The Best and Worst of Music in 2005 (courtesy of guest blogger Adrian)

Meet Adrian. He is my best guy friend from college and he's almost ready to take the plunge and start his own blog. Almost. To help ready him, I've agreed to post his evaluation of the best and worst music of 2005. Adrian is really a musical genius. He has the Billboard charts memorized. You can name a song or artist and he can tell you how far up the charts they went and when.

So please help encourage this future blogger and give him tons of encouragement so he'll finally start his own blog. And remember, seeing as though I'm not cool enough to even recognize a quarter of these artists and/or albums, I take no responsibility for the opinions expressed below.

The 10 Worst Singles of the Year:
Beverly Hills - Weezer
Candy Shop (if only cause it bites from Magic Stick) - 50 Cent
Have a Nice Day - Bon Jovi
Just the Girl - Click Five
Laffy Taffy! - D4L
Listen to Your Heart (was it really necessary?) - DHT
My Humps (or actually anything by the Black Eyed Peas incl. "Don't PhunkWith My Heart" and "Don't Lie")
Photograph ("What the hell was on Joey's head?" That's gotta qualify as worst lyric of the year, though, again, the Black Eyed Peas gave them a run for their money). - Nickelback
Scars - Papa Roach
Soul Survivor - Young Jeezy

The 10 Best Singles of the Year (Okay, 18... I cheated)
All These Things That I've Done - The Killers
Cool - Gwen Stefani
Dakota (You Made Me Feel Like the One) - Stereophonics
Do You Want To - Franz Ferdinand
Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
Gold Digger - Kanye West
I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today - Gretchen Wilson
Lighters Up - Lil' Kim
Making Memories of Us - Keith Urban
Mr. Brightside - The Killers
Rich Girl - Gwen Stefani
Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson
Sugar, We're Going Down - FallOut Boy
These Words - Natasha Bedingfield
Wait (The Whisper Song) - Ying Yang Twins
Wake Me Up When Sept. Ends - Green Day
The Widow - Mars Volta
You and Me - Lifehouse

Albums! Ooh, now this was tough.
Anniemal - Annie (Ah, Swedish pop... you gotta love it)
All Jacked Up - Gretchen Wilson (didn't get too many props from critics, but it really is a good album, if only for "Skoal Ring" and "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today")
Confessions on a Dancefloor - Madonna (Classic Madonna. No more of that artsy crap that the world has come to hate. It's about time Esther learned to stop taking herself so seriously, and it pays off.)
Hot Fuss - The Killers (Pop? Rock? Unbelievably catchy? All of the above.)
Kerosene - Miranda Lambert (Reminds me of Gretchen Wilson's debut. The girl got famous from a TV show - Nashville Star - but her lyrical ability and vocal talent are amazing. And props for keepin' it country! And I think she's legal now.)
Late Registration - Kanye West (This almost didn't make the list because I hate how freakin' arrogant he is. Then again, he reminded the world that George Bush hates black people, so that redeems him. Oh - plus it's a great album, as he'd tell you.)
The Naked Truth - Lil' Kim (Another phenomenal rap album. I was never a big Kim fan, but she comes up with some killer lines on this one. My fave? "Star Jones don't like me/she's cheap and I like the best/Damn - Must feel good to Payless!")
There's More Where That Came From - Lee Ann Womack (Very retro country. And while she's really imitating Dolly Parton, she's got one heck of a voice.)
Tough All Over - Gary Allan (Warning: Do not listen to this album if you are remotely depressed or want to be happy. You cannot enjoy this if you're happy. And conversely, you should not listen to this if you're sad. It was recorded shortly after his wife shot herself. And while that makes for hard listening, it's great listening.)

Now, some critics may tell you that Fiona Apple's "Extraordinary Machine" and MIA's "Arular" should also be included in this list. They are wrong. Sorry - that was too harsh. They are both great albums, but not Top-10-of-the-Year-great.