28. Tove Lo - Lady Wood

 

 

In a year that was really quite lackluster for good pop music, Tove Lo attempted to keep the ball rolling with her second studio album 'Lady Wood'. With possibly my favourite album title of the year (named after the song in which she talks about having a female erection), the album was certainly a very worthy follow up for 'Queen Of The Clouds', in fact I would even say that I have grown to prefer this over her debut. Full of captivating pop hooks throughout, with gorgeous electronic production, her voice is again allowed to shine through. I personally never took to the lead single 'Cool Girl' and think the album campaign may have had more success with another lead single, but maybe I am alone in thinking that.

 

My ratings for albums I've heard on this list

untitled unmastered [10.0]

This Is Acting [7.5]

The Colour In Anything [9.5]

Starboy [8.5]

Konnichiwa [9.5]

 

 

Good EOY chart

Nice to see Konnichiwa here!

 

Not heard much of Lady Wood but Cool Girl is really catchy!

27. bLAck pARty - Mango

 

 

So now its time for an artist who perhaps won't be as familiar to people; up and coming R&B star bLAck pARty. I wonder if Zayn is going to sue him for using his revolutionary way of capitalizing? You never know. Anyway, back to the music, and the first ever release from bLAck pARty is an absolute treat. Coming in at just 9 tracks and 30 minutes in length, 'Mango' is a short and sweet insight into a fresh new voice. In some parts of the mixtape he gives off Frank vibes and even vocally reminds me of John Legend in other moments (albeit not in the track posted below). However, 'Mango' shows enough creativity and uniqueness that it is clear bLAck pARty has managed to find is own fresh sound straight off the bat on his first ever mixtape. I think the best is yet to come from him, and if this mixtape is anything to go by, bLAck pARty is someone every R&B lover should start getting excited about very soon.

 

26. Fifth Harmony - 7/27

 

 

So following along the same lines as their last two singles' chart performances, Fifth Harmony can be found in the mid-20's again with their album '7/27'. After being massively disappointed with their debut LP 'Reflection' (which I still think sounds cheap and amateur), I wasn't really expecting much from their second era. However, with the release of the mammoth 'Work From Home', it became clear from the get go that the girls were not here to play with era two. The album had songs that were bang on trend, mixing their R&B sensibilities with the chart topping tropical house beats, the album sounded very much like a 2016 pop album. Although some parts are slightly trend hopping and the record is by no means pushing pop's boundaries, it just uses the sounds of 2016 and does them so right. '7/27' was very fun and carefree, and all the better for it.

 

25. Noname - Telefone

 

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So at 25, we have an absolutely delight of a debut album from female rapper Noname. In a year where female rap didn’t really make much headway, Noname took the baton and released something as fresh sounding as ‘Telefone’. Moving away from boastful lyrics, instead focusing on deep and introspective messages particularly about black womanhood, the album acts as a much needed contrast from the likes of Banks and Minaj. The comparisons she has had to Chance The Rapper are definitely not unfounded as there are certainly plenty of similarities in delivery. A great record from start to finish, and one that should be gaining much more attention than it is currently.

 

24. Bruno Mars - 24k Magic

 

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Whether or not you liked his previous music or not, there has been no doubting that Bruno has always been a talented man. I had never been able to get fully on board with his half arrogant and half soppy image beforehand, however with the release of his best album to date, he finally matched his talent with his music. Although the cockiness was still there (and in abundance) so too were the tunes. Classic influences of James Brown, Prince, Boys II Men and Michael Jackson can be heard throughout this record, and they all come together to make a throwback record that really does sound like it could have genuinely been released in the late 80’s/early 90’s. At only 9 tracks in length, the album is a succinct and focused, without being at all throwaway. ‘24k Magic’ may be short but oh my, is it sweet.

 

23. KING - We Are KING

 

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So beating out Little Mix, All Saints and Fifth Harmony to become my favourite girlband release of the year, we have KING. Who I hear you ask? KING supported the one and only Prince on tour all the way back in 2011, and he was said to be their biggest supporters. Unfortunately it took them until 2016 to finally put the finishing touches to their debut album, which was released back in February. With soaring dream-like instrumentals and harmonies as smooth as you’ll hear this year, the album really is a record of escapism and real beauty. So perfectly constructed and so natural. I’m thrilled to see that it has been nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album this year as well, these girls really deserve some more recognition.

 

22. Emeli Sande - Long Live the Angels

 

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Finally making a welcome comeback, after being away for what seemed like an age, 2016 saw the comeback of Emeli Sande. Hopefully batting off any claims that she is overexposed, the comeback has certainly been a lower key affair commercially for Emeli than the success she saw back in 2012. However, we all know that sales don’t necessarily have any collation to quality, and ‘Long Live the Angels’ goes to prove that. In my eyes, a massive step up from her pleasant debut, this album really sounds like Emeli really has found her lane. ‘Hurts’ is still one of the songs of the year, and there are so many other moments throughout the course of the album. The 3 deluxe edition tracks are some of her best songs ever and seem so much more assured than anything on her debut. The fact they are not on the standard edition of the album is my only real complaint from such a lovely record (oh, and the dull ‘Give Me Something’, but 17/18 ain’t bad).

 

21. Common - Black America Again

 

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In a year filled to the brim with black excellence (Solange, Beyoncé, Frank), it is easy to overlook the work of other black performers. However, Common’s ‘Black America Again’ is just as seminal as many of the other black records released in 2016. Having never really been a Common fan previously, when I saw how much praise this record was getting from all the typical review outlets I thought I better check it out, and these reviews were not wrong. Personal, political and lyrics that really hit you over the head with their depth. ‘Black America Again’ was a record that was really needed in 2016 more than ever, and I would urge people to make sure that it is not overlooked or ignored within the Black Lives Matter musical agenda.

 

 

 

So thus far we have:

 

21. Common - Black America Again

22. Emeli Sande - Long Live the Angels

23. KING - We Are KING

24. Bruno Mars - 24k Magic

25. Noname - Telefone

26. Fifth Harmony - 7/27

27. bLAck pARty - Mango

28. Tove Lo - Lady Wood

29. Skepta - Konnichiwa

30. The Weeknd - Starboy

31. Lady Gaga - Joanne

32. James Blake - The Colour In Anything

33. All Saints - Red Flag

34. Sia - This Is Acting

35. Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered

36. M.I.A. - AIM

37. Azealia Banks - Slay Z

38. Drake - Views

39. Katy B - Honey

40. Little Mix - Glory Days

 

I will be getting into my top 20 tomorrow :D

So I need to get started on this again ASAP, been too busy finishing exams and Xmas shopping. So starting off our top 20 is...

 

20. AlunaGeorge - I Remember

 

 

AlunaGeorge really brought the goodies in 2016. Although I always quite enjoyed 'Body Talk', I was never as on board as everyone else seemed to be with her debut era. However, the duo came back with banger after banger this year. What I loved about this era was just how fun it was, 'I'm In Control' and 'Mean What I Mean' are the best party-starters ever, and have subsequently become two of my most played songs of the year. Both 'My Blood' and the title track may both be a tad more low-key, but are still the same fantastic quality as the first two tracks mentioned. When we finally got the whole album, the unheard tracks didn't let the side down and kept up the quality too. If I had to pick my favourite album based on pure bangers, this would be much higher on my list as I basically love every track on this record. It is only as low as #20 on my list because for me the enjoyment comes mainly from a selection of fantastic individual tracks rather because this album sounds like a coherent or particularly artistic body of work, if that makes sense? Having said that, it is an incredible record and I am still bloody gutted about it charting at #71.

 

AlunaGeorge's album is amazing full of energy :wub: