Here, you will find my picks for the 20 best CD releases of the year. I have also included five DVD picks, and, since most of my picks fall into the rock category, some "Best in Genre" picks to cover other kinds of music. My picks are the releases that occupied my listening time and thinking mind more than any others during the year. Limiting myself to 20 meant some releases which I loved (Bruce Springsteen's Magic, The Cross by Justice, Sharon Jones' & the Dap-Kings 100 Days, 100 Nights, This Is Ryan Shaw by Ryan Shaw, Menomena's Friend and Foe, Graduation by Kanye West, and the Pipette's We Are The Pipettes, among many others), didn't make the cut. But what can you do? So here goes, starting with the DVDs and "genre" picks, followed by my top 20 in reverse order.

1. Johnny Cash-Best Of The Johnny Cash Show (2-disc version). With everyone from Louis Armstrong to Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton jamming with Carl Perkins and Ray Charles doing a mind-blowing version of "Ring Of Fire," this is simply one of the best music DVDs ever made (especially if you skip the talking/narration).

2. Sigur Ros-Heima. This is another double disc set, with the first disc being a bewitching "travelogue" through small Icelandic towns played by the band, and the second being many more performances. The best current band in rock gives us more sublime beauty than you can shake a frozen stick at.

3. Various Artists-Stax-Volt Revue Live In Norway. The Stax musicians claimed their 1967 European tour was the high-water mark for them as performers and for the label as a showcase. This DVD of their stop in Norway proves them right, especially when Sam & Dave burn up the stage, only to be followed by an unsurpassable Otis Redding performance.

4. Flatt & Scruggs-Best Of The Flatt & Scruggs TV Shows, Vols. 1-4. The bluegrass legends show off their chops through eight episodes of their late '50s-early '60s TV show (two shows on each volume). All pickin' all the time, with the original Martha White baking commercials thrown in for good measure.

5. Bob Dylan-Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan at Newport. All of Dylan's Newport performances from 1963-1965, including his controversial electric set. But it's the footage from when he's on the side stages playing acoustically that is particularly mesmerizing.

BEST WORLD CD-a tie for 2 reissues from the Fania label: Various Artists-The Bad Boogaloo; Various Artists-El Barrio

20. Wilco-Sky Blue Sky. Nels Cline's guitar work provides the perfect avant-garde foil for Jeff Tweedy's melodic songwriting (e.g. "Impossible Germany).

19. Radiohead-In Rainbows. A full review will be in a future issue of the Gazette. Suffice it to say for now that while their distribution model broke the mold, the band remains as firmly grounded as ever.

18. Jose Gonzales-In Our Nature. Another wonderful solo excursion featuring Gonzales' masterful acoustic guitar work and his oh-so-melancholy songwriting.

17. Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound-Ekranoplan. Heavy, spaced-out psychedelic rock that's as good as any put forth in the '60s.

16. & 15. Moonbabies-Moonbabies At The Ballroom and Great Northern-Trading Twilight For Daylight. I've paired these two as they both purvey superior melancholic rock with punch. Both focus on male/female harmonies, fantastic melodies and great drumming to propel things along. If you wish more music recaptured the melancholy of Rubber Soul-era Beatles (e.g. "Nowhere Man"), here's your chance to indulge.

14. James Blackshaw-Cloud Of Unknowing. Just the sounds of acoustic 6- and 12-string guitars, with effects and loops sometimes thrown in, but the results are astounding. John Fahey would be proud.

13. Mew-Frengers. Anthemic Brit-rock of the highest order.

12. Decemberists-The Crane Wife. Literate lyrics married to marvelously produced indie-rock.

11. Amy Winehouse-Back To Black. Britain's saucy-mouthed superstar breaks through here in a big way with her blend of Motown, doo-wop and girl-group moves, all captured to breathtaking effect by her bigger-than-life voice.