From Beyoncé to David Bowie
2016 so far has been a year of surprises in pop music, with unexpected releases from some of the biggest artists in the industry alongside LPs from legends who are still at the top of their game. Here are 10 albums that have risen to the top of pop’s ever-more-crowded field
1
. Beyoncé, LEMONADE
Quote:
|
A stunning, expansive statement on gender and race in America, Beyoncé’s second “visual album” brings together disparate genres and musical sensibilities in a way that conforms to her singular artistic vision. While the acid-tongued “Don’t Hurt Yourself” and the vicious “Sorry” allow Beyoncé to put her scorned-woman side on full display, the sumptuous love song “All Night” provides a happy ending—and another blissed-out devotional to add to her already impressive roster.
|
2. David Bowie, Blackstar
3. Chance The Rapper, Coloring Book
4. Lucy Dacus, No Burden
5. KING, We Are KING
6. Kendrick Lamar, Untitled Unmastered
Quote:
|
After setting the Grammys aflame with a ferocious medley, the Compton-born MC Kendrick Lamar pulled off another remarkable move—he released an odds-and-sods collection that further showed off his talents as a lyricist and thinker. Even when he’s musing about being possibly in need of editing, as he does on the epic-in-miniature “untitled 07 2014-2016,” he’s flaunting how cogent he is not just compared to his contemporaries, but to all of pop. This trip through Lamar’s archives serves as an amuse-bouche for the next step in Lamar’s storied career.
|
7. Pinkshinyultrablast, Grandfeathered
8. Rihanna, Anti-
Quote:
|
The Barbadian pop princess’s eighth album was more than a surprise release-date-wise: Rihanna’s moody, emotional Anti- balanced forward-thinking megahits (the sinewy “Work,” the spiteful “Needed Me”) with tracks like the old-school tour de force “Love On The Brain,” which allowed her to show off her voice’s surprisingly wide range.
|
9. Esperanza Spalding, Emily’s D+Evolution
10. The 1975, I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It
http://time.com/4372176/best-albums-2016-so-far/
