13. Eminem, Recovery
Standouts: '25 To Life', 'Love The Way You Lie', 'Not Afraid', 'Taking 2 Myself', 'No Love', 'Cinderella Man'
Originally this album was supposed to be much lower, but a few weeks ago I listened to it again, and what the hell was I thinking, this is Eminem at his best. No more gimmicks, or Eminem singing/rapping with a weird arabian accent, this is Eminem going to back to what made him famous in the first place, spitting lines like no one else can. In my opinion, Eminem made a huge comeback with this record, not because he's been absent for a long time, but because his music lost some quality, and it's back in this record, he even admits it in the top notch 'Taking 2 Myself', in which he also confesses he got jealous of all the attention Kanye and Weezy were receiving. The destructive relationship in the smash hit 'Love The Way You Lie' featuring pop princess Rihanna is full of emotion, pain, and desperation, not only the best track here, but one of the best of the year. Other outside star power comes from from 'P!nk' on 'Won't Back Down' and Lil' Wayne in one of the album's highlight, 'No Love'. Recovery is lyrically perfect as well, it deals with many concerns and very personal topics like his on going insecurities ('Going Through Changes), his inner demons ('Not Afraid'), and his discomfort with celebrity life ('Almost Famous'), to list a few examples. '25 To Life' has a beautiful chorus and Eminem uses this to his advantage and murders the verses. 2010 has been a great year for the hip-hop phenomenon, Grammy nominations, great album sales, smash hits, and all of these is very well deserved. Eminem is back and better than ever.
12. Pixie Lott, Turn It Up Louder
Standouts: 'Coming Home', 'Turn It Up', 'Broken Arrow', 'Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh), 'Gravity', 'Jack'
British star Pixie Lott, it's just not another regular pop newcomer. Unlike the majority of her peers, she can carry a tune with her tender yet very powerful voice. I got introduced to the 'moving on' anthem, 'Turn It Up', last year and I was instantly blown away, I knew I had to download the album, instead I waited for the re-release and it was worth the wait. The first track in the album and also the lead single 'Mama Do', which shot straight to the top of the UK charts, is one hell of a catchy tune as she wonder what will her parents do if they find out about her crazy relationship. It truly surprises how easily she works the up-tempos and nails the ballads at the same time, the beautiful 'Cry Me Out' and 'Gravity' are more than proof of her excellent handling of the slow tracks. Pixie Lott is not only all about the stress of relationships, but she also has a fun side, she has tracks for the clubs as well, 'Doing Fine (Without You)' and 'Boys & Girls' are too infectious tracks that define another side of the record. For the re-release of the album, Pixie Lott nails covers of some of her favorite songs, including 'Use Somebody' and 'When Love Takes Over. Not only that but she also offers a duet with 'Jason DeRulo', 'Coming Home', in which their voices blend perfectly to make a nice acoustic track. The highlight of the album comes from one of the tracks in the re-release edition, the perfectly written 'Broken Arrow', sung beautifully with lyrics that deal with an interesting topic, what do you do when you are not ready to love again because you're not over your ex but there is someone waiting for you. Turn It Up is a solid debut effort and it's safe to say Pixie Lott is one of the most interesting new talents, hope the US giver her chance one day.
11. Mike Posner, 31 Minutes To Take Off
Standouts: 'Bow Chika Wow Wow', 'Gone In September', 'Cooler Than Me', 'Please Don't Go', 'Delta 1406', 'Cheated'
Producer and singer/songwriter Mike Posner, to my surprise, released one of the best albums of the year, hands down. It's quite hard to point out a genre, all I know is that I love the sound and his smooth bluesy voice, which I strongly disliked at first, but I got used to it. 31 Minutes To Take Off is a great listen from beginning to end, and it shows different sides, from fun party tracks to a more personal and vulnerable state. The first single, 'Cooler Than Me', is extremely irresistible, one of the best offerings of the year with those electronic-pop beats 'accompanied by Posner signature take. In the up-tempo and one of the highlights, 'Cheated', Mike is brave to call out a so called '*****' by her full name as he claims he should've cheated like the tittle suggests. Funny enough, just right after this song, he switches roles in 'Gone In September', where he admits he is just trying to score and he'll be gone after he gets what he wants, very hypocritical but who cares. Other standouts include 'Bow Chika Wow Wow', which is begging to get released, I can already hear these everywhere, and the Boyz-II-Men assisted 'Deja Vu'. The album reaches an emotional point at the end of the record as he delivers a message to his dad in the heartfelt 'Delta 1406' and tries to find his way back to humility in 'Falling'. 31 Minutes To Take Off is one of those records you enjoy from beginning to end, if you like one track, you are more than likely gonna love the rest of the album. Surprisingly an A+ record.
Cannibal is also one of my favorite songs from her.
