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In a year that saw pop comebacks aplenty, Macca hitting the headlines for more than just his tunes and Girls Aloud make it on to the girl band all time top ten we look back at what rocked our worlds in 2006.

Lily Allen
Keith Allen might have done his bit for Britpop back in the day but that had no bearing whatsoever on the amazing riches to riches story of his daughter Lily.  Starting off with a tune or two on MySpace, Ms Allen and her acid tongue soon became a post 7/7 phenomenon.  LDN put a big ol’ grin on the face of even the most hard hearted of the capital’s commuters while her clever rhymes and quirky dress sense captured the imaginations of the rest of the UK.

Robbie Raps & The Take That Comeback
Would he or wouldn’t he?  When Take That reunited at the end of 2005 it looked unlikely that the Robster would be joining them on stage again.  Then the rumours started – he’d be on stage for one song, they were together in the studio again, he’d kissed and made up with Gary Barlow.  Of course, none of it was true and while TT returned to the stage and the charts in spectacular style with only a holographic Rob for company, the man himself insisted on rapping again for his new album.

Emo
While for the over 30s Emo might bring to mind falsetto voiced be-wigged comedians, to the world’s teens Emo is life.  A musical genre first emerging over the pond in the ‘80s and ‘90s it has been bubbling under ever since with the likes of Jimmy Eat World and At The Drive-In gaining popularity.  However, as the noughties have raged on Emo has exploded in a mushroom of black eyeliner, fingerless gloves and grubby backpacks.  The soundtrack?  My Chemical Romance, Funeral for a Friend, Bright Eyes and Death Cab for Cutie.

Gnarls Barkley & The Digital Revolution
When BBC Radio One picked out Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy as the sound of Zane Lowe in early 2006 little could they have known that it would become the biggest tune of the decade so far.  Not only that but, by hitting the top spot on April 2, the song became the first ever to reach no. 1 by download sales alone….there for a massive nine weeks it was the first to spend that length of time at the top since Wet Wet flippin’ Wet.

Hasidic Rap…yes, really
What does one think of when faced with the idea of a Hasidic Jew?  Peyes?  Fedoras?  Whatever it is it probably isn’t hip hop, or for that matter, reggae.  But here, straight out of shul come Ta-Shma, Matisyahu and Hip Hop Hoodios.  Matisyahu, aka Brooklyn’s Matthew Paul Miller has been hitting the headlines all year as he walks the line between traditional Jewish community and the world of rap.  What, he couldn’t be a doctor like everyone else?

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