As the final days of 2008 play out and we reflect upon the year in review, one main musical metaphor comes to mind: 2008 was truly a "vocal" year! From veteran country singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris' "Beyond the Great Divide" to Indie sensation Bon Iver's "Blindsided," the most prevalent recording artists of the year took great care in crafting songs of rich introspection.

A chorus of strong debut albums, including NYC's Santogold, broke genre conventions with blends of rock, pop, hip-hop, soul and international sounds. Lil' Wayne sampled nearly every hit song! Bob Dylan proved, as he always does, that he may be the greatest songwriter in the world. And a British songstress with an infatuation for "American Boys" created what we feel was the defining record of 2008!

  View our Top 10 Favorite CDs of 2008. 

2008 marked the return of some of the biggest selling artists of the past 25 years! From the fast-paced dance beats of Madonna's Hard Candy album to the guitar worship of Metallica's Death Magnetic, our customers were quick to take home the latest offerings from these perennial hit-makers.

Mamma Mia!, one of the hottest movies of the year, also spawned one of the top-selling soundtrack albums and Celtic Thunder, a PBS television special, became a sleeper hit! 2008 also introduced listeners to the hot new sounds of Katy Perry, Duffy, and MGMT – three debut CDs that dominated both the charts and Tower shopping carts!

  View our Top 10 Music Sellers of 2008.