My number ones

Music plays such a big part in our lives--whether you are old or young it still finds a way to touch our souls. 

I can remember what albums really moved me from my early teen years, to high school, to then college. These artists that I am about to share are what I feel the epitome of a talented group of individuals and or music groups. They are real game changers of the music we listen to today. 

I'll start with Elementary school. If there is any one artist I listened to over and over, and knew every single word to all of her songs, it was Janet miss Jackson if your nasty. I listened to her cassette tape to the point where some of her songs sounded worn out from me fast forwarding/rewinding it so much! It's the one album that I can still listen to over and over at the gym or in the car and not get sick of hearing her tracks. 

All seven of RN‘s commercial singles – “Miss You Much,” “Rhythm Nation,” “Escapade,” “Alright,” “Come Back to Me,” “Black Cat,” and “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” – hit the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, even breaking the record previously set by brother Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Her record still hasn’t been broken! So for me, what Janet Album is her best? Why Rhythm Nation of course!

I'll move right into Madonna. I spent a lot of my 5th and 6th grade years rocking to Madonna's Immaculate Collection (also on cassette tape!) Who knew that Like a prayer would be the ultimate bar song years later when I was older! Madonna was way more sexual with her music and videos than Janet was initially, but she she still made great music. The Immaculate Collection is still one of my favorite Albums of hers. 

Moving on into High School. When I think of high school, I only think majority of one group, and that's Dave Matthews Band.  How influential were they? A song from one of their albums was our "theme" to our senior year prom! I kid you not! I own all their albums on CD, and had a really tough time picking which one I thought was the best since they are all so dang good. But if I had to pick one that I feel is a step above and means the most, it would be under the table and dreaming. 

In college the artist named John Mayer rolled around and the acoustic guitar was all the rage with music. He's had several albums out since my college days, and Battle Studies, in my opinion, is his best work. 

If you had to pick your all time top 4 best musical albums you have ever heard in your life, what would you pick? What molded or shaped you growing up in the music sense? 

Other Honorable mentions that I listened to quite a bit as well..

Elvis Presley (all his songs not just one album)

Brian McKnight

Christina Aguilera 

The Backstreet Boys

Bush 

Reba McEntire

Michael Jackson 

Garth Brooks

So where did this entire blog post stem from you ask? Honestly I was at the gym, getting my cardio sweat sesh in and Janet came on my play list and my heart was pumping. I felt like I could push through anything listening to her sing Rhythm Nation! And that my friends is what made me really think, what were my all time favorite singers/music groups that to me, I felt were the best of the best in my childhood, and paved the way for a lot of musical artists who try to live up to them today.