Here are my favorite 10 albums of 2010, it’s always hard to just pick 10 but these are the ones that I can see myself listening to for the next couple of years. As I put this list together, it was interesting to see that two of my favorite albums were freely released online.

Wale - More About Nothing This was a solid follow up to the 2008 Mixtape About Nothing, it didn’t back the same fire but I thoroughly enjoyed it. A few of the slower tracks you might skip, but there are a number of tracks on here that could have easily been on the studio released album, Attention Deficit.

Girl Talk - All Day Mash-ups arn’t dead yet, or if they are no one told Gregg Gillis because that dude is killing it with every new release. He transforms decades of pop music we all love and hate and crafts them into something entirely new that’s seamless and well-paced. I’m sorry to all the mash-up DJs out there but nobody does it better then Girl Talk.

The Black Keys - Brothers I’ve been know to listen to Black Keys all day at work. There is something about them that can just make a whole day better. This album has a different vibe then the previous Black Keys albums but as a whole meshes so well with that smooth calming effect.

Blu - Her Favorite Colo(u)r The Blu & Exile blew me away when it came out and I still play it often.. very often. This is Blu’s first solo EP, producing and rapping, and it is also more of a mature album. His lyrics and delivery are right on point. I don’t love the movie quotes during the album, they don’t nessairy help or hurt the album.

B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray This is an amazing complete album, there are no fillers or skits. It is 12 songs that blend well which each other and leave you wanting more. I can’t wait to see what else we hear from B.o.B. in the future.

Eminem - Recovery It’ great to see Eminem back and to see him rapping about real things. Gone are the immature pop hits that I drove out blasting in my car. The songs on this album show a different more personal side which was needed for him to raise the bar and return with something that reassured his fans that he was back and never really lost his game.

Vampire Weekend - Contra There are just some really fun songs on this album. It’s a strong follow up to the debut album and has a unique voice. Sadly with only 10 songs this album is done before you even realize it.

3OH!3 - Streets Of Gold I might of blew out some speakers listening to this album. There was a number of afternoons I was blasting this album at the Daily Planet ltd. office. I just don’t think this album disappoints, it have anything you want from a killer party album.

Black Milk - Album Of The Year To be honest I snoozed on this album when it first came out and am still just sinking my teeth into it. I was a big fan of Popular Demand when it came out in 2007. There have been a couple other albums released since then but this one really stood out this year for me. The addition of live instrumentation was great and really made it stand out in the world of over used drum machine and auto tuned voices.

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor I stumbled upon this little band entirely by accident while looking for some new music one afternoon. The lyrics are creative and fun. The band has a rock meets tribal thing going on that just works.