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Reeces' Best Of '08: Top 30 Albums (08-06)
08. Kanye West - 808's & Hearbreak
Released: November 24th
Genre: Pop, R&B, Hip Hop
Producers: Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker, Plain Pat, No I.D., Mr. Hudson
US Billboard 200: #1
First time I heard the album, it was alright, but it was the second time that got me hooked. Graduation was a masterpice and it made my top 5 last year, but this album is completely different and it can't be compared to anything released this year. The album relies on the voice audio processor technology of Auto-Tune and it help set an even darker mood to the album. 808's & Heartbreak revolves around his mother's unexpected death and his recent broken engagement. West decides to sing in this album rather than rap showing his feelings of hurt and anger through his lyrics. Young Jeezy and Lil' Wayne are featured in this album in two of the highlights, Amazing and See You In My Nightmares. The dark side that I was talking about is reflected in songs like Coldest Winter and Bad News. We all know Kanye is a cocky bastard, but when you make records like this, you got the right to be whatever you want.
Standout Tracks:
- "Heartless"
- "See You In My Nightmares (Feat. Lil' Wayne)"
- "Paranoid" (Feat. Mr. Hudson)
- "Robocop"
- "Coldest Winter"
- "Amazing (Feat. Young Jeezy)"
07. Beyonce - I Am...Sasha Fierce
Released: November 18th
Genre: Pop, R&B
Producers: Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, The Bama Boyz, Bangladesh, Dave McCracken, Darkchild, The-Dream, Ian Dench, Jim Jonsin, Toby Gad, Rico Love, Ryan Tedder, Sean Garrett, Stargate, Tricky Stewart
US Billboard 200: #1
This album offers two different sides of Beyonce, and it's a matter of personal taste to decide which one is better. "Beyonce" is the vulnerable, romantic, and soft side while "Sasha Fierce" shows a more aggresive and sexual side of the singer. The Beyonce side offers a different variety of heartfelt ballads, including the beautiful Disappear, Halo, and Ave Maria. The Sasha Fierce part is pretty much all club bangers enlisting top producers such as Darkchild and Sean Garrett, Radio, Single Ladies, and Sweet Drams are my favorites. Beyonce's vocals never disappoint, being very consistant in both discs whether is a ballad or an up-tempo track. I Am...Sasha Fierce definitely shows an improvement, and it's truly one of the best records of the year.
Standout Tracks
- "Halo"
- "Ave Maria"
- "If I Were A Boy"
- "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
- "Sweet Dreams"
- "Radio"
06. Madonna - Hard Candy
Released: April 29th
Genre: Dance Pop
Producers: Madonna, The Neptunes, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Danja, Pharrell.
US Billboard 200: #1
Hard Candy is up next in my list, and from what I've seen in many other lists, it is one of ATRL's favorites this year. When you enlist producers such as Timbaland and Pharrell, you already know you are gonna get a hot album with insane beats and you add Madonna's talents to the mix, and you get and amazing record. The album, overall, has an urban pop vibe, but it remains a dance pop record at heart. The up-tempo tracks give you a mix of disco and urban feel, this can be heard in collaborations with Kanye West and Justin Timberlake, Beat Goes On and 4 Minutes respectively. Her fantastic classic pop sound combined with this new sound shows in tracks such as Incredible, She's Not Me, and Heartbeat. Highlights Miles Away and the epic ballad Devil Wouldn't Recognize You add more substance to be album. Without a doubt, Hard Candy is one of the best records of the year proving that Madonna still has it.
Standout Tracks:
- "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You"
- "Beat Goes On (Feat. Kanye West)"
- "Miles Away"
- "Give It 2 Me"
- "She's Not Me"
- "Heartbeat"
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