FAVORITE LYRIC
But it's hard to breathe when you're touching me there / Hard to breathe when you're kissing me there / Hard to breathe when you're not here
COMMENTARY
I know everyone loved My Everything, but I found it to be incredibly inconsistent. While Love Me Harder and One Last Time are two of my favorite songs ever, there was a ton of filler there. This isn’t the case with Dangerous Woman, Ariana’s first really stellar album. With only one bad song on the entire track list (Let Me Love You), Ari found her groove here, even if her mature turn lyrically/musically is still somewhat at odds with her youthful image. I’m glad Ari served an album of BOPS, although I’m hoping for more ballads for LP4.
FAVORITE LYRIC
Said I'd be gone by five / But it's sunrise and I'm still in your bed / Goodnight usually means goodbye / Me re-playing memories in my head
COMMENTARY
While I was a casual fan of Alicia Keys’s first couple albums, she really won me over with As I Am, one of my favorite R&B albums. While the albums that followed weren’t as cohesive for me, I still liked songs here and there. Fortunately, Alicia turned me back into a stan this year by releasing In Common, the best song of her career. The vibe is incredible, her understated vocal in the verses is perfect, and even the music video is cute. I’ll never forgive humankind for letting this flop.
FAVORITE LYRIC
Conversation running through my head / ’Til I get stuck on one thing you should not have said, what you said / And now it’s all I can think about
COMMENTARY
Throughout this list I’ve referenced several debut albums that instantly turned me into a stan (Mariah, Shawn, Emeli, Banks, etc.). This is one of those albums. I first heard Shura by accident; I was listening to a UK radio station waiting to hear a song premiere and the station played Shura’s Make It Up. I’ve been stanning for her debut album Nothing’s Real ever since. I know y’all won’t know this: just go look up my highlights and dance your heart out. (Or cry a little to the reliability of 2Shy.)
Albums:
The first half of The Altar was good Your trinity all being from there
WALLS Dangerous Woman All I Need
Body Talk, If You Leave Me Now, Amazing, WALLS, Waste a Moment, Into You among your highlights
FAVORITE LYRIC
Didn't they tell you that I was a savage? / F**k your white horse and a carriage
COMMENTARY
The night I downloaded ANTI, I immediately listened to the full album and decided Kiss It Better was my favorite song. But over time, the truly best song of the album emerged: Needed Me. This is simply a 100% perfect song. The lyrics. The production. The vocal performance. The humming at the end. NM is not only Rihanna's best urban song, but truly one of her best songs ever. I can't imagine ever getting tired of this masterpiece and am so glad it became another hit for Rihanna.
Dangerous Woman 
All I Need 
