Top 20 Albums: 20-19 |
18-17
 | 16. Kelly Clarkson
Stronger
Released: October 21, 2011
Label: RCA, 19
US Billboard 200: #2
Tracklist:
1. Mr. Know It All
2. What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)
3. Dark Side
4. Honestly
5. You Love Me
6. Einstein
7. Standing In Front of You
8. I Forgive You
9. Hello
10. The War Is Over
11. Let Me Down
12.You Can't Win
13. Breaking Your Own Heart
* Favorite Tracks |
Album Review:
The original American Idol Kelly Clarkson makes a comeback this year with her latest effort for Stronger. Just like her previous albums, Kelly never fails to deliver consistent powerful vocals with every track from this record. First, we have the catchy lead single for ‘Mr Know It All’ which is my favorite track from the album. ‘What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)’ is up next where the song's lyric mainly explores the theme of empowerment. Kelly sings if she can be love together with her negative persona for ‘Dark Side’. She delivers her powerful vocals for ‘Honestly while she talks about herself being not good enough on the upbeat ‘You Love Me’. ’‘Einstein’ will surely catch your attention because of the title as Kelly sings “Dumb plus dumb equals you”; she also used some Mathematical terms to incorporate with the track. The next couple of tracks are the beautiful ballad ‘Standing In Front Of You’ and ‘I Forgive You’ which has the beat that resembles her old hit ‘Since U Been Gone’. Another standout track of the album is ‘Hello’ where Kelly sings about looking for attention to everyone and ‘Let Me Down’ which has a potential to be a success if it will be released. ‘Breaking Your Own Heart’ is another heartfelt ballad accompanied by a guitar making it sounds so beautiful. Stronger is predominantly a pop rock and pop music album just like on her previous efforts. With this, you can expect Kelly to own with the succeeding singles she will release. We’ll just have to wait and see.
2008: Flo Rida - Mail On Sunday
2009: Boys Like Girls - Love Drunk
2010: Eminem - Recovery
 | 15. Selena Gomez & The Scene
When The Sun Goes Down
Released: June 28, 2011
Label: Hollywood
US Billboard 200: #3
Tracklist:
1. Love You Like a Love Song
2. Bang Bang Bang
3. Who Says
4. We Own the Night (feat. Pixie Lott)
5. Hit The Lights
6. Whiplash
7. When The Sun Goes Down
8. My Dilemma
9. That's More Like It
10. Outlaw
11. Middle of Nowhere
12. Dices
* Favorite Tracks |
Album Review:
Selena Gomez finally makes an appearance in my albums list with her latest for When The Sun Goes Down. Her music has really improved over the past years as she delivers good pop songs for us to enjoy. When The Sun Goes Down is truly an enjoyable album to listen to as it can be summarized into a fun pop album. The album starts with a guilty pleasure “Love You Like A Love Song’, which took me awhile to grew on me and I did not realize I am being hypnotized to this. Selena shows a bit of sexy tune for ‘Bang Bang Bang’ while the lead single ‘Who Says’ is clearly the standout track which talks about self-empowerment. I really enjoy singing to this song because of its simple and beautiful message. Her collaboration with Pixie Lott for ‘We Own The Night’ is another good upbeat pop track. One of the highlights of the album is ‘Whiplash’, the track penned by pop princess Britney Spears while Selena gives us another party theme song for the title track ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ For ‘My Dilemma’, Selena sings about being confused whether she likes the guy or wants to forget him. She also gets another track penned by Katy Perry for ‘That's More Like It’ while the ‘Outlaw’ is another piece of good pop tune. The album ends with the Spanish version of ‘Who Says’ which is ‘Dices’ Judging from her releases this year, I have come to enjoy Selena Gomez music. When The Sun Goes Down is another stepping stone for her in the music scene as she has established herself as one of today’s hottest young female celebrity.
2008: Taylor Swift - Fearless
2009: Leona Lewis - Echo
2010: Taio Cruz - Rokstarr
 | 14. Foster The People
Torches
Released: May 23, 2011
Label: Columbia, Startime
US Billboard 200: #8
Tracklist:
1. Helena Beat
2. Pumped Up Kicks
3. Call It What You Want
4. Don't Stop (Color On The Walls)
5. Waste
6. I Would Do Anything For You
7. Houdini
8. Life On The Nickel
9. Miss You
10. Warrant
* Favorite Tracks |
Album Review:
Last for this set is the breakout indie pop group Foster The People with their debut album Torches. Like those who knew me, I’m not really into the rock category but once in a while I see great acts out there and Foster The People caught my attention this year thanks to their phenomenal hit ‘Pumped Up Kicks’. This lead me to curiosity in listening to their music and it turns out their genre is somewhat refreshing to my ears for a rock type. Torches offers only ten tracks but it still managed to place this as high on my list. ‘Helena Beat’ starts the album on a high note as it is followed by the successful hit single mentioned above. Their current hit ‘Call It What You Want’ is another catchy track which I’m pretty sure will be another huge hit. Some of the tracks here do live up to their predecessors. ‘I Would Do Anything For You’ boasts the biggest chorus from the band to date, which is already a formidable statement. One of the catchy tracks ‘Houdini ‘ is my personal favorite while the album closer ‘Warrant’ almost reaches anthem status with a bold, catchy focal point of a piano line. Torches is a feel good vibe album to listen to, Foster The People delivered a sound for rock and this made them a big hit for this year. Looking forward for what they will deliver us especially next year.
2008: The Pussycat Dolls - Doll Domination
2009: Cobra Starship - Hot Mess
2010: Train - Save Me, San Francisco
Coming Up: Top 13-11 Albums
