect recommendation for this catch-up time of year.
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3. Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment
The number three spot is split between this album and the entertainment Lambert gave us on Idol this year. It’s impossible to separate the two. Luckily, though, on its own the album doesn’t disappoint. It’s overproduced and overblown, sure, but that’s what this type of pop music should be. More importantly, Lambert’s the first American popstar in a long time to attempt uttering words like “glam rock” in the context of mainstream radio play. For that alone he deserves one of the top spots. There were a couple of potholes on the road to success, but his second single is starting to take off and I can’t wait to see what he does in the future.
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