by Buffy Cranford

Created on: November 02, 2009

Katy Perry may have stopped kissing girls in 2009, but the Black Eyed Peas partied all the time, Taylor Swift dreamed of fairytales, and Lady Gaga danced with a disco stick. Whether you desire upbeat, heart-pumping or soulful ballads for your iPod, the top albums of 2009 offer music genres for everyone. This article offers a snapshot review of the top rock and country albums of the year.

After bursting onto the music scene in 2006, Taylor Swift quickly became a favorite crossover artist. Although her personal life has captured the attention of teenage boys and girls around the world, her music speaks to an audience many years her junior. Her second album, Fearless, was officially released in November, 2008, but her singles from the album rose to the top of the charts throughout 2009. Beginning the top 40 hits such as Love Story, You Belong With Me, and White Horse, Swift moves beyond fairy tales and tackles higher ranges with songs like Change and Forever and Always. Taylor Swift brings to her music the energy of a teenager coupled with the voice of an angel.

It seems fitting after the fiasco at the MTV Video Music Awards to select I Am...Sasha Fierce by Beyonc as another top album of 2009. The two-disc album had an interesting marketing angle of introducing an alter ego of Beyonc known as Sasha Fierce. For the consumer, this means plenty of incredible singles to choose from. Officially released at the end of 2008, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. Single Ladies around the globe were soon urging boyfriends to Put a Ring On It and contemplating how their lives may have been different with the song If I Were a Boy. With upbeat songs like Sweet Dreams, Diva and Video Phone, and the ballad Halo, you may be pleasantly surprised to suddenly hear the perfectly pitched Ave Maria. Whether you want to dance or relax with a book, this album ranges from hip-hop to soft pop. With I Am...Sasha Fierce, Beyonc not only sold over 5 million copies of the album, but she proved once again her music appeals to a wide audience.

Parents may have stumbled with their explanation of Lady GaGa's disco stick reference in Love Game, but her debut album The Fame, rose quickly to the top of the Billboard charts. In fact, the album is being re-released with an additional eight songs in November 2009. For her first album, Lady Gaga displays a progressive musical exploration starting with the club hits Just Dance and the deep bass thump of Poker Face. She then

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