NEW YORK - Stephen King's taste in music is more eclectic than scary.

The best-selling author reveals his seven picks for the "best albums of the year" in Entertainment Weekly's Dec. 7 issue.

"In truth, your Uncle Stevie was disappointed with this year's new music, very disappointed indeed, and his year-end list reflects that," King writes. "I could only find seven albums I wanted to mention ..."

His No. 1 pick is Steve Earle's "Washington Square Serenade," followed by Wilco's "Sky Blue Sky," Mika's "Life in Cartoon Motion" and Lyle Lovett and His Large Band's "It's Not Big It's Large."

Of Lovett's album, King says: "This is a terrific Texas swing album, but of course not everybody likes Texas swing (or even knows what it is). What makes it special is Lovett's vermouth-dry vocals and his equally dry wit."

King's fifth choice is Ozzy Osbourne's "Black Rain" - "finest heavy metal record of the year; a true speaker-buster" - followed by John Fogerty's "Revival" and Southern Culture on the Skids' "Countrypolitan Favorites."