In no order, because that might kill me:
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
What if Kanye went to 11? He attempted this Spinal-Tap-ian feat for his 5th studio album, and it was amazing. It has a little bit of everything. There's old school Kanye soul sampling, there's brilliant use of auto-tune, there's even a damn skit expertly woven into a track. An orchestral interlude? Got that. Jay-Z, Raekwon, John Legend,
even Bon Iver? Got all of them. A Gil Scott Heron spoken word piece? It closes the album. And nothing symbolizes this "everything including the kitchen sink" approach quite like the amazing
"All of the Lights." Thundering horns that make you feel like you could run through a wall, a mid-tempo piano lick, a hook from Rihanna, and appearances from another 10 artists like Kid CuDi, Ryan Leslie, and even Elton John. It shouldn't work. None of it should. But somehow, Kanye wove together everything masterfully.
Taylor Swift - Speak Now
You're not supposed to follow up your Grammy Album of the Year award winning album with one that is almost universally considered to be better. But that's just what Taylor did. The first single,
"Mine," is a wonderful marriage of the country leaning pop of Fearless with Taylor's maturing songwriting.
"Mean," inspired by a ridiculous rant from a critic about Taylor's performance at the 2010 Grammy Awards, is an absolutely brilliant slice of full blooded country. The fact that it won 2 Grammys itself is just the icing on the cake. And it's performance as part of the Speak Now Tour is one of the most incredible concert experiences you could ever have. Fan favorite
"Enchanted" is a magnificent Disney Renaissance love song just looking for it's movie.
"Dear John" a complete genius level evisceration of another musical artist, right down to the aping of his bluesy style. And I haven't even mentioned the amazing
"Last Kiss," "Never Grow Up," or
"Ours."
Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds
God tier producer Timbaland, at the absolute height of his game, with maybe the only mainstream pop star that would and could handle that level of crazy.
"My Love" might be the best pop song ever made. That beat is patently ridiculous. And
"LoveStoned/I Think She Knows" somehow contains both a bouncy dance track
and a neurotic lament.
Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer Different Park
She's one of the cheekiest and most clever songwriters working today. She works comfortably within Americana/Country but deals with subjects that would normally be taboo for those genres.
A venue full of country radio workers gave her a loud ovation for a song condoning pot use and same sex relationships. She inspired multiple articles wondering if she was the savior of country music when she had all of one officially released single to her name, the brilliant
"Merry Go 'Round."
Kanye West - Late Registration
Rappers aren't supposed to bring in one of Fiona Apple's favorite producers to work on their album. But Kanye rarely does what he's supposed to do. Late Registration feels like what Kanye wanted The College Dropout to sound like. The sound is similar, but everything is polished to a bright sheen. Kanye flits easily between insanely catchy pop (
"Gold Digger"), and dark introspection (
"Addiction"). He even got NaS and Jay-Z to appear on the same album back when that was a noteworthy achievement.