Ashanti News

If you want to create a mix-tape of the year's best songs, here are the must-haves for 2008.

1. "Never Would Have Made It," Marvin Sapp: Of course, a gospel tome is inspirational — that's the whole point, hello! — but Sapp's stirring song was more than that. It moved the listener to the core, which few songs, even gospel tunes, have the power to do.

2. "A Milli," Lil Wayne: Sapp's song wasn't so powerful that it made us stop listening to "A Milli," the No. 2 song on this list. "A Milli" is filled with a-bleep-a-second verses and vulgar putdowns — but oh-so-artfully done. Even though this is perhaps one of the year's most played songs, it never got overplayed because Wayne's wit — and that killer beat — never got old.

3. "Lollipop," Lil Wayne: While Wayne may be rap's top lyricist, this X-rated slow jam highlighted his singing — off-key but grimy and gripping. His raspy voice draws you in, but it's what he's saying — and we can't repeat it here — that keeps your ears burning.

4. "Sensual Seduction," Snoop Dogg: We give this song high marks for the message alone (guys, take note). But the '70s inspired-synths plus Snoop's freaky crooning made this an irresistible jam.

5. "Yes We Can," will.i.am: While the lyrics were Barack Obama's words, will.i.am's ingenious composition gave the inspirational speech even more power by adding an anthemic musical background and using celebrities like John Legend, Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Phillippe to recite Obama's message. Even a Republican couldn't deny the power of this gem.

6. "Love Song," Sara Bareilles: This bouncy piano-driven song was made popular because of its use in a commercial, but it would have stuck in people's minds in any case: It's delightful and catchy, and the kind of song that wins fans across genres.

7. "Love Lockdown," Kanye West: The first salvo from West's singing manifesto "808s & Heartbreak" was somber and almost monotone, but the coolness of his Auto-tune enhanced voice almost added more emotion to this bitter breakup song. The feverish drumming at the end is the killer capper.

8. "The Way That I Love You," Ashanti: No, that isn't a misprint — Ashanti did actually make this list. While her vocal performance on this woman-scorned ballad is good, it's the dramatic music accompanying her that is the song's true star — it grabs you from the opening, haunting piano notes.

9. "Paper Planes," M.I.A.: Admit it, most of you probably never understood what in the world M.I.A. was singing about and just grooved to the breezy beat — which is enough to get you hooked. But it's when you realize that she's expressing the frustration and anger of the illegal immigrant that the song's true power is revealed.

10. "Need You Bad," Jazmine Sullivan: This blend of reggae and R&B, along with Sullivan's pleading voice, made this song an R&B treasure.