Most of 2006 was dominated by dance singles, especially from Timbaland and collaborators Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake, and Mary J. Blige's R&B ballad "Be Without You" (Geffen), but there were still plenty of surprises in all sorts of genres. Here are some of the year's best:
1. Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy" (Downtown/Atlantic). With Cee-Lo's sweet soul vocals sliding smoothly over Danger Mouse's sleek, innovative beats, "Crazy" was simply bobbing head and brawny shoulders above the rest of the year's songs. A diverse group - from Furtado to Ray Lamontagne to Twilight Singers' Greg Dulli - was so captivated by the song that they all added it to their sets while the original still was climbing the charts, just because they wanted to sing it. Millions of music fans know exactly how they feel.
2. Twilight Singers, "Forty Dollars" (One Little Indian). No one sings about the dark end of the street better than Dulli, especially when he's got his con-man groove on, as he does here, boasting, "I've got love for sale. Come on, get some before it gets stale."
3. Dixie Chicks, "Not Ready to Make Nice" (Open Wide/Sony). It's a rallying cry for standing up for your beliefs, as well as a shot at their detractors, that is so well-crafted, it is nearly impossible to attack and almost just as impossible to resist.
4. Beyoncé, "Irreplaceable" (Columbia). We knew Beyoncé could be clever, but she's downright scheming on this song, a blunt kiss-off dolled up in acoustic guitars and sweet-sounding choruses designed to fake out casual listeners and boyfriends dumb enough to cheat on B.
5. Ghostface featuring Ne-Yo, "Back Like Dat" (Def Jam). It's "Irreplaceable" from the male perspective, with Ghostface rapping about how far is too far in a breakup over old-school R&B beats and Ne- Yo's wounded croon.
6. Jay-Z, "Show Me What You Got" (Roc-a-Fella). Part declaration of Jay-Z's comeback intentions, part slick marketing campaign, it could only fit together in H.O.V.A.'s head, serving as yet another example of why it's so good to have him back.
7. Dashboard Confessional, "Don't Wait" (Vagrant). Chris Carrabba sheds his intimate emo portraits for the band's biggest-sounding song ever, a rock anthem with soaring guitars and rousing vocals that is searching for the right stadium crowd to turn into an up-with-people chorus.
8. Taking Back Sunday, "Divine Intervention" (Warner Bros.). Adam Lazzara strips away all the things the Rockville Centre band does well time and time again - the roaring guitars, the thunderous rhythm section, the intertwined vocals - to remind everyone that it all starts with great songwriting. It's the kind of acoustic ballad that guys still think is cool and gals will swoon over.
9. The Strokes, "On the Other Side" (RCA). All the backlash can't detract from the impact of Julian Casablancas' clever combination of woe-is-me, Lower East Side rewrite of what could still be a grand country-gospel smash.
10. My Chemical Romance, "Welcome to the Black Parade" (Warner Bros.). An entire Broadway musical crammed into four-plus minutes of emo rock, running from childhood dreams to the very adult struggles of moving beyond tragedy.
HONORABLE MENTION.
The Hold Steady, "Chips Ahoy!" (Vagrant); A.F.I., "The Missing Frame" (Interscope); TV on the Radio, "Wolf Like Me" (Interscope); Justin Timberlake, "SexyBack" (Jive); Lupe Fiasco, "Kick, Push" (Atlantic); Arctic Monkeys, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" (Domino); Bandcamp, "One Day" (EVLA); Gym Class Heroes, "The Queen and I" (Decaydance/ Fueled by Ramen); Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone, "Ridin'" (Chamillitary/Universal); and Johnny Cash, "God's Gonna Cut You Down" (American/Lost Highway).