20 Signs of Life in 2003

This list represents our staff's favorites from last year. These are albums that rose out from the hundreds upon hundreds of CDs we received in 2003. For one reason or another, they moved us and made us love our jobs even more. We don't pretend these are scientifically the highest quality albums released, they just happen to be our favorites. We hope that you might discover a few of yours from this list. And see the final results from our readers' poll.

1. Rufus Wainwright - Want One

2. Over the Rhine - OHIO

3. Erin McKeown - Grand

4. Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day

5. Sun Kil Moon - Ghosts of the Great Highway

6. Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism

7. The Jayhawks - Rainy Day Music

8. Joe Henry - Tiny Voices

9. Shelby Lynne - Identity Crisis

10. Ed Harcourt - From Every Sphere

11. Elvis Costello - North

12. Steven Delopoulos - Me Died Blue

13. Damien Rice - o

14. Cat Power - You Are Free

15. The White Stripes - Elephant

16. Bruce Cockburn - You've Never Seen Everything

17. Rodney Crowell - Fate's Right Hand

18. Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears

19. Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers

20. Ryan Adams - Rock N Roll

Honorable Mentions