Music reviewer's top 10 albums

A highly subjective list of the year's 10 best albums, according to AP Music Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody:

1. "Denials, Delusions and Decisions," Jaguar Wright -- Many people may know Wright's voice, reminiscent of Jill Scott's, only from her brief appearance in a Coke commercial this year. And that's a shame, because her debut album was the year's best. Far from the poetic, inspirational odes featured on most neosoul albums, Wright's album features gritty, raw tunes about sex, broken relationships, infidelity and fisticuffs. Yet the songs are so artfully crafted -- and sung with so much emotion -- that they are elevated to works of art.

2. "The Eminem Show," Eminem -- With all the success of his brilliant but hate-filled "The Marshall Mathers LP," Eminem could have taken the easy route for his follow-up by giving audiences more of the same. Instead, he took a chance on us -- and himself -- by revealing the pain behind the rage. The result was an album that transformed Eminem from a cartoon character into a multidimensional person without sacrificing his street credibility or, more importantly, his warped wit.

3. "Under Construction," Missy Elliott -- Granted, Elliott's latest is not as good as last year's "Miss E," and her intermittent musings bog down the disc. But she once again delivers one of the most musically adventurous albums of the year, interweaving almost sci-fi melodies with deliciously dirty rhymes and luscious R&B grooves.

4. "Voyage to India," India.Arie -- The singer's follow-up to her Grammy-nominated debut disc, "Acoustic Soul," was less introspective and more about love and relationships. However, the same winning formula -- gorgeously written, thought-provoking songs -- proved her initial gem of an album was no fluke.

5. "The Rising," Bruce Springsteen -- Springsteen's musings on 9-11 made for one of the most emotionally enriching discs of the year. Far from a depressing album, it was a celebration of love, perhaps one of the most important lessons taken from the tragedy.

6. "In Search Of," N.E.R.D. -- After the hits they produced for Jay-Z, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Busta Rhymes, this psychedelic rock-rap album from production duo The Neptunes -- plus a friend -- was a radical departure, and a wonderful surprise. The unconventional, radio-unfriendly musical experiment definitely worked.

7. "Cee-lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections" -- Cee-lo, best known as part of the Goodie-Mob rap clique, went out on his own with this tripped-out, funkadelic tour de force, which sounds like a free-flowing, no-rules jam session.

8. "Home," The Dixie Chicks -- Unlike superstar acts such as Faith Hill and Shania Twain, the Dixie Chicks stripped away the pop gloss on their latest disc and went for the rootsy appeal of bluegrass and country. The result was thoroughly intoxicating.

9. "Put it On Paper," Ann Nesby -- The former lead singer for Sounds of Blackness delivered gut-wrenching performances on songs about heartbreak and the lessons learned from it. And her great gospel voice was the perfect vessel for such a message.

10. "This is Who I Am," Heather Headley -- The former Broadway diva made the transition to R&B singer with grace and elegance. Her songs were soulful, intelligent and classy.

- AP