AllMusic's Favorite Albums of 2010

Over the past month, AllMusic has chronicled the highlights of 2010, selecting our favorite albums from a wide variety of genres. Now, we offer the cream of the crop of those many lists -- the very best new albums of 2010, chosen from every sound and style. Yes, you’ll find some usual suspects -- Kanye West and Arcade Fire, Janelle Monáe and LCD Soundsystem -- but this list digs deeper, offering choice metal, electronica, and country albums, the music that wound up defining 2010 for us.

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah, Pt. 2: Return of the Ankh
Beach House - Teen Dream
Dierks Bentley - Up On the Ridge
Best Coast - Crazy for You
Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot...The Son of Chico Dusty
Bilal - Airtight's Revenge
Aloe Blacc - Good Things
The Black Keys - Brothers
Black Milk - Album of the Year
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
Elizabeth Cook - Welder
Field Music - Field Music (Measure) Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma Four Tet - There Is Love in You
Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM
Cee-Lo Green - Lady Killer
Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here
Glasser - Ring
Harlem - Hippies
Harvey Milk - Small Turn of Human Kindness The Hotrats - Turn Ons
José James - Blackmagic
Jamey Johnson - Guitar Song
Kylesa - Spiral Shadow
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening Liars - Sisterworld LoneLady - Nerve Up
Magic Kids - Memphis
Janelle Monáe - ArchAndroid
Mount Kimbie - Crooks & Lovers Nas & Damian Marley - Distant Relatives
Robert Plant - Band of Joy
Robyn - Body Talk
The Roots - How I Got Over
Salem - King Night
Shakira - Sale el Sol
Matthew Shipp - 4D
Sleigh Bells - Treats
The Soft Pack - Soft Pack
Spoon - Transference
Jazmine Sullivan - Love Me Back
Surfer Blood - Astro Coast Tame Impala - Innerspeaker The-Dream - Love King
Titus Andronicus - Monitor Trombone Shorty - Backatown Vampire Weekend - Contra
The Walkmen - Lisbon
Paul Weller - Wake Up the Nation
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy