Home Entertainment Beyoncé, Harry Styles, SZA, Kendrick Lamar – The Hollywood Reporter
Beyoncé, Harry Styles, SZA, Kendrick Lamar – The Hollywood Reporter
As a music critic, it's important to listen to as much music as possible. Play your favorites, but also discover new artists. Randomly select an album and try it out. Check out recommendations from family, friends, and people on social media. Give that album you didn't like another chance.
Still, we like what we like and music is subjective. That said, here is my list of the best albums of 2022!
1. Beyonce, Rebirth
listening to beyonce Rebirth it's like watching and rewatching that epic TV series or movie – the discovery is endless and there's so much to unpack. The lyrics are catchy and confident, the beats are bouncy and bright, and her vocal range is impeccable, ranging from vibrant whispers on "Virgo's Groove" to smooth and sultry on "Plastic Off the Sofa" to assertive shit lines across the 16 tracks. . dance getaway. On the futuristic "Alien Superstar," the pop icon says it best: "Category: bad bitch, I'm the bar." I don't see the lie.
two. SZA, SOS
Christmas came early for SZA fans the world over – myself included – when she finally decided to release her long-awaited sophomore album in December, more than five years after releasing her breakthrough debut, Ctrl🇧🇷 Between albums, she sprinkled in tasty singles to satisfy our appetites, but we were all waiting for the full meal. And SZA served. Although the tracklist is too long and initially raised my anxiety, SOS is extremely satisfying, with some of the best bites being "Kill Bill", "Snooze", "Nobody Gets Me", "Blind", "Too Late", "Gone Girl" and "Love Language".
3. Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
Music's best lyricist and storyteller does it again. On her first studio album since winning the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2017 DAMN IT, Kendrick Lamar continues to peel back layers and reach new heights, tackling issues like childhood trauma, sexuality, social media, the black experience, and more. Its crisp lyrics and soulful production are the highlight, but so are the meaningful collaborations. Ghostface Killah appears at just the right moment in "Purple Hearts," where Summer Walker gets her chance to shine. Taylour Paige partners with Lamar on the soulful spoken-word track "We Cry Together," and Blxst and Amanda Reifer team up with him for fiery R&B with "Die Hard."
4. Ella Mai, Heart in hand
If there's one album that deserves more attention this year, it's Ella Mai's second album, Heart in hand🇧🇷 It's a flawless record that showcases Mai's vulnerability and voice, and in each song she perfectly expresses the lyrics without going overboard. It sounds easy, but it's on purpose – she's very talented. Some of the highlights: "DFMU", "Pieces", "Didn't Say", "How", "Trying", "Feels Like", "Leave You Alone" and "A Mess", a first-rate duet with Dia de Luck.
5. Harry Styles, Harry's house
A perfect pop album. Time course.
6. FKA twigs, CAPRISONGS
FKA twigs explores new sounds like reggae and afrobeats – mixed with their mix of alternative, electronic and R&B tones – to create a batch of bops like "papi bones", "oh my love", "jealousy" and "darjeeling" that are sexy , sweaty and dazzling.
7. Pusha T, It's Almost Dry
Kanye West's 2022 was rubbish and his only proud moment may be the great songs he produced on Pusha T's exceptional album, It's Almost Dry🇧🇷 But 'Ye didn't do it himself: Pharrell produced more than half of the album. But at the center of all his greatness: Pusha and his pen.
8. Baby face, Girl's night
After penning some of the greatest songs of all time for female artists from Whitney Houston to Toni Braxton and TLC, Babyface calls upon the new growing class of female R&B singers like Kehlani, Ella Mai and Ari Lennox to collaborate on an outstanding album that is contemporary and classic.
9. Ari Lennox, age/gender/location
The singer hits all the right notes on her second album, giving us everything from steamy R&B ("Leak It") to clever wordplay ("Outside") to groovy fun ("Pressure"). This is neo-soul music at its finest.
10. Omar Apollo, Ivory
A genre-free debut album that doesn't miss a beat. There are experimental R&B flavors and alternative sensations throughout the 16-track set. On one song, he's giving off singer-songwriter vibes; in another, he is a Latin singer. In the end, it's just really, really, really good music.
Honorable mentions: bad rabbit, A Summer Without You🇧🇷 Brent Fayaz, wasteland🇧🇷 Carly Rae Jepsen, The Loneliest Hour🇧🇷 Muni Long, Public Displays of Affection: The Album🇧🇷 Rosalia, motomami