Top 25 Albums Of 2007: #20-16

Alright, on to the next five:

#20: Vena Sera by Chevelle
Chevelle has consistently been one of the top alternative acts around. This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In) is easily one of the best discs to come out in the past 10 years. Vena Sera, therefore, actually comes to be a bit of a disappointment on the Chevelle scale. Nonetheless, it is easily one of the year's top discs. Chevelle continued to put out some quality tracks with this disc, including Saferwaters, Antisaint and Well Enough Alone. The whole disc is full of quality tracks that are a welcome addition to any full music collection. Chevelle continues to prove one of the best alternative acts around.

#19: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend by Miranda Lambert
This disc starts off with a bang...literally. Lambert returns with her sophomore effort and dives right in with Gunpowder & Lead, a song about getting prepared for the return of an ex-con ex. Lambert pulls no punches, getting her shotgun loaded and lighting a cigarette, ready to show him what she's got. And this song sets the pace for the entire disc, which rarely lets up. Tracks like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Down keep the disc going strong, while Lambert shows off her vocal talents more on tracks like Easy From Now On, Famous In A Small Town and Desparation. On this disc, Lambert has solidified herself as one of the great acts in country music for years to come.

#18: 5th Gear by Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley continues to be one of the best male solo artists in any genre, and has definitely proven to be one of the Top 5 in the country realm. 5th Gear continues to prove this thought true, with a slew of impressive songs on all fronts. Vocally, Paisley is at the top of his game on this disc. Musically, he continues to stick more to a traditional country styling, which is a welcome change to many of the current country acts out there. And lyrically, Paisley continues to be one of the top writers around. Paisley proves that he can be funny on tracks like Ticks, Online, I'm Still A Guy and the ongoing chronicles of the Kung Pao Bucakaroos. Meanwhile, when Paisley actually gets serious, he does even better, with tracks like Oh Love (featuring Carrie Underwood) and Letter To Me showing off his writing talents and putting some deep thoughts on to the disc. Overall, this is definitely one of the year's must-haves from the country realm. Shockingly, this is the last appearance of a country disc on the list this year.

#17: The Altar And The Door by Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns has proven to be one of the most well-accomplished worship acts around in the past few years, though they are not specifically a worship group. This continues to be the case on The Altar And The Door, with some truly incredible tracks lighting up your sound system. Tracks like What This World Needs, Slow Fade and The Altar And The Door give the disc some great songs to sit around and listen to, while tracks like East To West and All Because Of Jesus give the disc some strong tracks to sing along to. Overall, this disc is a well done disc that continues to show why Casting Crowns is so popular.

#16: It Won't Be Soon Before Long by Maroon 5
Five years is a long time to go between releases for a band that burst on to the scene as much as Maroon 5 did a few years back. Sometimes, though, time is needed. Because, though Songs About Jane was an incredibly popular disc, it left a lot to be desired from the band. It Won't Be Soon Before Long leaves the listener with no such qualms. The songs are actually well performed. The vocals are better, the music is definitely improved (as well as more versatile), and the lyrics are definitely getting better. It's not a perfect disc, but songs like Goodnight Goodnight, Won't Go Home Without You and Little Of Your Time show off that this band does actually have talent. It Won't Be Soon Before Long gives this band hope for an even brighter future.


#15-#11 tomorrow.