This year has been jammed packed full of incredible music, and some of the very best were saved for last. In the past couple of months incredible, innovative and down right good music has been released. From R&B to Pop to Soul. There is a whole range of different sounds, that have created one of the best Q4’s of recent memory. Here are 3 of my favourites.
The Weeknd – Starboy
The Weeknd, an artist that came from releasing dark, atmospheric mixtapes to finding global success through the release of his sophomore album ‘Beauty Behind The Madness’. Again teaming up with some similar faces (the Max Martin camp and Cashmere Cat) and some new faces with Daft Punk being the most obvious. Starboy is a 80’s tinged loud eclectic album that has all the qualities that a pop/r&b album should have yet still keeping to his signature sound. Some standout tracks are I Feel It Coming with Daft Punk and False Alarm (which is one of my favourite songs of this year, just so crazy and good!) Can The Weeknd do any wrong? Download it here.
Dawn Richard – Redemption
It’s no shock that Dawn is on this list, it shouldn’t be to me or you. Dawn Richard is one of the most cohesive, crazy and determined artists in the industry. Redemption is the finale to a trilogy that started with Goldenheart then Blackheart and now ending with Redemption. Redemption has confessed by Dawn is not an album that’s personal in the sense that Redemption is an album that’s for everyone. For the gay boy who gets teased for wearing makeup, the black woman that gets put down for features that a white woman would get praised for. It’s electric, it’s alive. It’s full of narrative yet all the changes in the production, the varying ways Dawn uses her vocals creates an immersive experience. Standout tracks include Love Under The Lights and Voices (a FLAWLESS song). Download it here.
John Legend – Darkness and Light
This album was only released in the past few days yet it automatically captured me with it’s definitive sound and heartbreakingly good lyricism. I’ve never found myself screaming over a John Legend album before but during this album there were times when the music just took me to places. The title track a collaboration with Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard, for example, has a chorus that hits so hard it blows you away. Legend has clearly evolved as a person and as an artist since his last effort. With a greater feeling of who he is during the album. It’s a free sound. You can clearly see how much he enjoyed pouring his heart into this album and it has paid off so much. Standout tracks include the aforementioned title track and What You Do To Me. A+ John. Download the album here
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