Content area
Full Text
You know it's an unusual year in popular music when:
- The biggest-selling album released in 2006 was a Disney Channel movie soundtrack ("High School Musical").
- The biggest-selling band was a country group (Rascal Flatts).
- No new hip-hop or rap albums landed among the year's 20 best sellers (T.I.'s "King" was No. 21).
- Two "American Idol" winners (Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson) were among the Top 10, with 2005 CDs.
- An underground artist known for illegal mashups, Danger Mouse, teamed up with soul singer Cee-Lo for the year's best single, Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy."
- A Hasidic Jewish rapper, Matisyahu, was named top reggae artist of 2006 by Billboard.
- Barbra Streisand headlined a concert in the Twin Cities and Prince didn't.
- Prince and another once-rebellious local hero, Paul Westerberg, wrote and recorded songs for family movies ("Happy Feet" and "Open Season," respectively).
- The artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, the band still known as the Who and the revived New York Dolls released their first albums of new studio material in decades.
-...