I did this last year and I liked it so I decided to do one for this year. The list is based on how much I play the whole album. It doesn't have much to do with sales, critical reception, or quality. The list isn't ranked, and it isn't up for debate. Just for fun, my favorite albums this year. =]
21 Adele (January)
21 Adele (January)
From the moment I first played "Rolling in the Deep" (for Aries Rapper/Designer, ironically) I knew I would love this album. Said to be inspired by "a deep well of Americana, music from Nashville," 21 is the sequel to Adele's soulful, stellar debut, 19. I truly have played this album the entire year. It opens perfectly with "Rolling in the Deep," goes into a full-circle story about cheating and revenge in "Rumour Has It," and on full force to "Turning Tables." Adele perfectly mixes her strength with her vulnerabilities in "Don't You Remember," "Take It All," and "One and Only." She shows that you can be a "down ass bitch" in the classiest of ways with "He Won't Go." I love every song on the album and I can identify with most of them (though, luckily, my life is not mirroring this album the way it did with 19). I still play 19 quite a bit, and I'm sure I'll be playing this for a while, too.
Original Dom Kennedy Dom Kennedy (March)
I'm almost sure this came out in March. I got it on my trip home around that time. Dom Kennedy is my favorite rapper right now. Period. OGDK takes me to a place where all I have to do is ride with the top (read: the windows) down and soak in the sunshine. "Bet You Want Me (Now)" and "CDC" are a couple of my favorite songs in general. "Can't Let Go" is the most honest and emotion "I hurt you, we broke up, I miss you" song by a rapper I can listen to. "Turn Me Out," "Designer Shit," "Nigga 4 Life..." I could go on and one. And the album artwork is inspired and amusing. I love everything about OGDK.
4 Beyonce (June)
If you've spent any amount of time reading my blog, you know that I went on a little Beyonce binge this summer. I already wrote about this album at length. Though I tried to avoid Beyonce when it was all over, I couldn't help driving down the freeway singing "Start Over" as loud as I could. "Countdown" fulfills all my hoodrat romantic desires. "End of Time" has me wishing a drumline could wake me up every morning. I likened listening to Beyonce to playing dress up as a kid. I still feel that way, but these days I'm more willing to play.
Watch The Throne Jay-Z and Kanye West (August)
This is the album that made me stop writing reviews. I will not critique it in any way. But will say, I absolutely love "Niggas in Paris," "Gotta Have It," and "Why I Love You." "Who Gon Stop Me" wakes me up every morning and "Primetime" is my ringtone. That is all.
Camp Childish Gambino (November)
So... Me and Michelle are Childish Gambino aficionados. He's not everyone's cup of tea, but our cup runs over. For serious. We love him. Still... When I first played Camp, I was driving from work or something similarly mundane, and I wasn't fully plugged in. And then about 1:45 in, the beat changes and the chorus comes in and I was stunned, stuck, hooked. Immediately alerted Michelle. I won't say too much else about it because this list isn't open for debate and oddly lil' ol' Donald has become a bit of a polarizing artist. But... I loved it.
Special: Section.80 Kendrick Lamar (July)
I know I said top five albums in rotation this year, but there is no way I can leave this off. So... Top 5 Albums and my Special Inclusion (and the Honorable Mention below. Don't judge me...) Anyway... There isn't really any profound statement I could make that would adequately explain what I feel when I listen to this. Not sappy, sentimental feelings, but... I can relate to it. Obviously everything on the list means something to me, but this might be the best album that came out all year. Almost every lyric resonates. I can't listen to "Hey" without listening to "Chapter Six." His flow is ridiculous; it dances all over "Rigamortus." I can't wait to see what Kendrick does next.
Honorable Mention: New Designer Drug J*DaVeY (November)
Fans of J*DaVey have been waiting for New Designer Drug for about 3 years. I kind of forgot so much time had passed because of the release of the Great Mistapes: Boudoir Synema and Evil Christian Cop. Then this video of Jack singing "Queen of Wonderland" surfaced. The album that followed is a really good trip, the kind you want to keep coming back to (as opposed to the kind that makes you see things and/or sit still). "Kill 4 Fun," the little ear treat at the end of "Turn the Lights Out," and "This One" are my favorites. Similar to the "special inclusion" of Section.80, I call this an "Honorable Mention" because, even though this is my list and I can do what I want, I like to stick to some kind of rules...
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