The Best Albums of 2016
In September 2016, “Forever Country,” a medley of three classic country songs – “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “On the Road Again” and “I Will Always Love You”—was recorded to honor the 50th Annual Country Music Association Awards. A celebration of traditional country music and the genre’s ongoing popularity, the song blended together 30 stars, ranging from newcomers to veteran to classic stars and acts of the genre. A similar medley, featuring many of the same stars that performed on “Forever Country” but with different songs, was performed at the CMA Awards. Both performances received widespread critical acclaim. In 2016, Beyoncé surpassed Madonna as the most-awarded artist at the MTV Video Music Awards (24 wins).
Don’t miss out the music of 2016. Relive the most memorable songs by clicking below.
10. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service (A Tribe Called Quest)
“One could argue that this is A Tribe’s best record. I’d still put The Low-End Theory first but this is undoubtedly a powerful, emotional, and worthy final outing from one of the greatest rap groups of all time. Highlights for me are Whateva Will Be, Space Program, We The People…, and Dis Generation. There isn’t a bad track on this album.”
9. Lemonade (Beyoncé)
“Surprising. This is the feeling that you have after several listenings of the famous “Lemonade”. Because it took me several listening to have an opinion on the astonishing cocktail offered by Queen B. This album is a hymn, a real cry of the rage of all that Miss Carter had on the heart: Feminist, Equal, Militant, Powerful. In one word this album is truly soul. Because this album comes from the soul, it comes from the heart.”
8. The Life Of Pablo (Kanye West)
“All of these tracks complement each other so well, I find it much more enjoyable to listen to the whole thing as an album rather than skipping between tracks, which probably why it hasn’t had the credit it deserves. Not many people listen to whole albums these days.”
See more: Beyonce Albums Ranked
7. Skeleton Tree (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds)
“It’s like this whole album was created to give you that dread feeling, the songs alone are quite simple, the lyrics as well, but is the deliverance, the passion that It is sung and played that really makes this one of the greats.”
6. 22, A Million (Bon Iver)
“2nd best Bon Iver. It’s an album that will be overlooked by many for its ambitiously experimental sound, nearly too ambitious. You can hear a lot of Kanye here. But he doesn’t overextend himself on the experimentation, he nails it. This album is nearly perfect. Once you start seeing through some of the production gimmicks you realize how great these songs really are.”
5. Atrocity Exhibition (Danny Brown)
“Atrocity Exhibition is frantic drug-addicted hip-hop post-punk. Brown’s speed and nasally high tone portray a violent mania that threatens to consume him. The instrumentals are filled with Joy Divisionesque bass lines and distortion.”
4. Teens Of Denial (Car Seat Headrest)
“A near-perfect album that might be one of the most vivid and descriptive depictions of the lifestyle that a lot of young adults have. Not only are the instrumentals captivating and unpredictable, but the vocals also stand out as unique and are a perfect tool for the brilliant stories on here”
See more: Car Seat Headrest Albums Ranked
3. ★ (Blackstar) (David Bowie)
“This Album Blackstar, is a Modern Day Masterpiece. It is Grammy Worthy, and Moving but written so well & produced brilliantly. I don’t want to put him in a category, I cannot. His music Transcends in this piece of work. The Cabaret touched him early in life and He Is, A Black Star. He’s not a White Star. Little Richard lived inside this man. This was Funk at it’s best, Jazz at it’s best Blues and Rock and Roll and so much more.”
2. Blonde (Frank Ocean)
“The ideas and the writing behind blonde are rather beautiful. Lyrics invoke everything from Norse heroes to lean recipes in Texas while describing love, sadness, and nostalgia. The production on the other hand just never finds success. The pitch up vocals sound wonky and pull you from the emotion of the songs.”
1. A Moon Shaped Pool (Radiohead)
“A Moon Shaped Pool is really a standout in Radiohead’s discography. For me, it’s way better than The Bends, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief, even better than OK Computer, on the same level as Kid A and In Rainbows. Listening to it put me in a zen mood as if I was on a cloud. It’s a very soft, sweet album. The strings arranged by Jonny are perfect throughout the record.”