Opening up the Top 10 is another newcomer and another surprise for me this year - Jhené Aiko and her debut LP 'Souled Out'. I instantly fell in love with this record from the first listen and I wasn't expecting it at all. It's all one can expect from a good R&B record, delivering flawless vocals and incredible productions all throughout the record with songs like
W.A.Y.S., The Pressure To Love & Die, Wading, It's Cool, Lying King and
Promises. I love what Entertainment Weekly said about this record - "The coolest party soundtrack for a parallel dimension where the future of R&B arrived a long time ago." I couldn't think of a better way to describe it. My absolute favourite track has to be
Spotless Mind, which just takes me places. I will definitely be looking out for what Jhené has to offer in the future.
Number 9 goes to Ed Sheeran and his second studio album X. What and incredible journey has this been for Ed - to go from performing on the street with his guitar, to being one of the most successful artists of 2014 in a couple of years is just mind-blowing. Maybe it's just the effect of living in the UK, but how can you not love this guy - he's just a genuine dude who loves what he does. Seeing someone like him having all this success just makes me hope that there are more artists like him. His second album is just as incredible as his first, seeing him staying true to himself with emotional records such as
One, I'm A Mess, Photograph, Bloodstream, Thinking out Loud, I See Fire and
Afire Love, but also experimenting with different sounds -
The Man and the hit singles
Sing and
Don't.
Number 8 this year goes to Mary J Blige and her stunning 'The London Sessions'. I've never been a fan of Mary's music, so this one comes as a big surprise for me. As hinted by the album's name, Mary worked with the top British songwriters and producers for this one, including Emeli Sandé, Sam Smith and Disclosure, and the result is more than amazing. There's not a single bad song in this record, which is so incredibly varied but flows together perfectly at the same time. It's emotional and raw, but shows a new, disco side of the R&B diva which fits her vocals incredibly. Highlights for me include
Therapy, When You're Gone, Right Now, My Loving, Whole Damn Year, Nobody But You and
Follow.
At Number 7 is Ariana Grande with her second studio album 'My Everything'. A pop record at it's best, My Everything is a great collection of songs that showcase Ariana's vocals -
One Last Time, Best Mistake with Big Sean,
My Everything, and can get you on the dance floor -
Problem with Iggy Azalea,
Break Free with Zedd,
Love Me Harder with The Weeknd,
Be My Baby with Cashmere Cat. A little cliché at times, Ariana's second record is amazing at its highs, but falls a bit short at its lows. It is clear that this record may not stand the test of time as it already feels a bit forgotten, but it was good while it was fresh. Still, it is an enjoyable listen, and helped Ariana in establishing herself as a name in the industry, which is what counts the most after all. I'm curious to see what's next for her.
Last for this update, it's Nicki Minaj and 'The Pinkprint' at Number 6. While I wasn't completely sold on this album from the single releases that we got before the album, Nicki proved me wrong and delivered her best album to date. While it was and easy task to top her previous release, which failed to reach the greatness of 'Pink Friday', 'The Pinkprint' is everything one can expect from a Nicki Minaj record and then some. It is a surprisingly raw record with songs like
All Things Go, I Lied, The Crying Game opening up the album in an unexpectedly emotional way, with
Bed of Lies and
Grand Piano doing the same at the end of the record. As always, collaborations are stellar, including
Get On Your Knees with Ariana Grande,
Feeling Myself with Beyoncé and
Only with Chris Brown, Drake and Lil' Wayne, which are also one of the stronger tracks on the album. And can I just say, **** the people who say it doesn't give sense of who she is - who says you have to be only one thing? We are complex as human beings and just like that Nicki can be pop, hip-hop, dance and whatever the **** she wants. Overall, 'The Pinkprint' is totally a step in the right direction - it made me go from just liking her to LOVING her not only as a performer, but as a person as well.