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This is the time of year when pop critics and related shut-ins start losing precious sleep over life's deep, dark questions, riddles that test our mettle, our passion. You know, like, What were the top albums of 2010? My rundown of this year's very best moments in music will appear in the Floridian section on Dec. 26. But I'm raring to get going, dish some with my fellow music freaks. So after much deliberatin', ruminatin' and flip-flop-inatin', here are five artists and albums that ALMOST made my Top 10, the good-but-not-quite stuff:
Brandon Flowers, Flamingo: The Killers frontman is a neon-lit showman (see cinematic song Crossfire, the most romantic slugfest of the year). But in order to get better, the guylinered Sin City stalwart needs to tame his indulgent New Wave blues.
Big Boi, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty: Like an obscenely rich milkshake, the OutKast star's solo album is thick, sweet and goes right to your pleasure center - but the funk also gets a little same-tasting and tiresome by the end.
Taylor Swift, Speak Now: The tall, blond diary-entry darling needs to write more sprawling heart-rippers like Dear John and Last Kiss - and fewer factory-line label-pleasers a la Mine and Sparks Fly. Still, cynics take note: She's the real deal.
Robert...