— Patty Griffin , “Children Running Through,” released Feb. 6: Is it any wonder artists from the Dixie Chicks to Emmylou Harris to The Wreckers to Kelly Clarkson have recorded the songs of the fiery-haired singer-songwriter from Nashville? She writes phenomenal words and sings them with a voice so sweet it makes sugar seem like spoiled milk. Her latest is like all the rest of her catalogue — phenomenal.

— Kings of Leon , “Because of the Times,” released April 3: With a stunning debut and a better-than-average sophomore effort, the boys from Nashville prove that the third time’s a charm. They hit their stride on “Because of the Times,” crafting more complex songs that make all the comparisons to Zeppelin-meets-Skynyrd obsolete. This is the sound of new Southern rock, and it sounds very, very goood.

— The Ike Reilly Assassination , “We Belong to the Staggering Evening,” released May 8: After a more subdued album on “The Junkie Faithful,” Ike and the boys get back to what they do best — dirty, gritty, folk punk that makes him America’s answer to Billy Bragg. With wit and swagger, Reilly writes a mean song and uses whatever it needs to get it right. — The White Stripes , “Icky Thump,” released June 19: Jack White can do no wrong, it seems.

Every White Stripes record seems to pop with the fervor of White’s musical zeal, and when he’s not guiding Loretta Lynn into making a masterpiece or recording with The Raconteurs, he’s making albums like the bruising “Elephant” or the folk-flavored “Get Behind Me Satan.” On “Icky Thump,” he and Meg get back to basics — rock ‘n’ roll, as only a guitar-playing fiend like White can churn out.