When greatness is expected, goodness tends to get overlooked. World Without Tears doesn't stand up to the perfection of Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, but it is full of robust rock songs, beautiful guitar playing and Williams' trademark runs of fuliginous nouns.
Best Tracks: "Ventura," "Those Three Days"
Epic times call for epic art, and nothing moved us more than The Return of the King. Other things we loved: Louis Vuitton, William Boyd and BBC's The Office And to the Atlanta group OutKast, we say "Stank you very much!"