(for the one album everyone should experience, regardless of year)

Ooh, that’s tough. I’m just not that loyal to albums, really. I very rarely listen to albums – I’m more of a shuffle of various artists kind of girl.

Joshua Tree is obviously one of those which if you haven’t experienced, then you really should, and you could say the same for some Bob Marley, some early Michael Jackson and some of The Cure’s output.

However, I’m going to take this category to be about illuminating about things an audience might not have encountered in the grand scheme of things, rather than plugging obvious gaps in musical knowledge.

To that end, I’d have to recommend one (or more) of the following, if only to broaden things a bit:
Ani DiFranco – Ani DiFranco
Radio Tarifa – Rumba Argelina
MC Solaar – Prose Combat
Kate Rusby – Little Lights
Sigur Ros – Sigur Ros

Not my favourite albums of all time, but some interesting sidebars in a musical lifestyle.