Photo Courtesy of Pitchfork
Before we fully ring out the old and ring in the new, allow me to aid you in processing what was a fairly impressive post-pandemic year of comebacks for the music industry. With the Grammys slated to commence today (Sunday, February 5), this seems like a fitting list to publish. This list is particularly fitting considering I do not trust the Grammys or most award ceremonies in general to award True artistry. We saw many artists delivering on highly anticipated albums, which did a decent job of meeting the expectations fuelling their release. Artists like Beyonce, Mitski, Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Rosalia came through with albums that were worth the wait. While up and coming artists like Sudan Archives, Fontaines D.C., FKA twigs and Special Interest came through with some of the most energizing experimental releases I have seen in years. With that in mind, here are my picks for the 10 best albums of 2022.
10. Honestly, Nevermind by Drake
Genre: Hip-Hop
Favorite Track: Sticky
The airy beats on Honestly, Nevermind provided a fresh, house aura throughout the album which made up for what was honestly a disappointing shortage of Drake’s signature self-indulgent bars. As a house music lover, I welcomed Drake’s auditory detour and venture away from conventional hip-hop beats to an embrace of the Electronic sound. Again, the lyrics ring unimpressive – a failed attempt at some sort of revelatory newfound self-awareness and empathy. Nonetheless, the smooth sonics should make any partygoer happy on the dancefloor.
9. Gemini Rights by Steve Lacy
Genre: Pop/R&B
Favorite Track: Mercury
Cleverly and contentiously playing into the popular hatred of Geminis held by Gen Z and beyond, Steve Lacy – a proud Gemini – chronicles the messy, bitter end of a relationship on Gemini Rights. The album strings together a story through each song about Lacy’s emotional tempest. He meditates on his desires, regrets, yearning and resentment. Overall executing a pop-ey lyricism that showcases glimmers of vulnerability and dark comedy quite well. The comparisons of Lacy to Prince and Stevie Wonder ring much too generous in my book, although I do think the excitement for this young artist to realize his potential as an experimental soulful-pop artist is in order.
8. Cherry by Daphni
Genre: Electronic
Favorite Track: Mania
Cherry is the third-full length studio album to be released by Dan Snaith under his energetic and erratic musical alias “Daphni”. The albums delights electronic lovers with familiar notes of Industrial and synth where appropriate while subtly introducing minorly adventurous sound manipulation that hold their weight. The album has no abstract complex intentionality, and there is no commentary to be made. Instead it plays into that dance floor intuition within us all, effortlessly and energetically pushing us to move our body. Cherry just feels right. Although Daphni will disappoint those who favor the frenetic stylings of Aphex Twin or polish of Daft Punk, I think he manages to hold his own in a refreshing though arguably spartan manner against such Electronic heavyweights.
7. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
Genre: Hip-Hop
Favorite Track: Mother I Sober (feat. Beth Gibbons of Portishead)
What I felt like was Kendrick at his most punchy and uncensored, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers provides a chaotic yet somehow cohesive experience in which Kendrick ambitiously declares his feelings vis-a-vis stories of family and childhood trauma. The album seems to be beautifully and vulnerably hurdling towards his process of self-actualization and validation. His struggle with being defined by trauma and grappling with how to process it while combating shame is pervasive. Many fans were disappointed for the lack of conventional dance music available which the hip-hop genre usually permits, and Kendrick certainly has through inspired beats on albums like DAMN. Yet, I thoroughly applaud him for his unwavering lyrics that fit perfectly within his larger artistic journey to show who Kendrick Lamar is.
6. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
Genre: Rock
Favorite Track: Jackie Down The Line
The first time I heard Skinty Fia I was immediately hooked on and impressed by Irish Rock Band Fontaines D.C. diverse sound that felt like a unique reclamation of 80s New Wave and Post-Punk Rock. The album beautifully croons about everything from love to cultural identity, reinventing themselves and pushing genre boundaries on a track-by-track basis. Skinty Fia demands us to listen, and I’m not here to argue.
5. Laurel Hell by Mitski
Genre: Alternative Rock/Indie Pop
Favorite Track: Heat Lightning
With signature subtle and feathery intensity, Mitski did not disappoint fans who couldn’t get enough of her last full-length studio album Be the Cowboy. Although more commercial sounding than previous work, Laurel Hell still masterfully incorporates avant garde and innovative sound ranging from 90s alternative to 80s synth-pop in a true Mitski fashion. Her melodies and instrumentation have a tendency on Laurel Hell to strike you in the most vulnerable and melancholic parts of the soul. Mitski’s exhaustion is insidious on the record, and seemingly induced by multiple culprits; namely a struggle against the industry, love and a general existential malaise. She makes beautiful but sparing use of her talents. She strikes that expert balance of keeping you at a safe distance from her while still managing to speak your most hidden truths into words. She does this so well that you want to join her in saying “I surrender.”
4. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs
Genre: Electronic/Pop/R&B
Favorite Track: Lightbeamers
On CAPRISONGS London based artist FKA twigs gives cheeky takes on the experiences of womanhood. On the astrology-themed mixtape, twigs both rages against and gracefully embraces her reputation as a Capricorn for being sensitive and emotional. Her sound is as playful as her lyrics, adventurously layering choral music on top of Afrobeats and house music – all with a celestial undertone. What I found most impressive from her on the album was the control she had over her voice when manipulating it on various tracks. At times she purrs and gurgles, while other times she has a smooth falsetto at the tone of a whisper. The expertly curated collaborations ranging from Canadian R&B singer Daniel Caesar to English rapper Shygirl keep the album in that wonderful, genre-defying space of dancehall meets R&B meets techno meets hip-hop meets pop. These collaborations and sound diversity are essential as twigs continues to create and come into her sound.
3. Natural Brown Prom Queen by Sudan Archives
Genre: Pop/R&B
Favorite Track: Home Maker
The immensely talented multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Sudan Archives (Brittney Denise Parks) honors her roots as a trained classical violinist in this album while effortlessly showcasing her sophisticated understanding of musical traditions spanning from electronica to pop to hip-hop to R&B. With that, she creates innovative, fierce musical arrangements that match the tenor of her fierce and frenzied vulnerability. She wryly sashays around themes of self-reliance, self-love, beauty in a larger societal context and relationships expertly. The album is as emotional as it is entertaining; a young woman of color’s journey through self-actualization with a wink.
2. Renaissance by Beyoncé
Genre: Pop/R&B
Favorite Track: PURE/HONEY
Queen Bey lends her radiant falsetto to a divinely polished tapestry of house, pop and R&B on Renaissance. An explosive tribute to and celebration of her Black female and queer forebears, you can’t help but feel the transcendent energy she’s created that just makes us want to dance. From the offset, with the opening track “I’M THAT GIRL” our bodies are electrified and the overarching focus on unapologetic joy, elan, love, self-determination and expression. Her passion for music comes through on Renaissance as she positions herself within myriad musical traditions. Beyond honoring these traditions, she excels in the most humble and powerful way a Truly great musical artist can. Afrobeats, gospel and bouncy 80s Ballroom sonics all nod towards the Black artists she so clearly loves. On this album, Beyoncé is impossible to ignore as an artist, a sexual force and Black woman. While taking the appropriate space for herself to showcase these realities, she simultaneously invites us in to join her at the party.
Honorable Mentions Before The Big #1 Reveal:
Motomati Rosalia, Her Loss Drake, Un Verano Sin Ti Bad Bunny, Maggie Rogers Surrender, Charli XCX Crash, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You Big Thief, Bjork Fossora, Endure Special Interest
1. SOS by SZA
Genre: Pop/R&B
Favorite Track: Seek & Destroy
Basking in the well deserved success of her incredible triple platinum debut album CTRL, SZA’s highly anticipated album SOS went above and beyond fan expectations. With this new album under her belt, SZA has established herself as what Pitchfork called a “generational talent” and deepened her signature fearless musical intimacy and ability to sing into words an abundance of universal truths. Clearly a student of the musical discipline, SZA inserts herself gracefully into the R&B tradition, while pushing beyond the genre effortlessly with composure. She is a talented lyricist, with an inspired ability to riff authentically on the complexity of love with economy and hilarity. Perhaps what is most inspired about said lyrics is the perfect balance she strikes of humbleness and pomp, doubt and confidence, affirmation and denial, connection and betrayal, love and hate – with an endearing irreverence to boot. The self-love and self-affirmation she gains amidst the overarching uncertainty and messiness of her life is hard fought, and she shades in every emotion it took to get there. Sonically, the album soars between hip-hop, R&B, pop, indie rock, house and classic soul. Her flow matches the emotional charge of the album, smoothly demanding attention. Her rap prowess is undeniable on tracks like “Low”, “Forgiveless (feat. Ol’ Dirty Bastard)” and “Smoking on my Ex Pack” while her conversational melodic singing voice on ballads like “I Hate U “,” “Love Language” and “Blind” is uniquely transcendent. Although released too late to be considered for Grammy nominations this year, I expect this album to clean up in 2023.
