The JRC Top 25 Albums of 2007
																This was by far Carrie Underwood's year: she won 3 JRC Awards including one for Country Album; she won numerous other awards; sold millions of copies of her two albums; and produced hit after hit. In October, she delivered us the follow-up to hugely popular Some Hearts, the aptly-titled, Carnival Ride. She had a top 10 hit with "Wasted", a #1 with "Before He Cheats", and her latest single, "So Small" is cruising up the charts. This album was a fresh sophmore set, one that any new female artist should take note of (i.e. Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler). All of these songs are pure winners. Underwood channels the fiestiness of Jo Dee Messina, with the pipes of Martina McBride.     DOWNLOAD THESE: Just A Dream; All-American Girl; Wheel Of The World; Get Out Of This Town; Twisted
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Blender Magazine predicted a splash from England last fall, and sure enough, come January, JRC had seen 2007's most promising newcomer. Lily Allen's US debut, Alright, Still was met with major acclaim and produced a major hit, the witty boy-gone-bad slap "Smile", in which Allen sings cheerily about destroying her ex's life (sounds like Underwood's "Before He Cheats", but much happier). Allen hit #1 for two weeks with the single in December, and her follow-up "LDN" has yet to take off. Despite being able to land a successful follow-up single, JRC has no doubt that the talented singer will find her place in the biz. She has certainly proved herself with this album! DOWNLOAD THESE: Nan, You're A Window Shopper; Smile; LDN; Everything's Just Wonderful; Littlest Things; Knock 'Em Out
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								Alicia Keys' last studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, brought the soulful singer huge success on the JRC Charts - scoring the #1 hits "If I Ain't Got You" and "Karma". She also swept the 2005 JRC Awards with 7 nominations. However, two years later, Keys is back with an even better album, As I Am. The album debuted in November to enormous sales and helped propel her hit "No One" 33 notches on the Top 100 (The biggest shift of the year). That hit continues to climb as does her latest single, "Like You'll Never See Me Again". The latter has spent only 4 weeks on the chart and is already in the Top 80. DOWNLOAD THESE: Tell You Something; Lessons Learned (w/ John Mayer); No One; Go Ahead; I Need You; Wreckless Love
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She hit big on Myspace, which catapulted her to the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 this summer. Colbie Caillat sounds like the female Jack Johnson, with lush husky So-Cal harmonies and wistful beach strummings. Her debut, "Bubbly" is currently a Top 40 hit and her follow up, "Realize", is close on its heels. Her debut album , Coco, has been one of the biggest-selling albums of the year, to almost everyone's surprise. We saw the budding artist this fall at Higher Ground, performing with Brett Dennen, where she received her nomination for Concert Event of the Year. Expect more nominations for next year's '08 Awards!            DOWNLOAD THESE: Oxygen; Tied Down; Realize; One Fine Wire; Feelings Show; The Little Things
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								The haters will be haters! Avril Lavigne met uncertainty upon her release of album #3, The Best Damn Thing. Many speculated a downfall, but hits "Girlfriend" and "When You're Gone" helped the album go platinum. Lavigne knew the whole time she had a good album, perhaps why she named it that title. She has since spanned 4 Top 100 hits this year and her album is nothing but catchy teen pop with a little bit of attitude to boot. Also, she landed 3 songs onto the year-end countdown, including her hit "Girlfriend" which was marked as #49 for the year! Her latest single, "Hot", is currently in the Top 70. DOWNLOAD THESE: Hot; Runaway; I Can Do Better; Girlfriend (Remix w/ Lil' Mama); I Don't Have To Try; When You're Gone
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	ALBUMS 6-15