Roll out the red carpet and extravagant party planning because we’re throwing the biggest bash for some albums that came out not 10, not 15, but 16 years ago. Yes, all of the following albums were released back when Miley Cyrus debuted as Hannah Montana, everyone and their mother was obsessed with ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,’ and ‘Room’ star Jacob Tremblay was barely born. Yes, the year was 2006 and along with all of the above, the following albums were dropped and made our lives that much better for it.
The Killers, ‘Sam’s Town’
After 2004’s ‘Hot Fuss’ the world wanted to know, could The Killers really give us more of a banger than “Mr. Brightside?” The answer was an astounding yes. The Las Vegas band managed to get over the dreaded sophomore slump with ‘Sam’s Town’ which featured the always endearing “When You Were Young” and “Read My Mind.” Since then the band has released five more albums including 2021’s ‘Pressure Machine.’
Incubus, ‘Light Grenades’
It’s hard for a band to keep momentum after three albums, but six? Incubus proved why they’re continuously one of the best-selling alternative bands out there when they dropped ‘Light Grenades’ in November 2006. Featuring the powerhouse lead single, “Anna Molly,” their sixth album was, unfortunately, the last one before the band took a well-deserved break for a few years until 2011.
‘High School Musical’ Cast, ‘High School Musical’
Disney Channel Original Movies sort of went from must-watch TV to “oh, those still air?” in the 2000s. That is until January 2006 when ‘High School Musical’ premiered. It ushered in a new generation of Disney Channel fans and proved to be insanely lucrative. Which, how could it not be with Zac Efron as the lead? While he didn’t sing on the movie’s first soundtrack, that didn’t matter because this cheesy pop goodness was and still is a fan favorite among many who fell in love with the songs on the small screen all those years ago.
Corrine Bailey Rae, ‘Corrine Bailey Rae’
There is a genre of music I like to call Vh1. It’s that adult contemporary, very – selling your CD at Starbucks vibes. Corrine Bailey Rae fit that perfectly. In fact, that’s where I first saw her video for “Put Your Records On.” It was one of the many delights on her self-titled debut.
Yellowcard, ‘Light and Sounds’
Warped Tour staples Yellowcard already had three albums to their name before garnering mainstream success with 2003’s ‘Ocean Avenue.’ The title track alone was enough to make them one of the most popular in the pop-punk realm. While ‘Lights and Sounds’ didn’t quite have the same figures as far as sales are concerned, it did give fans some favorites to hold onto like the title track and “Rough Landing, Holly.”
Nelly Furtado, ‘Loose’
For many, Nelly Furtado was that sort of hippy-like artist singing about birds. So when she came through with ‘Loose,’ many were surprised – but in a good way. Teaming with Timberland, it was far from what fans got on her debut but songs like “Promiscuous” took her career in a whole new direction.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, ‘Stadium Arcadium’
To date, Red Hot Chili Peppers have released a baker’s dozen worth of albums. For those not familiar with that term, 13. They have dropped 13 records since 1984.’Stadium Arcadium’ was their ninth in a long line and featured the upbeat ways of “Dani California” as well as the sincere “Snow (Hey Oh).”
Ne-Yo, ‘In My Own Words’
Ne-Yo had been working for years in music before he released his debut, ‘In My Own Words,’ in early 2006 on Def Jam. He’d been dropped from a label before that but when you have that kind of talent, there is no way you just give up. Thankfully he kept going and luck was on his side because where would we be without the hit that is “So Sick?”
Lily Allen, ‘Alright, Still’
Ne-Yo wasn’t the only one with a massive debut album that year. Lily Allen also stole the hearts of millions around the world with ‘Alright, Still’ thanks to songs like “Alfie” and “Smile.” Since then her unique approach to music has made her stay on the minds of many even though she hasn’t released new music since 2018’s ‘No Shame.’
My Chemical Romance, ‘The Black Parade’
Grunge had Nirvana, and years later emo had My Chemical Romance. Love them or hate them, there is no denying that this New Jersey band stands taller than most in the genre that brought us guyliner and skinny jeans, and took teen angst to a whole new level with 2004’s massive hit, ‘Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.’ They then went conceptual for the follow-up and delivered what’s considered royalty in the emo scene, and that’s ‘The Black Parade.’
Taking Back Sunday, ‘Louder Now’
For fans of Taking Back Sunday, ‘Louder Now’ was just the cherry on top of three amazing albums. For the rest of the world, ‘Louder Now’ served as this sort of breakthrough moment due to the success and popularity of the lead single “MakeDamnSure.” Since their mainstream moment, Taking Back Sunday has released four more albums but nothing since 2016’s ‘Tidal Wave.’
Rihanna, ‘A Girl like Me’
Rihanna had already made some noise with her debut so by the time we caught wind of ‘A Girl Like Me,’ we were quite familiar with what she could do thanks to “SOS” and “Break It Off” featuring Sean Paul. Of course, this album was just the tip of the iceberg as Rihanna has gone on to be not only a staple in music but also in fashion and the beauty industry.
Jonas Brothers, ‘It’s About Time’
‘It’s About Time’ was not the biggest album the Jonas Brothers put out but it did help them build the foundation on which their sugary pop dynasty would be built upon.
She Wants Revenge, She Wants Revenge
There was not a rock station on earth in 2006 that was not spinning “Tear You Apart” from She Wants Revenge’s self-titled debut. The band saw major success but only went on to release two more albums. They seemingly broke up in 2020 only to announce they were working on new material two years later.
Justin Timberlake, ‘FutureSex/LoveSounds’
“SexyBack” is really all one needs to know about this album.
Beyonce, ‘B’Day’
When you’re part of the Beyhive, every day is ‘B’Day,’ right? Exactly, but that was also the name of Beyonce’s sophomore solo album that featured a string of hits including “Déjà Vu,” “Ring the Alarm,” and one of the best karaoke songs of all time – “Irreplaceable.”
Written by Kendra Beltran
