Metromix Chicago Music

From soul sisters Sharon Jones and Bettye LaVette to indie icons Arctic Monkeys and the White Stripes, here are 20 albums that had our critics raving.

Bettye LaVette, "The Scene of the Crime"

Drive-By Truckers spark an amazing comeback from a soul survivor

Daft Punk, "Alive 2007"

Disco robots come to life and commemorate the must-see concert of 2007

Justice, "CROSS"

French heavy metal techno gods blow up the global dance floor

Manu Chao, "La Radiolina"

A modern masterpiece from the reigning king of political world music

M.I.A., "Kala"

The rhythm rebel strikes back with the summer’s hottest beats

Radiohead, "In Rainbows"

Is Radiohead the 21st century Beatles? Thom Yorke and company make a strong case

White Stripes, "Icky Thump"

5-star effort reinvents classic rock with an eye on the masses

Arctic Monkeys, "Favourite Worst Nightmare"

Brit-rock upstarts get darker, more aggressive on sophomore effort

Beirut, "The Flying Cup Club"

Orchestral pop's wunderkind turns his attention from the Balkans to France

Bjork, "Volta"

Iceland's best takes on the world's worst

Daddy Yankee, "El Cartel: The Big Boss"

Reggaeton icon drops an inevitable global smash

The Go! Team, "Proof of Youth"

The “Peanuts” gang meets “Bring It On” on this kid-powered energy explosion

Iron & Wine, "The Shepherd's Dog"

Indie-folk icon expands his sound on one of the year’s most revelatory albums

Jay-Z, "American Gangster"

The “greatest rapper alive” makes a king-sized comeback

The National, "Boxer"

Brooklyn five-piece are ready to take the indie rock heavyweight throne

The New Pornographers, "Challengers"

The keyboards go silent (it’s okay, really) on the Canadian band’s latest gem

Pinback, "Autumn of the Seraphs"

San Diego’s favorite indie rockers are ready for their mainstream close-up

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, "100 Days, 100 Nights"

Another veteran soul singer delivers a powerhouse comeback

The Silver Seas, "High Society"

No matter what you call these name-changing country-rockers, they're terrific

Various artists, "Well Deep: Ten Years of Big Dada Recordings"

The label that brought you Diplo and Spank Rock celebrates a decade