I wanted to accompany this post with a mix of songs, but with my mixer broken and my backup not working adequately (I'll spare the details), I've decided instead to just post the tracklist. Would've been nice to have an actual mix though.

2007 Mix

Lots of songs I'm sure you don't like--- but I do. Preserved the order I would've mixed them in (i.e. these aren't rankings).

1. Amy Winehouse - Rehab (Desert Eagle Remix)
2. Timbaland - Way I Are
3. Nelly Furtado - Say It Right
4. Diddy & Keisha Cole - Last Night
5. MIA - Boyz
6. J-Ro - You Call That Love
7. Blue Scholars - Joe Metro
8. Public Enemy - Long and Whining Road
9. Kanye West - Good Life
10. Lil Wayne - Hustler Musik
11. Ghostface - Rec Room Therapy
12. Keisha Cole, Missy, Lil Kim - Let It Go
13. Common - The Game
14. Kanye West - Glory
15. Brother Ali - Take Me Home
16. MIA - Paper Planes
17. UGK & Outkast - International Players Anthem

Favorite Albums

For me, the album I listened to the most was Graduation. A number of reviews I read said it was underwhelming, but I think it had enough good tracks for me to keep listening over and over. Later in the year, I gave a ton of listens to MIA's second album, as well as the Aretha Franklin unreleased album, which would be my second choice for best album. Even at (supposedly) not her best, Aretha is amazing. Perhaps because the tracks on here are rawer than her released ones.

I also really enjoyed both the Blue Scholars and Brother Ali albums. I'm no backpacker, but they were both enjoyable, well put-together. I think Brother Ali could use a lot better production (too many of his songs sound way too similar) but I liked it nevertheless.

Worst Album/Song

This was a bumper year for horrible music--- and this is coming from someone who appreciates Lil Wayne, put Diddy on his mixtape, etc. So when I set out to try and figure out who/what was the worst in music this year, there was a plethora of candidates.

To begin with, I think the Black Eyed Peas are so horrid they deserve lifetime achievement awards for terrible music. Fergie takes inanity to a whole other level. And Will.I.Am's singles this year were disgustingly bad. So congratulations, you two.

And then on to T-Pain. Wow. And chipmunk-voiced Akon. Yikes. Combine Akon with Wyclef (who has lost all relevancy, sorry: his bizarre diatribe in Chappelle's movie telling kids to write letters to the mayor to solve problems of inequity was the picture of a man who's lost touch), a Wu reference, a mediocre Weezy verse, plus an imitation of Nelly, and you end up with the worst song of the year: Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill).

The remix is just sad. Just makes me ask where the hell Raekwon's album is, because he sounds like he still got it.

Music Resolutions

This year, I was not nearly proactive enough in listening to a broad variety of albums and genres to expand my musical knowledge and taste. This year won't be the same: I'm starting by checking out each of the albums on Pitchfork's top albums list. And of course, always open to recommendations.