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We all have our own system for making a list of favorite albums. All Songs Considered producer Robin Hilton goes entirely by memory. When December rolls around, which albums stand out?

We could tell early on that 2009 was going to be an outstanding year for music. Here are the top 25, as selected by All Songs Considered listeners.

Attempting to make your way into jazz is never easy, but the jazz writer and cultural critic Gary Giddins has rendered it a bit more approachable. His new book, Jazz, is a new guide for novice listeners and longtime fans alike. Giddins picks five songs from his list of 101 entry-way jazz recordings.

These are All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen's favorite albums of 2009, the records he looked to for comfort. This year, Bob needed songs with stories and melodies, not agitation or anger.

Our week of guest DJs continues with Björk. In this 2009 conversation the Icelandic singer spoke about her love of Syrian musician Omar Souleyman, fellow Icelandic artist Ólöf Arnalds and more.

Many of the innovations in today's popular Latin music are coming from younger musicians in rock, hip-hop and electronica. NPR's Felix Contreras discusses new releases from Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Novalima and CuCu Diamantes.

Notes from an unamplified double bass rank among the most beautiful man-made sounds; in jazz, the creator of those notes is always in the middle of the action, charting the harmonic direction of a band and plotting the rhythmic narrative as both an accompanist and a soloist. It's no small task, but here are five musicians who performed the duty with aplomb.

Money is on everyone's mind right now. Maybe you're worried about your own money, worried about the state of the world economy or just relieved to have a job and a paycheck. Got the money blues? Listen to these five jazz tunes — a good investment for your ears and your soul.

Jazz music was born in America in the early 20th century, evolving out of a meeting of African and European music traditions. Once the style began to develop around the world, jazz found its way back to Africa. Hear five of Africa's best jazz musicians, including Mulatu Astatke.

If you bring cheap libations, secured in steel and bathed in a tub of ice, the masses will come. For the metalhead, a kegger means it's time to get brew-tal.