Each fall, AllMusic's intrepid editors and writers present their picks for the best classical albums, out of the hundreds of CDs they reviewed over the year, and their lists are as varied as their opinions. For 2011, the choices range from the Baroque sacred music of Jan Dismas Zelenka to Michael Gordon's newly premiered percussion work, Timber, so diversity still reigns supreme in the classical department. But 2011 was also the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt's birth, so his music was strongly represented in AllMusic's coverage.

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As a classification, R&B; was debated as intensely as ever in 2011. The genre contained a multitude of sounds and approaches: pop-oriented acts more invested in hooks and modern productions than traditional songcraft, "grown folks" traditionalists, heavily hyped newcomers who were slightly left of center, and veteran artists who merely carried on, either sticking to their roots or continuing to poke at the genre's margins. In other words, there's no reason why R&B; can't be just as varied as its offspring, rock -- whether an artist is clinging to the past, absorbing cutting-edge inspirations, or doing both. That's something not understood by adults who listen to a couple hours of Top 40 radio, hear music made for a younger audience, and declare the form dead. The diverse likes of Lloyd, Marsha Ambrosius, Van Hunt, Saturn Never Sleeps, and Escort, along with dozens of other acts, maintained the genre's vitality and development throughout the year.

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If any one trait defined 2011 it was that there was no defining trait. Plenty of albums inspired discussion and generated passion but there was no consensus pick for Album or Single of the Year...with the possible exception of Adele, who topped charts around the globe and captured plenty of Grammy nominations. As good as 21 is, Adele popped up on only one of the album lists from the 19 contributing editors to Allmusic Loves 2011, which goes a long way toward illustrating how much good music was released this year. Those 19 editors chose 297 different albums as their favorites and only 59 of those records appeared on multiple lists. And the one that showed up on the most lists? Shabazz Palaces' Black Up, the first hip-hop album to be released on Sub Pop, the first of many surprises: alt-rock veterans PJ Harvey and Stephen Malkmus jutted up against left-field balladeer James Blake, retro-soul singer Raphael Saadiq, indie poppers Veronica Falls, and '90s throwback Yuck, a diverse selection proving that there was plenty of music to love in 2011.

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