5. Mariah Carey - Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse
Who'd have thought Mariah would release her best album yet, 25 years into her career? Especially after all the messy delays and "promo" singles? And the state of her vocal cords? But somehow she managed to do it. Every single one of her previous albums has some kind of flaw, one or more filler tracks that you always have to skip. But not this one. Even the bonus tracks of
Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse are flawless. Not once does this album disappoint, it's one great song after another. From the gorgeous "#Beautiful", the bopping "Meteorite", to the epic "Heavenly (No Ways Tired/Can't Give Up Now)", this is a truly unforgettable record.
4. Graffiti6 - The Bridge
Jamie Scott and producer Tommy D shocked me in 2010 when they released that year's best album
Colours. Since then Jamie found fame and fortune by writing many songs for One Direction, and I didn't think the Graffiti6 project had much of a future. I was so wrong.
The Bridge is even better than
Colours, it's a true masterpiece of pop. The tight songwriting, the epic production, Jamie's awesome voice. It all comes together on here. Just listen to the awesome title track, or "Beside You", "Separate Lives", "Washed My Sins"... any track, basically.
3. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
After the disappointing
Paradise EP, Lana Del Rey seemed destined to join the long list of artists who peaked with their debut album. Fortunately she proved me wrong by releasing
Ultraviolence, one of the best English-language albums of all time. She impresses in all areas, her gorgeous vocals, the incredible melodies, the intriguing lyrics. And the production is far better than on
Born To Die. The album starts a little slow, but it's just the calm before the storm. "Money Power Glory", "Old Money" and "The Other Woman" form an unreal triple punch.
2. Indila - Mini World
Back in February I already knew this would be a special year in music when I listened to Indila's
Mini World. I really liked the lead single "Dernière Danse", which was a huge hit in France and several other countries, but it did not prepare me for how amazing this album is. Indila has ancestors in pretty much every continent, and you can hear that in her voice and her music. The climax of "Tourner Dans Le Vide" transcends space and time, "Boîte En Argent" kills you with its beauty, MJ is smiling from heaven as she stomps through the "They Don't Care About Us"-inspired "Ego", and her music becomes its own religion through the magnificent title track. Indila is truly something else.
1. Tiziano Ferro - TZN - The Best of Tiziano Ferro
Normally I'd hesitate to include greatest hits albums, but
TZN contains 14 new songs, and those alone are enough to destroy even Indila's formidable competition. Lead single "Senza Scappare Mai Più" was already incredible, but his first folk song (and second single) "Incanto" is even better. And that still isn't as good as "Il Vento", a song he wrote in 2000 that didn't make it on his debut album. He re-recorded it for
TZN, and it's so beautiful and epic, I've been addicted to it for weeks now.
And those are just some of the new gems on this collection. Let's not forget that it also contains all 28 of his hit singles, each one timeless and amazing. Yeah, in terms of music releases, this is easily the best one in all of history.
Even more exciting is that Tiziano already has enough songs written for two new studio albums. Being a fan of this guy is so rewarding, the endless amazing music, the incredible talent... There will never be anyone else like him, of that I'm sure.
And that concludes the top albums, top 100 songs coming soon!