30. Janet Jackson - Unbreakable
I was surprised I enjoyed this album as much as I did. It's really well put together, a great collection of songs with "The Great Forever" as the highlight.
29. Troye Sivan - Blue Neighbourhood
This kid's music is so endearing and pleasant to listen to. He really knows how to use his limited musical talent. His gay-themed music videos are great as well.
28. Cœur de pirate - Roses
I really enjoy this album's soundscape. Her music video for "Crier tout bas" captures it perfectly. Plenty of beautiful gems on
Roses.
27. Dawn Richard - Blackheart
Even though I feel like she peaked with her first EP
Armor On, Dawn is still the queen of alternative R&B. This is a great record, but for me it didn't have the longevity of her other work.
26. Brandon Flowers - The Desired Effect
When I first heard "Can't Deny My Love" I was convinced that this would be Brandon's year. The next couple of promo singles only made it more obvious. But no, somehow the era ended up a flop. Still can't believe the injustice.
25. Adam Lambert - The Original High
I don't think there's an artist with worse single choices than Adam Lambert. There's awesome radio candy on
The Original High, but the people will never know. He deserves so much more.
24. Jewel - Picking Up The Pieces
Jewel went back to her old sound for this one, and at first I thought it was just okay. All of the songs grew on me though, and I can now say that this album is quite spectacular. Watch her sing
"Here When Gone" on Jimmy Kimmel, it's fantastic.
23. Jordin Sparks - Right Here Right Now
Jordin still has such an incredible and unique voice, it's so tragic that her career went down the drain. The production and writing on
Right Here Right Now felt a little cheap on first listen, but songs like are "11:11", "Silhouette" and "Left...Right?" are pretty damn amazing.
22. Madonna - Rebel Heart
The problem with
Rebel Heart is that the main album isn't that good (tracks 1 to 14), definitely not good enough to be top 40 on this list. But the deluxe and super deluxe tracks are almost all brilliant, and they alone would put it in the top 10. "Beautiful Scars" and "Messiah" are some of her best songs this century.
21. Adele - 25
I'm not crazy about Adele, but I do really like her. That's how I've always felt about her, and
25 reinforces that sentiment. This is her best album yet, even though there's nothing as amazing as "Set Fire To The Rain".