Who's ready?
Hey girl. What's up? Oh, yeah sorry you're only #3.
Carly Rae Jepsen is a treasure. So selfless, so talented, so pretty. If her commercial performance isn't proof that this world is ****ed then idk what is. Admittedly I always found Kiss a bit basic and overrated, but she converted me to the good side with this. A pop bible if you will, a beacon of light in the darkness of all that Meghan Trainor and Selena Gomez we endued this year. Truly selfless, giving up a year's rent to keep us fomos entertained.
The album is 80s inspired which sounds amazing already! No record captured joy as well as this did. Feelings of young love, triumphant independence and confidence all flow through you as you listen. Carly worked with many talented people, and Sia, to make this record possible and like the saint that she is, she got their best material out of them. Sia is never doing songs as good as Boy Problems & Making the Most of the Night ever again.
This is a record for the night-time, at the club, running through the empty streets at midnight with some you want to be with or just snuggled in bed. Carly understands these feelings and puts this sheer joy into song form. It's no wonder stans of miserable bitches like Florence and Lana hate her, I would too if my fave was making funeral music. Miss me please, the door is over there.
This is the best pop album of 2015 (both because it is amazing and because it has little competition in the quality pop albums category). It isn't the best album though, and I really had to nitpick to put this Top 3 in any order other than tied first. Ultimately I decided that I like every song on the two albums above this, but Carly's album has one or two stinkers. Still, it is an incredibly good album that shouldn't be brushed off just because it's bubblegum. Carly gives me hope for the future of pop music.
And just a note that Rihanna or Katy are never making an album 10% as good as this.
Stand-outs: E•MO•TION,
Boy Problems,
Warm Blood,
When I Needed You &
I Didn't Just Come Here To Dance.
Jazmine has been gone for a while now, but she's back now and she's kicking ass. Jaz returned with her good ol' classic R&B sound and I gotta say I'm a bit relieved. PBR&B is okay but I'm a much bigger fan of classic stuff. In a sea of FKA Twigs, Kelela and some white bitches that don't deserve to be named, Jazmine now stands out in a way she didn't when she left.
Jazmine's lyrics are clever and on-point, showing her sharp wit and good storytelling, look at tracks like Mascara and Brand New respectively. The lyrics are all sharp and relevant and stay so for the duration of the album. Jazmine's choice to call the album "Reality Show" makes sense, as you start to wonder if she's talking about her own life or any of the countless girls she observes on a daily basis.
The production is fine. It's never the best part of the songs for me personally, but is always there as a nice compliment, from the thumping beats on Dumb, to the smooth gliding on Let it Burn and the dramatic melody to Stanley. On the other hand, the vocals are as amazing as ever. She sounds great on each track, from the higher notes to the softer ones, from her ad-libs to her basic verses. She's a talented vocalist no doubt, and sometimes this even lets her elevate otherwise basic tracks like Silver Lining.
The album is so consistent. I love short yet stable albums, and that describes Reality Show to a T. Clocking in at 12 tracks for 45 minutes, Jazmine makes a great but not tiring listen. Seriously, R&B is getting so boring with all this samey ****, Jazmine does not fall into that trap and does things the way she knows best. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Jazmine's more ordinary take on R&B may not be everyone's taste in 2015, but it's perfect for me. I was sick of FKA Talentless anyway so welcome back Jaz love. #2 is nothing to scoff at girl, and when you look down I'm sure you'll understand why girl
Stand-outs: Mascara,
Brand New,
Let It Burn,
Stupid Girl &
Masterpiece.
Okay, I wanted to give this to a woman at first, girl-power and fighting the patriarchy and all that, but I really just could not justify picking anything over this. From the first moment I listened to this album, I knew it was album of the year.
Everything about this album works. The rapping, the samples, the lyrics, the production. It's all fcking on point, like peak era Kanye using his powers for good. Sonically, the album is flawless. The bar is set very high in the opening track and stays there over the entire journey for almost an hour and a half. The production and samples fit each song perfectly, creating the best atmospheres from disco era jams to more emotional, poignant samples. The sonic background to each song is selected perfectly and remains spotless. That alone is enough to get on this list, but it isn't alone.
Kendrick's delivery on the tracks is really good. He knows when to bring in a featured artist to do a part and when to tackle something by himself. His rapping his obviously great, good flow etc., but he goes above and beyond on some tracks. The anger on King Kunta and the emotional blubbering on
u are some of the most memorable moments of the album. He caries each song with confidence and heart, he knows the emotional value of his lyrics and plays them up perfectly. His performance is perfect to each song.
Lyrically, the album comes alive. The lyrics go to great personal depths, and retain the general appeal that made them become one with some of the movements this year. The lyrics are very piercing with the current times, but Kendrick tells us what we need to hear, this is 2015. Even the danciest of the dance tracks still are absolute gems lyrically, the album will only get better if you open your ears and listen to the lyrics on it. It's a deep listen. The poetic lyrics are just a part of it though, his whole vision for the album is impeccable. The creativity on here is just something to be applauded. The sheer range of themes, sounds and variation on here is very impressive. He created an album that works on the surface
and on a deeper level and does both of them amazingly.
The album will make you feel sombre, it will make you bounce a bit, it will make you smile, it will make you frown and most of all it will make you think. Kendrick's refusal to fall into several common pitfalls for rappers, his need to make his words heard and his amazing creativity, talent and vision are all reasons that this is the album of the year. It may never be able to be removed from 2015, but if one album represents the year it would be this.
And that's how it goes...
Stand-outs: Wesley's Theory,
These Walls,
For Sale? (Interlude),
How Much A Dollar Cost &
The Blacker The Berry.
well deserved #1!