Last week, the Boss squeaked by with “Jungleland” taking just 33% of your votes. This week, we feature tracks from A Tribe Called Quest, Big Sean, Nelly, Company of Thieves, and Joe Cocker. Check out why our music man Al Jones picked ‘em, take a listen, then vote for your favorite after the jump!

In retrospect, 2003 is the year of reinvention of the pop star. No longer were Disney kids like Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera turning out cutesy songs for the under-17 set – or going through a “Can’t Be Tamed” phase. Instead, both Timberlake and Aguilera – as well as Beyoncé – knew that to have lasting careers, they need to produce songs to appeal to all ages – or at least to those under 30. In 2003, you didn’t need to be embarrassed to add “Crazy in Love” or “Rock Your Body” to your homecoming playlist alongside the latest trance track or The White Stripes. After all, everyone else had been listening to them all summer long, anyway. Check out this class’s suggested playlist after the jump.

2002 – that transition between nu-metal and bland alterna-rock, before pseudo-indie acts like The Strokes, after boy bands and before tween Disney stars, and a few years before a clear 1980s influence. Call it the doldrums or a musical dead zone. For any college kit putting together the perfect homecoming playlist at the time, this meant hunting high and low – at the record shop or on KaZaa – for the right dance tracks. Considering the most popular singles of the year were by Nelly, J. Lo, Chad Kroeger, or Avril Lavigne, taking a Top 40 approach made you look like a too-eager-to-impress and doltish high schooler, while going too obscure meant seeming like a snotty music nerd. Check out this class’s suggested homecoming party playlist after the jump.

I always sorta liked Taproot. I’ve never been able to explain why. Maybe it has been because they’ve always reminded me of a better (way better) version of GodSmack. But at the end of the day, that whole Nu-Metal scene is long past old so Taproot’s new album released today, “Our Long Road Home“, needed to be different.
Luckily… Click to read more

#10 Stutter – Joe

#9 What Would You Do? – City High

#8 Turn Off The Light – Nelly Furtado

#7 The Space Between – Dave Matthews Band… Click to read more