BEST POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Lover by Taylor Swift.  Still the queen of pop.  I can’t help it, I’m a fan.  And when I saw her perform on SNL I cried like a little baby.  She moves me.

OTHER KINDSA POP RUNNER UPS:

• It’s Real by Ex-Hex.  Retro pop–not a modern sound.  More like a late ‘80s power trio.  Every song is a hook.  Every song is a hit.  No filler.
• Jade Bird (self-titled).  Deceptively insightful lyrics are hidden under accessible hooks on this whimsical pop album that’s just a little too quiet to get the mainstream appeal of Swift.
• Pang by Caroline Polachek.  The closest thing to TS on this list–a good album but not consistent enough to be called great.
• Wide Right by Bad Bad Hats (EP). Delightful indie pop.  Indie pop should be represented!
• Lost Girls by Bat for Lashes.  Last but not least, a candidate for electro pop.  I’d hoped that Karen O and Danger Mouse’s project, Lux Prima, would have taken this spot but it didn’t.  The record was good but not great.

MOST WOKE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

Cuz I Love You by Lizzo.  She’s had her moment now, we’ll see if there’s more.

Legacy Legacy by Jamila Woods.  Each song is a tribute to an influential black woman.  Great idea.  And she’s not the only one how had it.

Eve by Rapsody.  After releasing a powerful album steeped in the roots of hip hop last year, Rapsody did the same thing Jamila Woods did–but with rap!

Next: Soul!