Music Lists Are Us: Favorite '90s Albums by Year with brief comments

Enlightenment by Van Morrison (consistently excellent celtic/jazz/soul/folk/rock/country/blues)

The Neighborhood by Los Lobos

Bellybutton by Jellyfish

Justice by Toshi Reagon

Brother's Keeper by The Neville Brothers

Stolen Moments by John Hiatt

Nomads Indians Saints by the Indigo Girls

Spirits Dancing in the Flesh by Santana

Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 by the Traveling Wilburys

The World is Falling Down by Abbey Lincoln

Flood by They Might Be Giants

I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got by Sinead O' Connor

Standard Time, vol 3: The Resolution of Romance by Wynton Marsalis

Texas Tornados by the Texas Tornados

1991

Girlfriend by Mathew Sweet

Warm Your Heart by Aaron Neville

Night Ride Home by Joni Mitchell

Bandwagonesque by Teenage Fanclub

Mas Canciones by Linda Ronstadt

Out of Time by R.E.M.

Unforgettable...by Natalie Cole

Mama Said by Lenny Kravitz

The Commitments (Original Soundtrack) by The Commitments

Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead by Various Artists (Los Lobos, Suzanne Vega, Dr John, Lyle Lovett, Burning Spear, Dwight Yoakam, Elvis Costello, Jane's Addiction, etc.)

San Antonio Soul by Flaco Jimenez

You Gotta Pay the Band by Abbey Lincoln

1992

Automatic For The People by R.E.M.

Kiko by Los Lobos

The Bodyguard (soundtrack) by Whitney Houston & various artists

Come On, Come On by Mary Chapin Carpenter

Hush by Bobby McFerrin & Yo-Yo Ma

Great Puzzle by Jules Shear

Love Deluxe by Sade'

Ingenue by k.d. lang

Milagro by Santana

Hand in Hand by Mulgrew Miller

Hollywood Town Hall by The Jayhawks

In This Land by Sweet Honey in the Rock

Rites of Passage by Indigo Girls

Blue Interlude by Wynton Marsalis

A Man Called E. by A Man Called E.

1993

Spilt Milk by Jellyfish

Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz

Blue Light 'til Dawn by Cassandra Wilson

Other Voices, Other Rooms by Nancy Griffith

The Grand Tour by Aaron Neville

Thirteen by Teenage Fanclub

Mi Tierra by Gloria Estefan

The River of Dreams by Billy Joel

Ten Summoner's Tales by Sting

Plantation Lullabies by Meshell Ndegeocello

Fumbling Toward Ecstasy by Sarah McLachlan

It Don't Mean a Thing by Elvin Jones

The Piano (movie soundtrack) by Michael Nyman

1994

Weezer (the blue album) by Weezer

If I Were a Carpenter (a tribute album to The Carpenters) by various artists

MJQ & Friends: A 40th Anniversary Celebration by the Modern Jazz Quartet & various artists

Art and Survival by Dianne Reeves

Teenage Symphonies to God by Velvet Crush

Welcome to the Cruel World by Ben Harper

Swamp Ophelia by Indigo Girls

The Man by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

Beat the Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson by various artists

Ro Sham Bo by The Grays

Stones in the Road by Mary Chapin Carpenter

Philadelphia (movie soundtrack) by various artists

Timelessness by Bheki Mseleku

Wildflowers by Tom Petty

Turbulent Indigo by Joni Mitchell

Aye` by Angelique` Kidjo

1995

Tomorrow The Green Grass by The Jayhawks

100% Fun by Matthew Sweet

Long Way Home by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

Relish by Joan Osborne

Ben Folds Five by Ben Folds Five

Fight for Your Mind by Ben Harper

New Moon Daughter by Cassandra Wilson

Medusa by Annie Lennox

Fun Trick Noisemaker by Apples in Stereo

Natural Wonder by Stevie Wonder

Grand Prix by Teenage Fanclub

A Turtle's Dream by Abbey Lincoln

Feels Like Home by Linda Ronstadt

Circus by Lenny Kravitz

Orange Crate Art by Van Dyke Parks & Brian Wilson

1996

That Thing You Do (movie soundtrack) by The Wonders & various artists

For All Seasons by Henry Butler

AmiYumi by Puffy AmiYumi

Pies Descalzos by Shakira

Fountains of Wayne by Fountains of Wayne

Susanna Hoffs by Susanna Hoffs

Peace Beyond Passion by Meshell Ndegeocello

Colossal Head by Los Lobos

Being There by Wilco

Kevin Mahogany by Kevin Mahogany

A Few Small Repairs by Shawn Colvin

Fifa by Angelique` Kidjo

...Plays Metallica... by Apocalyptica

1997

Songs From Northern Britain by Teenage Fanclub

Kindness by Toshi Reagon

Blue Sky On Mars by Matthew Sweet

Buena Vista Social Club (movie soundtrack) by various artists

Shaming of the Sun by the Indigo Girls

Seven Years in Tibet (movie soundtrack) by John William's

SoloSolo by Puffy AmiYumi

Gate Swings by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

Elegie by Sergei Nakariakov

The Will to Live by Ben Harper

Surfacing by Sarah McLachlan

New Morning by Dianne Reeves

Beyond The Missouri Sky by Pat Metheny & Charlie Haden

Sweet Potato Pie by Robert Cray

Whatever & Ever Amen by the Ben Folds Five

1998

Between Us by Jules Shear & various artists (duets)

5 by Lenny Kravitz

Let It Come Down by James Iha

Car Wheels on a Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams

Donde Estan Los Ladrones? by Shakira

Painted By Memory by Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach

Wholly Earth by Abbey Lincoln

Desireless by Eagle-Eye Cherry

All The Pain Money Can Buy by Fastball

We Ran by Linda Ronstadt

Jet CD by Puffy AmiYumi

Oremus by Angelique Kidjo

Blues After Sunset by Henry Butler

Tetro by Willie Nelson

Happy Hour by Shonen Knife

1999

Soft Bulletin by the Flaming Lips

Bitter by Meshell Ndegeocello

I Am Shelby Lynne by Shelby Lynne

Burn to Shine by Ben Harper

Supernatural by Santana & various artists

The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner by the Ben Folds Five

On How Life Is by Macy Gray

Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions by Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris

American Music, Texas Style by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

Fever Fever by Puffy AmiYumi

Utopia Parkway by Fountains of Wayne

Requiem by Branford Marsalis

The Grass Is Blue by Dolly Parton

The Righteous Ones by Toshi Reagon

The Time by Los Lobos

Play by Moby