2014 Countdown: Top 10 Best Albums

As a disclaimer: there are a lot of albums that I didn’t have a chance to listen to this year (Ed Sheeran, Hozier, Tony Bennet, etc.) This list represents what I’ve heard and what my favorites are from the year. So enjoy and let me know if you agree with any of them!

HONORABLE MENTION: Nick Jonas

Nick Jonas

I do my best to always shine light on an album every year that was a highlight and didn’t quite make my personal top 10. This year I have to give it up to Nick Jonas for his teen star sendoff. Now he’s all grown up, grabbing his crotch, starring in his own sex scenes, and above all else making some great music! With a lot of influence from people like Justin Timberlake & Prince, this album was a great departure into R&B and pop combined. The combination was explosive and this album is amazing from start to finish!

Favorite Song: “Chains” (The beat-tastic first single and first track to open the album, it has a great Kanye West “Power” feel to it and it’s just epic and strong for his first step back into his solo career!)

10.) My Everything

Ariana Grande

Her 2013 debut Yours Truly was one of the Top 5 albums for me last year: a strong debut infusing a lot of great R&B and pop music together. While this album seemed to be a bit more popular than her debut, I don’t feel it was as good. She went in a more pop direction for more worldwide success, but it’s the R&B tracks on this album that are the real stand out.

Favorite Song: “Best Mistake” (She went back to what made her so great on the last album, and it just happens to be another collaboration with Big Sean. It’s a sick beat, great vocals that don’t strain or go too far. It’s perfect the way it is without trying too hard at all.)

9.) 1989

Taylor Swift

I might not be able to handle Taylor Swift when she does interviews and especially whenever she sings live or lip synchs to every song someone else is performing…but damn her and her genius songwriting, her catchy hooks, and her fantastic hits! It was great to finally hear her embrace pop 100% and this ode to the year 1989 musically sounds great from beginning to end. Every song is hit single material and it’s all still written from the heart after every fizzled relationship.

Favorite Song: “Shake It Off” (The infectious first single will get anyone to shake, shake, shake wherever they find themselves when this song comes on.)

8.) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1

Various Artists

Thank you very much to whoever it was at Lionsgate that suggested the idea of Lorde being in charge of putting together a soundtrack for Mockingjay. The end result is an eclectic mix of dance, pop, hip-hop, and much more, bringing together artists you would never think could be on the same album together.

Favorite Song: “Meltdown” (Stromae, Lorde, Pusha T, Q-Tip, and HAIM. What an opener!)

7.) The Pinkprint

Nicki Minaj

After a dismal sophomore album that may have brought bigger hits, Nicki went back to basics in this personal and heartfelt third album. She opens up more, she still brings out that great personality, she still gets sassy and sexy, but all in all she pours her heart and soul into every song. It’s breathtaking to hear.

Favorite Song: “The Crying Game” (The simple fact that she has Jessie Ware on this track easily made it my favorite!)

6.) Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse

Mariah Carey

Poor Mariah. She just can’t catch a break! This album (along with her 2009 Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel) are two of the most underrated albums in her catalog, especially for her newer generation stuff. It’s a solid R&B album, filled with excellent production and nothing that ever goes over the top in any way. It’s unfortunate that she’s overshadowed by poor live performances, a less than flattering stint on American Idol, and all the talk about her personal life because this is one of the best albums of the year that certainly didn’t get the attention it deserved. Although she could've done without the long-ass title...

Favorite Song: “Faded” (Mike Will Made-It in his producing prime again bringing out a softer side of Mariah with a gentle beat, strong lyrics, and those beautiful whistle tones!)

5.) Xscape

Michael Jackson

After a very disappointing posthumous album with Michael back in 2010 that shed everything we loved about the King of Pop, Epic records enlisted a lineup of superstar producers that didn’t let their egos get in the way. Timbaland, Darkchild, & Stargate came together to bring back what we loved about Michael: that effortless in his voice, the groove, the funk, and the sincerity in every note he sang. It’s amazing to also hear the original tracks in their entirety on the deluxe edition just to be able to hear firsthand what these producers had to work with. It’s like he never left us!

Favorite Song: “Loving You” (This song alone gets my choice for favorite on the album when you hear what it sounded like originally to what it was transformed into thanks to Timbaland. The scratches, the warped vocals, the unintentional changing keys, a forgotten Bad leftover track updated and brought into 2014…you never could guess!)

4.) G I R L

Pharrell Williams

Pharrell has been in his prime for quite some time with his production group The Neptunes and his band N*E*R*D, but unfortunately when it came time for him to go solo, it was all sunshine and rainbows. Something just didn’t click. But giving him a couple years to figure things out musically and a worldwide hit with “Happy” from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, the time was right for him to come back into the spotlight solo. He ditched the rapping and went all in with his cooing voice to sing on this amazing second solo album. It’s a groove that starts in “Marilyn Monroe” and flows all the way until the end with “It Girl”. He has some great collaborators here with Miley, Timbaland, JT, Daft Punk, and Alicia Keys, but he still takes front and center for an album to be proud of.

Favorite Song: “Freq” (It may be attached as the second half to the song “Lost Queen”, but it is without a doubt the most relaxing and beautiful moment on the whole album. Not to mention that he gives the beautiful JoJo and chance to shine once again!)

3.) The London Sessions

Mary J. Blige

Sure, the whole America and London crossover thing has been done so many times already, but never has it ever sounded this great and this organic! Mary J. Blige seemed to get into a slump working with the same “IT” producers for the time being the last couple of albums. Here she strips everything down and starts from scratch, working with a different sound, different writers, and different producers to give us all a new perspective in her already impressive collection! Sam Smith, Disclosure, Emeli Sandé, Eg White, Jimmy Napes…it’s a star-studded affair that never overshadows the emotion and grit Mary brings to any song of hers.

Favorite Song: “Nobody But You” (It’s a dance song above all else, but the beat has an amazing groove and great feel from start to finish. It’s upbeat, fun, and brings so much joy when listening to it!)

2.) 1000 Forms of Fear

Sia

I was genuinely scared at first when Sia announced a couple years back that she was done writing albums for herself. I mean it’s great to give us gems like “Diamonds” or “Pretty Hurts” for other artists, but Sia has one of my favorite and one of the best voices. Her voice is distinct and different from anything else. So imagine how surprised and thrilled I was to hear that she was coming out of the dark and bringing us another album! She may not have shown her face or promoted using her image, but that didn’t matter. Fans like me just wanted to hear her music and that alone was enough to make this a hit album and her first number one in the US!

Favorite Song: “Chandelier” (This deceiving first single sounds like a party anthem but it really is a cry for help. It still is a great song, genius, and beautiful all at the same time!)

1.) In the Lonely Hour

Sam Smith

To the man that took my breath away in music last year with “Latch” and his Nirvana EP, he broke into the world bigger and stronger with his debut album! The songs may not be as upbeat as “Latch” or “La La La”, but it’s heartfelt, poignant, and above all else personal. It’s a genuine album filled with heartbreak over a man who broke his heart. It’s beautiful. Every song gets me teary-eyed, and I’ve never had that before in an album! There’s so much feeling in his voice and so much strength. It’s astounding and takes my breath away every time.

Favorite Song: “Lay Me Down” (Leave it to SNL to pave the way for another great artist and introduce them to the world. First ADELE, then Jessie J, and earlier this year with no album released or ready to promote, they brought out Sam Smith to take everyone’s breath away. “Stay With Me” was great, but it was his acoustic performance or “Lay Me Down” that brought the house down. It’s a beautiful track to close this stellar debut.)