M.I.A. - MAYA - TIE FOR #11

In 2010, it seemed like lots of people talked about M.I.A., but not as many people played the music from her Maya album. She's getting a bit like Kanye - she says lots of crap in the press that potentially distracts from her music.  And that's too bad: she's a consistently interesting artist.  She actually is an "alternative": not "alternative" in the marketing sense, but someone who really does her own thing.

Which isn't to say that she can't write great hit songs: I thought that "XXXO" was going to be her breakthrough hit, it's like a classic '80s new wave single. On the other hand, she can be incredibly abrasive, as she was on "Born Free" (the video got a lot more attention than the actual song).

Her music used to appeal mainly to hipsters.  A lot of that kind of music comes off as either insincere or bloodless, and M.I.A. is neither of those.  But she has such charisma, she ignores genre boundaries, and she isn't afraid to be confrontational.  I think with a few more anthemic songs, she could be like a Jane's Addiction for a new generation.  Just my opinion!  I really dug the Maya album and I'm looking forward to hear what she does next.