2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004

1. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
It's not very often when you come across a debut album as confident and self-assured as this one. Usually it might take an artist a few albums before they can muster up the courage and audacity to create something with as wide a scope as The ArchAndroid on their first time out, which is part of what makes it so impressive.