#1. "Dirt," Alice in Chains - The second release from my personal favorite band. This CD includes hard and heavy songs such as "Dam That River," "Them Bones," and "Would."

#2. "10," Pearl Jam - One of the most popular new grunge bands of the year that has combined deeply emotional songs such as "Black" with energetic vibrant songs like "Alive" and "Even Flow."

#3 "Mother Love Bone" - A self-title release from a very powerful new group. If you are interested in mood music, then this CD is for you! My favorite songs on this album are "Holy Roller" and "Stardog Champion."

#4 "Countdown to Extinction," Medgadeth - One of the best heavy metal CDs of the year strongly focused on the political views and issues of today, as observed in songs such as "Symphony of Destruction" and "Foreclosure of a Dream."

#5. "Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds" - The first self-titled release by this newly-formed group including Izzy Stradlin, the ex-guitarist from Guns N' Roses. This CD contains the popular new song "Shuffle It All."

#6. "Pocket Full of Kryptonite," Spin Doctors - One of the best-known albums by the Spin Doctors so far. A classic mixture of blues, jazz, and rock which is best expressed in the song, "Jimmy Olsen's Blues."

#7. "Sweet Oblivion," The Screaming Trees - Another great CD featuring lots of good music. The most known songs on this album, "I Nearly Lost You," was one of the big hits in the movie "Singles."

#8. "What Hits," Red Hot Chili Peppers - A fantastic collection of both new and old songs like "Jungle Man" and "Behind the Sun." Definitely one to look into if you are a Chili Peppers fan.

#9. "Angel Dust," Faith No More - The second release from FNM with the hard-hitting songs "Mid-Life Crisis" and "Sweet Victory."

#10. "Singles," Soundtrack - A wonderful collection of groups including Alice in Chains, Mother Love Bone, and The Screaming Trees. I definitely recommend this album if you think that you may be interested in some of these groups. n