Top Albums of 2021

2021 has been a year full of great new music. I will break down the best albums of the year and maybe even tell you that your opinions are wrong. A lot of people say that the Grammy’s have become very corrupt in the past few years. The only thing I have to say is that I should be running them! However, we did have a lot of good nominations for Album of the Year for 2021. This list might seem a bit basic because these albums were very popular, but let me explain why these albums made the toplist. Time to breakdown the best albums of a year:

15. Coming in at number 15 is Planet Her by Doja Cat. I don’t particularly love Doja Cat, but I decided to not be biased on this ranking. Planet Her took over TikTok and the radio when it was released. As a random TikToker on my for you page stated, “the songs that hit on Planet Her HIT, and the others seemed like fillers.” I agree with this statement 100% because half the album was bland, but it did really well so you can’t criticize it.

14. Now we can let the bias begin. = by Ed Sheeran was surely no X, but it had its moments. Nobody really knew what “Bad Habits” was about, but it was on the radio every 4 seconds. “Shivers” is a good song for running. A lot of people hated on “Sandman”, but I thought it was tolerable. Anyway, next time, Ed, we really need to pull some energy from the + or X era and really get some good songwriting because “Visiting Hours” put me to sleep.

13. I’m going to make some people mad here (hehe). Certified Lover Boy wasn’t a bad album, but Drake is way too consistent with his sound. You always know what kind of album Drake is going to release, which isn’t any fun. I’m not going to deny that he is going down in history, because he is, but it’s like he’s scared to move away from his comfort zone. “TSU” was really good. 

12. This one is for my fellow country fans. I only became a Blake Shelton fan last year, but I’ve kept up with him ever since. This album sounded very similar to God’s Country, but it was much better. “Minimum Wage” would play all the time at my old job, and I’m not complaining. “Whatcha Doin’ Tomorrow” was also a really fun song. This album was no Texoma Shore, but it definitely hit. 

11. Justin Bieber has changed his sound a lot, which is why I respect him as an artist. He caters to the sound of his fans. He seems like a very go with the flow artist, but you can also tell that his music means a lot to him. Justice may have been his best album yet. There I said it! I’m happy Ms. Isik recommended him to me last year because I really did enjoy this album. I thought it was kind of weird that a song entirely about Hailey Bieber was only a bonus track on the Deluxe album, but we all make mistakes. All jokes aside, songs like “Holy’ and “Die For You” have great messages and I go back and listen to them often.

10. If I made some people mad with Certified Lover Boy, I’m gonna make a lot of people mad with Dancing With The Devil… The Art Of Starting Over. I (like many) do not love Demi Lovato for a number of reasons. They’re really always doing too much and getting in everyone’s business. While there are songs on this album about their overdose on heroin, there were songs like “Melon Cake”, which I relate to because body image issues are the worst. The title track of the album is probably my favorite song because it really shows what Demi can do with their voice. 

9. It makes me sad that not a lot of people know about this album because it was supposed to be Lorde’s comeback. Solar Power was a lyrically mature album and I think it was her best work. “The Path” was a fantastic way to open this album, and I think “Fallen Fruit ” which calls out older generations for not caring about the environment was a daring move, but the right move. 

8. Once again removing my bias, I’m going to rank Montero at number 8. This is another album that took over TikTok and produced some *spicy* music videos. In today’s world, being so eccentric is a good thing because it is the easiest way to build a fanbase. Lil Nas X knew exactly who he wanted to hear his music and now he has a nomination for Album of the Year for his debut album! That’s a really big accomplishment and you can’t undercut his success.  

7. As the Swiftie that I am, I can’t rank Donda any lower than this. Donda was a really good piece of work and I listen to it constantly. I love “Believe What I Say” and “Moon”. “Jesus Lord pt 2” was very long, but it is a song that is meant to get people thinking. The lyrical maturity and the thought that went into this album was incredible. Sorry Taylor, but this album was definitely a hit. 

6. Putting this at number 6 makes me sad, because this was the first time the world heard from Adele in 6 years, but 30 is getting number 6. It was a very, VERY emotional album, but as Clare said, “there was no ‘Hello’ on this album”. I think releasing “Easy On Me” as the lead single was the right move because there was a lot of anticipation towards this album. “My Little Love” was soul crushing and I felt it. One thing talked about on this album that is heartbreaking is her son. Adele’s family was separated when she was a kid, and she wanted her kid to have a traditional family, but she couldn’t. She is carrying a lot of guilt about that because she said she feels like she failed trying to give her son the best life possible.

5. I thought this was going to rank lower, but going back and listening to it again made me realize how good it was again. Dangerous: The Double Album is one of the best country albums I’ve heard in a long time. A lot of people liked “Sand In My Boots”, but I was drawn to “865. 7 Summers”. This is another good song one that motivates you to run on the boardwalk at night. “Your Bartender” is a 10/10 because of the lyrics that are easy to sing to. If I could say one thing to Morgan Wallen, it’s that WE NEED MORE FROM YOU!!!

4. I never liked Machine Gun Kelly, but this album was so good that it totally made me listen to all of his music. “Title Track” is probably my favorite. When I’m benching ,I will 100% listen to “Kiss Kiss” or “Bloody Valentine”. This album is alternative rock, which was strange coming from a rapper, but he did it right. He won best rock at the AMAs and he won an award at the VMAs too. If you haven’t listened to this album I highly recommend it. I wasn’t into this genre of MGK, but this album completely changed my mind. 

3. Obviously I’m going to rank Fearless (Taylor’s Version) at number 3. Taylor killed this album and it was literally a re-release of old songs. I’m mad at her because she kept “Mr.Perfectly Fine” from us for 12 years, but she can have a second chance. I was mad at first that “You Belong With Me” sounded very different, but now I actually think Taylor’s Version is better. What I find incredible is that Taylor had to remove “Fearless” from the Grammy nominations because there was too much competition with herself from “Evermore”. She literally is too good for herself! What an artist.

2. A very  impressive debut album from a very young artist, SOUR, killed it. SOUR has been nominated for 6 Grammys’ as a DEBUT ALBUM. I can’t wait to see what else Olivia does with her music because I’m impressed so far. I really want her to collaborate with Jack Antanoff because he is Taylor Swift’s producer and I think they could do amazing things together. If Olivia moved away from acting and focused on music more I wouldn’t necessarily be mad.

1. I had to save a special spot at number 1 for Red (Taylor’s Version). Red was never my favorite Taylor Swift album, but after hearing the re-recording and the vault songs, it made me appreciate it so much more. I learned every single word to the ten minute version of “All Too Well” in a week because it was so good. I’m not really sure why Taylor changed the production of “Girl At Home”, but I think it was because we all made fun of her because the song is so bad and she is joining in on the joke. Regardless, this album was by far the best album of the year 2021.