30 - 26 Best Albums
30. Jason Derulo - Everything is 4
Jason Derulo can do just about anything. Want To Want Me is his disco anthem, Cheyenne has him doing his best MJ impression, Love Like That is a sex romp with a relaxed, atmospheric sound, and Painkiller sounds like something the Backstreet Boys would've recorded in 2000. The Charlie Puth-produced Broke, which features Keith Urban on guitar and Stevie Wonder on harmonica, is a definite highlight.
29. Florence + the Machine - How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Florence Welch's shrieking can become grating. Furthermore, the album features some terribly boring moments (St. Jude), but there are also moments of beauty (the title track). Dramatic, hooky tracks are the real winners (What Kind of Man, Queen of Peace, Third Eye).
28. Smallpools - LOVETAP!
Sure, the back half of indie pop band Smallpool's debut contains a handful of filler, but everything up until the title song, which comes in at track #8, is pure pop bliss replete with catchiness.
27. 5 Seconds of Summer - Sounds Good Feels Good
5 Seconds of Summer's sophomore effort is a tad overstuffed and would greatly benefit with a reordering of the track list. There are a couple dull cuts (Waste the Night, San Francisco), but most of Sounds Good Feels Good follows a winning formula: pop punk rockers containing the biggest shout along choruses possible with the intention of swooning tween girls around the world.
26. Fifth Harmony - Reflection
Them Girls Be Like is a tragedy, and This is How We Roll was pulled from the dregs of Dr. Luke's various demos, but everything else is pretty satisfying, especially the sexy, electropop opener Top Down, and Worth It, the hit that snagged its hook from Jason Derulo's Talk Dirty. Overall, Fifth Harmony's debut proves the group to be competent vocalists who can take on both pop and R&B.