Albums

 

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11 Sia - This Is Acting - 5-8-10-11-12-14-X-1-2-6-9-… (10+ non-consecutive weeks)

12 Meghan Trainor - Thank You - 1-4-7-7-8-9-9-10-11-12-12-10-12-13-14-15-X (16 weeks)

13 AlunaGeorge - I Remember - 2-5-6-8-14-X (5 weeks)

14 Foxes - All I Need - 1-3-4-6-8-11-15-X (7 weeks)

15 JoJo - Mad Love. - 2-3-4-5-8-5-… (6+ weeks)

 

Moving quickly towards the business end now! JoJo is at #15 with her first album in 10 years, just one place above the album that blocked it from #1! Mad Love is her best album to date, it's consistent and cohesive, much more so than her self-titled debut and the follow-up The High Road. She's yet to top the wonderful Too Little, Too Late though :heart: Highlights from Mad Love include lead single Fuck Apologies, FAB, Reckless, Good Thing and Rise Up.

 

JoJo has the second highest album in the countdown not to make my top spot - the highest coming from AlunaGeorge. I Remember is their second album and the follow-up to Body Music, which only got to #15 in my album chart as I found it a bit boring actually! A huge improvement from their debut but it wasn't enough to take the top spot, losing out to a new entry from Shawn Mendes with Illuminate, which is still to come.

 

In between the two #2s is one of the earliest #1s of the year from Foxes. All I Need improved on the #7 peak of her debut album Glorious, with highlights including the three singles, Cruel (not sure if that was also a single? I got confused :lol:) and Shoot Me Down. Overall I find it a much better effort than her debut, and of course it underperformed despite three fantastic singles :(

 

Meghan Trainor managed to feature in my EOY top 10 with her debut album Title last year, but just misses out with the follow-up this year. Thank You is a less good album than its predecessor but includes NO, my favourite Meghan track to date! Other highlights include Kindly Calm Me Down, Champagne Problems and Woman Up, but it's a fun album packed with personality which is why I love Meghan.

 

Finally, just missing the top 10 is an album that's had a very late surge recently. This Is Acting by Sia almost went by unnoticed at the start of the year, with a #5 peak and a swift decline out of the chart, but with the release of the recent deluxe edition following huge smash hits Cheap Thrills and The Greatest (two of my favourites by her), I gave the album another go and quite frankly, I don't know why I wasn't so fussed at first! Highlights are, aside from the two I just mentioned: Move Your Body, One Million Bullets and Confetti.

 

Next: the top 10, including the following albums:

 

All Saints - Red Flag

Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman

Benjamin - Fingerprints

Britney Spears - Glory

Charlie Puth - Nine Track Mind

Delta Goodrem - Wings of the Wild

Fifth Harmony - 7/27

Little Mix - Glory Days

Shawn Mendes - Illuminate

Tom Odell - Wrong Crowd

Hi Joseph, another year over so soon. Excited to see what's still to come, especially seeing as some of my faves are dropping out already :(

 

Sad to see Joanne dropping out so early and hearing you say you were disappointed with it. For me, it's probably her strongest album yet because I don't really find any of the tracks particularly weak. Diamond Heart and A-yo especially are amongst her best yet!

 

Thank You was really disappointing for me, her last album was brimming with personality and fun but nothing particularly grabbed from this and I hardly went back to it much at all. It was all solid stuff (aside from the abysmal Me Too) but it was definitely missing the same catchy hooks and vibrancy of her debut.

 

The Foxes album was actually surprisingly good, definitely stronger than Glorious was for me and it's a shame that this era has been so poor for her commercially. I think Cruel was probably my absolute favourite from the album. I doubt we'll be seeing much more from her in the future unfortunately. :(

 

Lovely stuff Joseph!

Very pleased to see This is Acting make an appearance! Certainly one of my favourites and a contender for album of the year. Doesn't quite hit the highs as high or as often as 1000 Forms of Fear but I feel like it is more consistent throughout. 'Broken Glass' could quite easily be my favourite Sia song; I get goosebumps every time and it's rare that I get that from songs so long after first listen.

 

Glory and Dangerous Woman to slay your Top 10!

 

I'm not sure my commentary really did Joanne justice but unfortunately I've only given it one spin so far, it's on my list of albums to revisit but whilst it was most definitely a nice album and her most cohesive to date, nothing much really stood out to me, which is why ARTPOP has the edge - some duds of course but some really huge songs on that one for me! I'm sure Haus will be badgering me into a listen-through as soon as he reads this :ph34r:

 

This era feels very low-key for Jake Bugg so far, he's had less Radio 1 support than usual I guess and the album felt like it came and went without much of a trace! It's not a bad album at all, just a bit more "same old same old" for the most part (and a couple of iffy tracks).

I'd definitely say give it another try. I was the same and found that little stood out to me on first listen but it works on you and you begin to appreciate the subtleties of the production and the focus on the lyrics. I think I'd agree that ARTPOP has a few higher highs but it's the care and attention in Joanne that makes it a better album for me.

 

Yes, the support does feel incredibly muted - to the point where you'd be forgiven for forgetting he'd even released an album this year. I thought it was a good idea to release the album in festival season instead of releasing in the run up to Christmas again (which I think would have ended up backfiring on him anyway) but I guess the material just wasn't up to scratch. As you said and from what I've heard of the album, it is very samey, just with the lack of spark his first two albums had. Hopefully he can turn it around with his next.

Hi Joseph, another year over so soon. Excited to see what's still to come, especially seeing as some of my faves are dropping out already :(

 

Sad to see Joanne dropping out so early and hearing you say you were disappointed with it. For me, it's probably her strongest album yet because I don't really find any of the tracks particularly weak. Diamond Heart and A-yo especially are amongst her best yet!

 

Thank You was really disappointing for me, her last album was brimming with personality and fun but nothing particularly grabbed from this and I hardly went back to it much at all. It was all solid stuff (aside from the abysmal Me Too) but it was definitely missing the same catchy hooks and vibrancy of her debut.

 

The Foxes album was actually surprisingly good, definitely stronger than Glorious was for me and it's a shame that this era has been so poor for her commercially. I think Cruel was probably my absolute favourite from the album. I doubt we'll be seeing much more from her in the future unfortunately. :(

 

Lovely stuff Joseph!

Hey Josh! :D I know right, where has this year gone? :o Rest assured that plenty of goodness is still to come! *.*

 

A-Yo seems to be getting a mixed reaction but I really liked it and it was probably my standout on the listen I've had! :lol: Definitely agree that there's nothing particularly weak but also sadly it doesn't match the highs all of the other albums had. On reflection it's probably better than Born This Way actually, I relistened to that recently and beyond a few highlights, I didn't enjoy it so much :( The Fame Monster is definitely her peak for me!

 

Thank You is definitely a disappointing effort following Title which is unique and standout I think among the pop market of recent times. NO is my favourite Meghan song to date though I must admit so that's a positive, and I think Kindly Calm Me Down could've been a winter smash :(

 

I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed All I Need, I mean I liked Glorious and the singles this era were very promising but it proved to be a very solid album as well! It's a shame she doesn't seem to capture the public's imagination, Cruel really should've been a big hit :(

 

Thank you!! :D

 

Very pleased to see This is Acting make an appearance! Certainly one of my favourites and a contender for album of the year. Doesn't quite hit the highs as high or as often as 1000 Forms of Fear but I feel like it is more consistent throughout. 'Broken Glass' could quite easily be my favourite Sia song; I get goosebumps every time and it's rare that I get that from songs so long after first listen.

 

Glory and Dangerous Woman to slay your Top 10!

I'd definitely say give it another try. I was the same and found that little stood out to me on first listen but it works on you and you begin to appreciate the subtleties of the production and the focus on the lyrics. I think I'd agree that ARTPOP has a few higher highs but it's the care and attention in Joanne that makes it a better album for me.

 

Yes, the support does feel incredibly muted - to the point where you'd be forgiven for forgetting he'd even released an album this year. I thought it was a good idea to release the album in festival season instead of releasing in the run up to Christmas again (which I think would have ended up backfiring on him anyway) but I guess the material just wasn't up to scratch. As you said and from what I've heard of the album, it is very samey, just with the lack of spark his first two albums had. Hopefully he can turn it around with his next.

I think overall I prefer This Is Acting to 1000 Forms of Fear, particularly with the addition of The Greatest and Confetti (and Cheap Thrills with Sean Paul *.*), but both are solid albums for sure! A definite case of a slow burner with TIA, finally hitting me after ages :lol: Broken Glass is just fantastic, most singers these days wish they could sing as well as Sia does on that track.

 

That's interesting to hear actually re. Joanne, thanks! I'll have to give it another go, like I said I'm sure Haus will be pestering me to have a re-listen together at some point :heehee: I'll definitely agree on Joanne having more care and attention shown, she seems to have a real idea of her sound this time whereas ARTPOP was just a bit of a mess as a full package.

 

I'd totally agree with all of that! It was smart for him to avoid Q4, that was a mistake with Shangri La for sure, but he's definitely done most of the stuff from this album much better in the past, and some of the more experimental tracks just don't work :( a shame but it's a nice listen nonetheless!

 

Thanks Liam :D

Albums

 

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9 Little Mix - Glory Days - 1-1-… (2+ weeks)

10 Delta Goodrem - Wings of the Wild - 1-1-1-2-4-6-8-5-6-9-13-13-10-12-12-15-X (16 weeks)

 

Into the top 10 now and we kick things off with Delta Goodrem, one of the most successful artists in the history of my chart. Delta's fifth abum Wings of the Wild was announced just a week before its release, and comes about three and a half years after her last album Child of the Universe. Wings of the Wild contains four singles that hit #1 in my chart - Only Human, Wings, Dear Life and Enough, the latter two will be featuring in my songs chart later on. Wings of the Wild is a solid album, Delta rarely disappoints and it sounds like she's been able to mix her classic piano-based sound with some more current influences, something she tried to do with 2013's Heart Hypnotic but whilst that was good, it felt less natural to me. Wings of the Wild just proves why Delta is one of the most successful artists of all-time in her home country of Australia, and it's yet another great album, pretty much on par with the last one I think!

 

Just above Delta is my current weekly chart #1 from Little Mix. Before recently, they hadn't had a #1 album in my chart (or the UK for that matter), moving 4-3-2 with their last three albums. Glory Days has continued the trend, entering at #1 and so far spending two weeks at the top. It includes the #2 single Shout Out to My Ex, and likely upcoming single Touch which has already made it to #1 in my chart. Glory Days is a really fun pop album, and without a doubt my favourite Little Mix album to date! There's a variety of styles, including the Meghan Trainor penned You Gotta Not and the Black Widow-soundalike Down & Dirty. It's amazing to see the girls still reaching new levels of popularity with the public on their fourth album, and I cannot wait to see them live on their tour next year performing this album!

Glory Days is really fantastic, glad you're enjoying it so much too. I also appreciate how varied it all is with Touch, Oops, FU and No More Sad Songs in my top 5 with SOTME. So happy with how successfull they've been this era already, I hope they can get a few more top 10 hits from it yet!

Glory Days is really fantastic, glad you're enjoying it so much too. I also appreciate how varied it all is with Touch, Oops, FU and No More Sad Songs in my top 5 with SOTME. So happy with how successfull they've been this era already, I hope they can get a few more top 10 hits from it yet!

 

I think we're spot on with our top 5s actually! :o Really great album, so glad you're enjoying it :wub:

Albums

 

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7 Fifth Harmony - 7/27 - 1-1-2-3-4-5-5-6-6-8-9-9-10-11-13-15-X-3-10-12-X (19 non-consecutive weeks)

8 Shawn Mendes - Illuminate - 1-1-1-4-4-1-3-3-3-4-... (10+ weeks)

 

Shawn Mendes has been one of the defining stars of 2016 for me, with both his debut album Handwritten and new album Illuminate. The former isn't eligible for this list after it featured (way too low down) last year, but I've been appreciating it more since the start of the year, after initially finding it a bit dull. I thought the same of Illuminate when it got released actually, but within a few plays each song began to differentiate itself and it grew and grew on me with each play. Highlights, alongside the two singles of course, are No Promises, Patience, Ruin and Bad Reputation plus others. My one criticism is that I wish it had some more uptempos a bit like Treat You Better!

 

The second of three girl group albums now, coming from US group Fifth Harmony. Camila, Dinah Jane, Normani, Ally and Lauren had a #1 album at the start of last year with Reflection, and managed to begin a #1s streak as they achieved a second one earlier this year with the much better 7/27. Housing the #1s (in my chart) Work from Home and All In My Head (Flex), I somehow didn't expect to enjoy 7/27 as much as I did, but there are almost no duds, a really great album. Among the best non-singles are Gonna Get Better, The Life and Scared of Happy but honestly I like basically every song on the standard and deluxe.

I also found Handwritten very boring and although that never really grew on me, Illuminate certainly did. I agree with all of your highlight picks there too, especially Ruin which I think would make a great future single. I do agree with your uptempos criticism though, TYB and Stitches are by far his best two tracks for me and it's a shame they're really the only two of that kind. I'm kind of obsessed with Shawn at the moment though too, seems like a great guy and the music is there to match so what's not to like :lol: :heehee:

I also found Handwritten very boring and although that never really grew on me, Illuminate certainly did. I agree with all of your highlight picks there too, especially Ruin which I think would make a great future single. I do agree with your uptempos criticism though, TYB and Stitches are by far his best two tracks for me and it's a shame they're really the only two of that kind. I'm kind of obsessed with Shawn at the moment though too, seems like a great guy and the music is there to match so what's not to like :lol: :heehee:

 

Cheers Josh! :D Handwritten grew on me when I was able to give it my undivided attention so I could pay attention to the lyrics, and it was the same for Illuminate too actually! Ruin has really grown on me since I first heard it, would back it being a single although No Promises is crying out for a release I think! I'd love him to do a few more like Stitches and TYB, I agree that they're his two best so it's a shame his music isn't generally like that! He is amazing though, he comes across so level-headed too which is amazing for someone with all that success!

Albums

 

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5 All Saints - Red Flag - 2-1-3-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-7-7-8-8-9-8-9-10-6-9-10-12-14-15-15-X-1-5-8-12-X (29 non-consecutive weeks)

6 Charlie Puth - Nine Track Mind - 1-1-2-2-2-3-5-4-5-8-10-10-12-8-10-12-12-4-6-9-11-11-13-14-14-14-15-15-15-X-14-... (30+ non-consecutive weeks)

 

Just missing the top 5 is the debut album from Charlie Puth. Nine Track Mind surprised me earlier this year - I liked Marvin Gaye and One Call Away but didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did! We Don't Talk Anymore was my instant highlight, and was pleased when it was already being rumoured as the third single around that time (about 5-6 months before it actually impacted :lol:), but I found most of it to be quite strong. I saw Charlie live in May with Jáhq and had a great time, he came across really well and sounded incredible. One of the defining breakout stars of 2016 for me as I'll elaborate on later on!

 

Releasing their first album in 10 years, All Saints managed to far surpass pretty much everyone's expectations with their fourth album Red Flag earlier this year. It's undoubtedly their best album to date, quite impressive for a group so far into their career! I've always been a fan of All Saints, Rock Steady is my favourite of theirs and it was the first song of theirs I heard actually, and of course I love the classics Never Ever and Pure Shores. One Strike, the lead single from Red Flag, is good enough to rival this holy All Saints trinity, you can tell they're making the music they want to make, with the themes being mature and reflecting on past relationships, between men and notably themselves (they originally split because they didn't get on :lol:). Red Flag's highlights include the three singles One Strike, This is a War and One Woman Man, plus Make U Love Me, Who Hurt Who, Puppet On a String, Red Flag and of course the amazingly bonkers Ratchet Behaviour. I realise I've listed 8 out of the 12 tracks on the album there :ph34r: They were amazing to see live in October too, their interaction was top notch and the crowd were really into it!

:hi: I am just on time as always it seems :cool:

 

EPs~

 

Jai Waetford is my fave *.* Still loving 'Waves' off it :music:

 

ALBUMS~

 

23 Lady Gaga - Joanne - 3-7-9-13-X (4 weeks) err :/ it's because we haven't soshed it together :snif: can we sosh it together soon x

25 Rihanna - ANTI - 5-4-7-10-11-12-14-X (7 weeks) woop slay rihrih

26 Carly Rae Jepsen - E•MO•TION Side B - 3-6-8-13-X (4 weeks) you find this overrated and hate her :(

27 Alyssa Reid - Phoenix - 3-7-9-X (3 weeks) ;o need to peep stuff from her this era

 

17 Fleur East - Love, Sax and Flashbacks - 3-6-6-6-8-11-12-X (7 weeks) some fab moments in this *.*

18 Banks - The Altar - 2-7-13-X (3 weeks) :wub: :wub: :wub:

20 Beyoncé - Lemonade - 7-5-7-9-10-12-15-X (7 weeks) sort of over this bar 1 / 2 sangs Lol

 

11 Sia - This Is Acting - 5-8-10-11-12-14-X-1-2-6-9-… (10+ non-consecutive weeks) yasss <3 <3

12 Meghan Trainor - Thank You - 1-4-7-7-8-9-9-10-11-12-12-10-12-13-14-15-X (16 weeks) [n]No[/b]

15 JoJo - Mad Love. - 2-3-4-5-8-5-… (6+ weeks) thought this was going to be higher :o

 

9 Little Mix - Glory Days - 1-1-… (2+ weeks) strong showing for this and so soon too *.

 

7 Fifth Harmony - 7/27 - 1-1-2-3-4-5-5-6-6-8-9-9-10-11-13-15-X-3-10-12-X (19 non-consecutive weeks)

8 Shawn Mendes - Illuminate - 1-1-1-4-4-1-3-3-3-4-... (10+ weeks)

 

^ woop this two

 

5 All Saints - Red Flag - 2-1-3-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-7-7-8-8-9-8-9-10-6-9-10-12-14-15-15-X-1-5-8-12-X (29 non-consecutive weeks) :wub: such a lovely surprise how this album grabbed me, what a beauty <3

 

 

ALL CAUGHT UP. Will try to keep up to date from now *i won't*

Hi Ball, thanks for the huge catch-up :heart:

 

23. I know I know, I'm a flop :( but yes we absolutely WILL sosh it soon *.*

26. excuse me I am the original Carly stan :D

15. JoJo may have been higher with a bit more time to listen but it's still a pretty FAB. showing I think :heart:

9. yass LM *.* shame you hate it because you love Get Weird :(

5. I am so delighted you've been loving Red Flag as much as me this year, I've been enjoying it even more sharing it with you :heart:

I had a pretty muted reaction to Glory Days on first listen, but I've began to pick out my favourites now and there's some really catchy pop moments on there - surprisingly towards the end of the album, specifically the chain of 'Private Show', 'Nothing Else Matters' and 'Beep Beep'. I think Get Weird will remain my favourite as it has more highlights and is consistently good throughout. Aside from 'F.U.' which I love, I find the ballads on this quite dull, despite them being one of the strong points to their previous album.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by the standard of Shawn Mendes' album. I gave it a listen, assuming I'd just pick out a couple of songs I liked, but it was a pretty enjoyable listen. It's the definition of 'samey' yet I didn't feel bored at any point. Certainly helps that my favourite tracks are towards the end, so that would deter any boredom I'd possibly feel. It's far from being the definitive stripped-back-singer-songwriter album, but the songs, particularly the last three tracks for me, just have something very endearing about them.

 

Love that you're a big fan of 'Rock Steady' too! Red Flag isn't one of my favourites of the year but it did supply some strong singles for a band who were last truly relevant in the early 00s. They picked the singles perfectly and it definitely feels like a case of "if someone relevant released this, it would be a hit".

 

I think overall I prefer This Is Acting to 1000 Forms of Fear, particularly with the addition of The Greatest and Confetti (and Cheap Thrills with Sean Paul *.*), but both are solid albums for sure! A definite case of a slow burner with TIA, finally hitting me after ages :lol: Broken Glass is just fantastic, most singers these days wish they could sing as well as Sia does on that track.

 

That's interesting to hear actually re. Joanne, thanks! I'll have to give it another go, like I said I'm sure Haus will be pestering me to have a re-listen together at some point :heehee: I'll definitely agree on Joanne having more care and attention shown, she seems to have a real idea of her sound this time whereas ARTPOP was just a bit of a mess as a full package.

 

I'd totally agree with all of that! It was smart for him to avoid Q4, that was a mistake with Shangri La for sure, but he's definitely done most of the stuff from this album much better in the past, and some of the more experimental tracks just don't work :( a shame but it's a nice listen nonetheless!

 

Thanks Liam :D

I wasn't actually too blown away my some of the deluxe tracks. They're all great of course, but I didn't feel like I'd be missing anything by not owning the deluxe album, especially as I already have the original. That said, 'Confetti' was definitely the main standout and one I'd welcome on the main tracking list, the remix of 'Move Your Body' sounds like a mega hit in waiting (even if it would drive Sia further away from the artist she always used to be) and 'The Greatest' proved to having strong sticking power with me, even if I was initially underwhelmed. Completely agree about 'Broken Glass'; it's just faultless and it's a shame it doesn't seem like it will see the light of days as a single.

 

I'm counting on Haus to convince you to like the album! :D I do think some songs will grow on you, if not the full album itself. I think the album will probably be more highly regarded as time goes on and people look back on Gaga's career, much like what people do with Madonna albums that weren't initially well-received, and the fact it's much more focused than ARTPOP will work in its favour.

I had a pretty muted reaction to Glory Days on first listen, but I've began to pick out my favourites now and there's some really catchy pop moments on there - surprisingly towards the end of the album, specifically the chain of 'Private Show', 'Nothing Else Matters' and 'Beep Beep'. I think Get Weird will remain my favourite as it has more highlights and is consistently good throughout. Aside from 'F.U.' which I love, I find the ballads on this quite dull, despite them being one of the strong points to their previous album.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by the standard of Shawn Mendes' album. I gave it a listen, assuming I'd just pick out a couple of songs I liked, but it was a pretty enjoyable listen. It's the definition of 'samey' yet I didn't feel bored at any point. Certainly helps that my favourite tracks are towards the end, so that would deter any boredom I'd possibly feel. It's far from being the definitive stripped-back-singer-songwriter album, but the songs, particularly the last three tracks for me, just have something very endearing about them.

 

Love that you're a big fan of 'Rock Steady' too! Red Flag isn't one of my favourites of the year but it did supply some strong singles for a band who were last truly relevant in the early 00s. They picked the singles perfectly and it definitely feels like a case of "if someone relevant released this, it would be a hit".

 

I wasn't actually too blown away my some of the deluxe tracks. They're all great of course, but I didn't feel like I'd be missing anything by not owning the deluxe album, especially as I already have the original. That said, 'Confetti' was definitely the main standout and one I'd welcome on the main tracking list, the remix of 'Move Your Body' sounds like a mega hit in waiting (even if it would drive Sia further away from the artist she always used to be) and 'The Greatest' proved to having strong sticking power with me, even if I was initially underwhelmed. Completely agree about 'Broken Glass'; it's just faultless and it's a shame it doesn't seem like it will see the light of days as a single.

 

I'm counting on Haus to convince you to like the album! :D I do think some songs will grow on you, if not the full album itself. I think the album will probably be more highly regarded as time goes on and people look back on Gaga's career, much like what people do with Madonna albums that weren't initially well-received, and the fact it's much more focused than ARTPOP will work in its favour.

 

Glory Days was love at first listen for me actually! :o Get Weird took a few more listens to really cement itself as a favourite of mine, but Glory Days took only the one, so many potential singles there for me! Beep Beep is actually my least favourite, I find it a tad annoying :kink: I agree on the ballads, they're normally excellent with them but F.U. aside, I think they miss the mark this time round. Touch (acoustic) is a huge highlight though actually so that makes up for it in my eyes! :lol:

 

I'm glad you're another fan of Illuminate! Like you say, it is "samey" so to speak, but I think Shawn knows what does and doesn't work for him. Each of the songs has his own charm to them, and I agree that it gets particularly good near the end of the album.

 

Rock Steady feels quite underrated in their disocgraphy tbh! Understabdly I guess when Never Ever and Pure Shores are pop classics and they have three other #1s (well, four cause one was a double a-side!). The singles really were top notch and One Strike actually did pretty well on iTunes based on just Radio 2 exposure I'd say!

 

Ooh I see :o I really love the four song run of Cheap Thrills with Sean Paul, The Greatest, Confetti and the Move Your Body remix but after that I lose interest a bit :lol: I'd probably swap them out for some of the duds on the original if I were to re-arrange it (and swap the Sean Paul version of Cheap Thrills with the original) and it really would be an amazing 12-track album. I do agree that the MYB remix would be a huge hit but it's so un-Sia, I would love to see it get a push regardless though!

 

Haus and I have scheduled a relisten for this weekend so I'll have to get back to you on this! :o That's a really interesting point though, it certainly feels like an album that should stand the test of time due to how well organised it is, rather than the less focused and very messy ARTPOP!

Albums

 

http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Ariana%20Grande%20-%20Dangerous%20Woman.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Tom%20Odell%20-%20Wrong%20Crowd%20album.png

 

3 Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman - 1-2-2-3-2-3-4-4-5-5-6-5-7-8-9-11-12-7-7-7-8-9-12-14-15-15-13-12-... (28+ weeks)

4 Tom Odell - Wrong Crowd - 1-1-1-2-3-4-4-5-4-5-6-7-8-10-8-9-10-10-11-15-15-14-14-2-3-... (25+ weeks)

 

Now we're getting REALLY good! Tom Odell currently has the biggest album in my chart's history, spending 75 non-consecutive weeks in my top 15 albums, so naturally the follow-up to Long Way Down was set to be big. Wrong Crowd is having a good chart life so far, including three weeks at #1 and it's currently enjoying a resurgence to the top 5. The three-year wait between albums has most definitely been worth it I'd say, Wrong Crowd progresses Tom's sound slightly, with songs like Magnetised and Here I Am developing on the sound Can't Pretend touched on when it got going, and the likes of Concrete and Wrong Crowd showing off his top notch songwriting whilst playing with some new sounds to differentiate it from the debut album. There's not a noticeable dip in quality between albums in my opinion so I'm delighted that at least quality-wise, Tom's managed to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump!

 

Ariana Grande has had three top 5 albums now in my chart, out of a possible three, with debut release Yours Truly making it to a respectable #5, and follow-up My Everything topping the chart. Album #3 does the same, with Dangerous Woman managing two less weeks at the top than its predecessor but nonetheless is experiencing a much better chart life so far. Dangerous Woman is by far Ari's best album to date for me, she's now found her own identity as an artist rather than the Mariah clone we heard in Yours Truly, and the mish-mash of sounds from My Everything. Dangerous Woman still manages to add plenty of variety, particularly noticeable in the first half of the album with sultry R&B in Let Me Love You and the title track, pop-influenced Into You and Side to Side, and even a bit of tropical house in Be Alright. All of the features on the album benefit their particular songs, notably Nicki Minaj in Side to Side, and as an overall package it's just superb, not a single weak track among them all. Then there's the 1-2 punch of Knew Better / Forever Boy and Thinking Bout You at the very end..... incredible effort from Ari, this put up a strong fight for my #1 album but unfortunately misses out :(

 

BENJAMIN vs BRITNEY

Hi Joseph

 

I agree, we really are getting to the REALLY good stuff. I really enjoyed My Everything as an album too but never expected Dangerous Woman to be as good as it was, there is not one single weak track on it and her vocals are insanely good. I also love the experimentation between genres like you said, the urban side probably being my favourite, sometimes I don't find her pure pop stuff as good like Problem (that was just me though, everyone else seemed to love it) :lol:

 

Team Britney for the #1 now!

Edited December 2, 20168 yr by Josh.

I predict a male will win x

Hi Joseph

 

I agree, we really are getting to the REALLY good stuff. I really enjoyed My Everything as an album too but never expected Dangerous Woman to be as good as it was, there is not one single weak track on it and her vocals are insanely good. I also love the experimentation between genres like you said, the urban side probably being my favourite, sometimes I don't find her pure pop stuff as good like Problem (that was just me though, everyone else seemed to love it) :lol:

 

Team Britney for the #1 now!

Hey Josh!! :D

 

I'm glad you agree on a lot of that, Dangerous Woman is just such an effortless album, switching it up between tracks but maintaining a great flow, and I'm so delighted it's become her first UK #1 album :wub: Thank you for commenting! :D

 

I predict a male will win x

Albums

 

http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Britney%20Spears%20-%20Glory.png

 

2 Britney Spears - Glory - 1-1-1-1-3-3-3-6-8-9-10-11-11-8-… (14+ weeks)

 

Just missing out on the top spot is the princess of pop Britney Spears, returning with her ninth studio album, and her first in three years, entitled Glory. The album is Britney's best since possibly In the Zone over 10 years ago, which is high praise when we remember that Blackout has happened in that time (although I'm less familiar with most of Britney's albums than you may expect, I've only heard the majority for the first time this year! :o). Unlike the last album, Britney Jean, Britney actually sounds and comes across as being really invested in it as a body of work rather than just a collection of half-finished songs with Myah Marie doing most of the vocals :') Anyway, the huge highlights for me come from both the singles, Love Me Down, Do You Wanna Come Over? and Man On the Moon among others. It's not without its duds, but I've already got loads of great memories with this, including listening for the first time with Jay, Joe and Umi and sharing our thoughts, as well as winning a copy of the deluxe edition in the Britney artist forum (thank you Jonjo for buying that for me and sending it!). A really special album for me, and it's just a shame that it's lost out to something even more special..

 

http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Benjamin%20-%20Fingerprints.png

 

1 Benjamin - Fingerprints - 2-1-2-2-2-3-3-4-4-2-3-2-3-3-3-3-3-4-4-5-2-2-4-4-4-5-6-6-7-7-5-2-... (32+ weeks)

 

I expect beyond the two Benjamin songs in BJSC, most of you won't have a clue who he is, but this is one of the most essential pop albums in recent years without a doubt! Benjamin Peltonen first appeared on my radar last summer with Young and Restless, a song which got to #3 in last year's EOY chart. Since then, he's released a couple more singles, and now this full-length debut album.

 

Surprisingly, it wasn't love at first listen with this album! It hit me after 2 or 3 listens, having listened to each and every song and familiarised myself with it all. Benjamin knows exactly the type of artist he wants to be, and this makes for a confident debut album, taking inspiration from current artists like One Direction and Justin Bieber primarily but putting his own spin on things in various ways. The album opens with Hold On, which reminds me of 1D's Story of My Life actually, it's quite a chilled opener compared to most of the rest of the album, but it works perfectly as an introduction with its big catchy chorus, a theme that continues further down the album.

 

The run of tracks from 8-10 is the peak of the album for me. It begins with Rush, a slightly moody sounding but generally uplifting song about falling in love, with Benjamin singing "this could be the best rush of my life" - it would work perfectly as a tour closer I think! Benjamin's first single Underdogs is straight afterwards, a really light sounding track with an uplifting feel to it, and it's followed by Young and Restless, which remains his absolute best for me. I must admit though, I'd only say there's one dud track on the entire 16 -track deluxe album, with To Be With You interrupting the flow a bit in the middle, but it's easily overlooked when there's so much brilliance in the rest of the album.

 

For someone who I thought would be a one-hit wonder in my chart when I first discovered him, this album has been an absolute delight, and I've really loved listening to it throughout the year, as well as sharing it with the likes of Haus and Harry who have also been converted to Benjamin fans! :D And with the promise of new music soon, I'm sure 2017 will be another excellent year for Benjamin.

 

A full album rate for my #1 album:

 

10.0 Hold On

08.0 Alive

10.0 Man On the Moon

09.0 Body

08.5 Rich Girl

09.0 Sing It to You Anyway

07.0 To Be With You

10.0 Rush

10.0 Underdogs

11.0 Young and Restless

08.0 Heart Strings

09.5 Build Me a Rocket

09.0 Shame On Me

08.0 Roller Coaster

10.0 Unbreakable

08.5 Carry You Home

 

Crazy ranking but well deserved for an amazing album :wub:

 

Next up, we take a quick look at the POINTS CHARTS for 2016 - will these prove at all reflective for my albums and singles?