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It’s safe to say that 2020 has not been a great year for everyone. However, if there is one thing we can take away from this year, it’s all the incredible albums released this year. So many artists have one upped themselves with their new musical releases, and some are trying something completely new.
2020 has been a rough year with a great soundtrack. It’s basically like 50 Shades of Grey or Suicide Squad.
Here are the eight best albums released in 2020.
folklore – Taylor Swift
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Taylor Swift saved 2020. Who thought we’d be getting a whole new album and era from Taylor, not even a year after releasing her last album? Especially one without any promotion. Working with Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, and Bon Iver, Taylor released some of her most well-written songs, and arguably the best album of her career. Taylor decided to write songs from different people’s perspectives other than her own, like the person who owned her Rhode Island house prior to her. She even came up with a trilogy of songs about a made-up love triangle, with one song from a different person’s perspective. This was also Taylor’s first album since ‘1989’ to be nominated for ‘Album of The Year’ at the Grammys, which was long overdue. She’s taken over country, she’s taken over pop, and now she’s taking over alternative.
Standout Tracks: ‘cardigan’, ‘betty’, ‘august’, ‘the last great american dynasty’, ‘exile’ (feat. Bon Iver), ‘mad woman’, ‘my tears ricochet’, ‘this is me trying.’
evermore – Taylor Swift
Taylor can’t just leave well-enough alone. She has to keep one-upping herself by dropping a second surprise album a few days before her birthday. ‘evermore’ is a companion album to ‘folklore’, and it’s just as good. Taylor is also jumping on the trend of making her album and song titles in all lowercase letters. We’ll see how long this lasts.
Standout Tracks: ‘no body, no crime’ (feat. HAIM), ‘willow’, ‘ivy’, ‘tolerate it’, ‘gold rush’, ’tis the damn season.’
Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa
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If there’s one person who owned 2020, it’s Dua Lipa. She improved her dance and perfomance skills, and dropped an incredible album. ‘Future Nostalgia’ is the perfect name for this album, because all the songs are influenced by disco and dance music, a blend of old and new. Every track is catchy as hell, and there’s some gorgeous ballads in the mix as well, like ‘Cool’ and ‘Boys Will Be Boys’.
Standout Tracks: ‘Don’t Start Now’, ‘Physical’, ‘Hallucinate’, ‘Levitating.’
Chromatica – Lady Gaga
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Lady Gaga has returned to her roots of dance pop on ‘Chromatica.’ And she gave us what we all needed right now. A fun, dance-pop record, with impactful lyrics, and powerful vocals. It’s clear she’s leaving her Ally Maine/Joanne era behind, and returning to her older eras. Every song is so incredible, that it’d be hard to find two people who have the same exact album ranking.
Standout Tracks: ‘Stupid Love’, ‘Rain On Me’ (feat. Ariana Grande), ‘Sour Candy’ (feat. BLACKPINK), ‘Enigma’, ‘1000 Doves’, ‘Chromatica ll to 911.’
Rare – Selena Gomez
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January 2020 belonged to Rare by Selena Gomez. She had been teasing her fans with a new album for years, and ‘Rare’ did not disappoint. The album is full of empowering tracks that are great to listen to after a break-up. She even dropped a deluxe version of the album in April, with three amazing new songs, ‘Boyfriend’, ‘She’, and ‘Souvenir’.
Standout Tracks: ‘Lose You To Love Me’, ‘Boyfriend’, ‘Souvenir’, ‘Feel Me.’
Fetch the Bolt Cutters – Fiona Apple
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Who thought that you’d hear from Fiona Apple this year? She returned to music this year with ‘Fetch The Bolt Cutters.’ And she reminded us all why we first fell in love with her in the 90’s. Great lyrics, powerful vocals, and uniqueness that is not present in today’s music.
Standout Tracks: ‘Shameika’, ‘Heavy Balloon’, ‘Rack Of His.’
Confetti – Little Mix
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Stop sleeping on Little Mix, America. They are an incredibly talented girl-group, and ‘Confetti’ proves it. It’s a fun pop record with great hooks, danceable beats, and amazing vocals and lyrics. This is also a heartbreaking album because it is the last album Little Mix will make as an original foursome. Earlier this week, Jesy Nelson announced that she will be leaving the group after years of struggling with her mental health.
Standout Tracks: ‘Happiness’, ‘Sweet Melody’, ‘Breakup Song.’
Identity – Blair St. Clair
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I do declare! Blair St. Clair’s all grown up now! Her entrance line on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars 5’ this year proved it, and her second album also proves it. ‘Identity’ is full of empowering, emotional lyrics over danceable beats, which is Blair’s forte. Drag queens are not just drag queens, people, they can be incredible music artists, and lyricists as well.
Standout Tracks: ‘9 Lives’, ‘It’s Been Fun’, ‘Bad Judgement’, ‘Empty.’
