Top 10 Best Albums of 2016
David Garcia
Lemonade - Beyonce
Combining the sound of nearly every genre into a single project would otherwise seem like a cluttered mess, but Beyonce managed to produce an album that sounded cohesive and brilliant. Released to rave reviews, Lemonade has managed to outdo even her previous albums.
2. ANTI - Rihanna
A decade into her career, Rihanna remains a hypnotic presence. Brooding, erotic, and deceptively diverse, ANTI coolly jumps from oozing slow jams (“Kiss it Better”) to bubbling pop confections (the futurist dancehall-lite Drake collaboration “Work”) to serrated experiments (the vaguely industrial “Woo”) and throwback comfort food (“Love on the Brain,” “Higher”). As always, her voice remains the star, with charisma pouring like smoke out of the speakers.
3. Views - Drake
Views is Drake’s tour through the city that made him. The Toronto native taunts adversaries with speaker-rattling anthems (“Hype,” “Still Here”) and revisits his humble beginnings (“Weston Road Flows”). The result is a sleek and meticulously crafted tour de force from a game-changing MC.
4. Starboy - The Weeknd
A year after the release of his GRAMMY®-winning breakthrough—2015’s Beauty Behind the Madness—The Weeknd returns with Starboy, a double album of interstellar soul and feverish R&B that orbits around an ambitious title character. Bookended by two titanic but very different Daft Punk collaborations, it’s a listening experience that, from start to finish, speaks to the Toronto native’s mastery of both melody and mood.
5. Dangerous Woman - Ariana Grande
A swaggering step forward for the pop superstar. After a brush with controversy, Ariana Grande changes the subject with Dangerous Woman, an outing that showcases the former Nickelodeon actress’ increasingly ferocious voice and a newfound edge.
6. Blonde - Frank Ocean
An album we’ll be listening to and talking about for years. As enigmatic as its author, Blonde is a daring set of ambient post-R&B that slips into your bloodstream. Though it’s rich in luxurious wordplay and melody, Ocean favors impressionism here, from the mood-altering moves of “Nights” to the velveteen drift of “White Ferrari.” The result is oblique yet surprisingly emotional and intimate, a tour de force that sneaks up on you.