POP MUSIC : THE CONSENSUS TOP 10

Bouncing back from a year in which they relinquished the spotlight to such patriarchs as Neil Young, Van Morrison and Paul Simon, rock and rap’s upstarts dominate The Times’ consensus best albums of 1991.

With the triumphant return to the wars of alternative avatars U2 and R.E.M., with a second-place tie between Nirvana (the Washington state band that went from the underground to the national Top 10 in the time it takes to play three chords) and Public Enemy (still the most exciting and articulate voice in politically charged rap), with the emergence of new faces in rap (P.M. Dawn) and rock (Dinosaur Jr.), the 1991 consensus of 13 pop reviewers is more in the spirit of the 1989 list, whose 10 entries included six debut or sophomore albums.

The results also indicate that a high profile doesn’t earn votes, as two of the year’s most visible acts made poor to moderate showings: Michael Jackson, once critically admired, didn’t get one mention for “Dangerous,” while Guns N’ Roses’ pair of albums made just three ballots. Controversy alone doesn’t cut it either--ask Ice Cube, whose “Death Certificate” received minimal support.

The restoration of Public Enemy is the balloting’s most radical turnaround--the group’s predecessor, “Fear of a Black Planet,” didn’t make the cut last year. On the flip side, the fading of Prince from critical favor went from partial to complete.

Albums are awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, nine points for second and so forth. Here is The Times’ pop music critics’ consensus Top 10, followed by their individual first-place choices for album of the year.

Artist, Title (Label) Total No. of Points Ballots 1. U2, “Achtung Baby” (Island) 49 7 2. Nirvana, “Nevermind” (DGC) 42 7 (Tie) Public Enemy, “Apocalypse 42 6 ‘91: The Empire Strikes Black” (Def Jam/Columbia) 4. R.E.M., “Out of Time” 27 5 (Warner Bros.) 5. Bonnie Raitt, “Luck of the Draw” 20 4 (Capitol) 6. Natalie Cole, “Unforgettable” 20 2 (Elektra) 7. Guns N’ Roses, “Use Your Illusion 18 2 II” (Geffen) 8. Dinosaur Jr., “Green Mind” (Sire) 15 3 (Tie) Guns N’ Roses, “Use Your 15 3 Illusion I” (Geffen) 10. P.M. Dawn, “Of the Heart, of the 14 4 Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience” (Gee Street/Island)

Mike Boehm--R.E.M., “Out of Time” (Warner Bros.) Richard Cromelin--Nirvana, “Nevermind” (DGC) Jonathan Gold--Nirvana, “Nevermind” Patrick Goldstein--Texas, “Mothers Heaven” (Mercury) Robert Hilburn--Guns N’ Roses, “Use Your Illusion II” (Geffen) Steve Hochman--Fatima Mansions, “Viva Dead Ponies” (Radioactive/MCA) Dennis Hunt--Natalie Cole, “Unforgettable” (Elektra) Connie Johnson--Natalie Cole, “Unforgettable” Kristine McKenna--Various Artists, “Bringing It All Back Home” (BBC) Elena Oumano--Massive Attack, “Blue Lines” (Virgin) Jean Rosenbluth--U2, “Achtung Baby” (Island) Don Snowden--Thomas Mapfumo, “Chamunorwa” (Mango) Chris Willman--Elvis Costello, “Mighty Like a Rose” (Warner Bros.)