As genre lines continue to blur, pop artists have taken more liberties than ever before with full-length releases. Kelly Clarkson went full-throttle soul-pop with Meaning of Life, Miley Cyrus tackled country-Americana with Younger Now and SZA reigned over chillwave and R&B minimalism with Ctrl. So don’t let anyone tell you the album is dead — the likes of Demi Lovato’s Tell Me You Love Me and St. Vincent’s MASSEDUCTION speak declaratively to the contrary.
Check out PopCrush’s best albums of 2017, below, in no particular order.
ATLANTIC
1. Kelly Clarkson, Meaning of Life
Finally. It’s the word on the minds and lips of enduring Clarkson fans who have supported a career that’s spilled over with pop jams, but also acknowledged that 15 years’ worth of radio hits have done the inaugural American Idol winner’s voice little justice. The soul pop-tinged Meaning of Life, Clarkson’s eighth studio album, is the first that has harnessed the power of her talent instead of reflexively hiding from it, and winds through eras of Motown (“Didn’t I,” “Don’t You Pretend”) and En Vogue-leaning ‘90s punch (“Medicine,” “Love So Soft”) as blindingly as Doc Brown’s DeLorean. It is, from top to bottom, the best collection of studio vocals Clarkson has produced, and “I Don’t Think About You” is an other-worldly performance. The most-nominated pop solo act in Grammys history has made a silencing case that she’s built for something more, and for something better. — Matthew Donnelly
4AD RECORDS
2. St. Vincent, MASSEDUCTION
On the titular track off St. Vincent's glittery MASSEDUCTION, Annie Clark admits, over a skittering soundbed of Jack Antonoff-produced beats, "I can't turn off what turns me on." The very same could be applied to the album, which glistens with the sensual, punky sheen of '80s new wave and the futuristic shimmer of modern art-pop (think Bow Wow Wow's I Want Candy meets Grimes' Art Angels). From the static eroticism of "Sugarboy" to the lurching electroclash of "Los Ageless," St. Vincent weaves razor sharp, sometimes manic musings on fear, sex, death and urban life over darting synths and sawtooth electric guitar riffs. Consider me seduced. — Erica Russell
RINA SAWAYAMA
3. Rina Sawayama, RINA
Rina Sawayama solidified her status as one of 2017's most exciting and refreshing breakout artists with RINA, a debut mini-album so packed with glossy bubblegum cyber-pop goodness it could give Britney's Oops! ...I Did It Again a run for its early 2000s, red latex-suited money. The independent London-based artist, whose crystalline voice glides effortlessly over a fusion of late '90s R&B beats and club-primed dance-pop synths, shines on smoother grooves like "Cyber Stockholm Syndrome," while the artist flexes her edgier, weirder pop leanings on undeniable bangers like "Alterlife." — Erica Russell
TOP DAWG/RCA
4. SZA, Ctrl
SZA (si-zah) is living proof that the pen and pad are still the deadliest weapons a scorned lover has at her disposal. Brimming with Erykah Badu honesty and the spirit of the dearly departed Aaliyah, the neo-soul singer's first trap&B LP Ctrlbirthed a litany of slow-burning soliloquies, from embarrassing disclosures to the heart-hitting recoils of a weekend-only affair. Though, perhaps the true evidence of its beauty is SZA's case for gaining control by riding the grain instead of going against it for once. Much like the songs on the record suggest, the only thing standing between us and that fourth wall are the bad habits we're unwilling to break. — Paris Close
SAFEHOUSE
5. Demi Lovato, Tell Me You Love Me
On the heels of 2015’s bizarre, confused Confident, Lovato finds her footing as a late-blooming soul-pop belter, and the results are as clean and figured out as a puzzle master’s Rubik’s cube. Tell Me You Love Me, Lovato’s sixth studio LP, is — at long last — the work of a singer who’s built for something better than dance-pop, and pairs sexy, smoky still (“Ruin The Friendship,” “Hitchhiker”) with wails that could wake Sleeping Beauty (“Sexy Dirty Love,” “Sorry Not Sorry”). There’s nary a miss across 12 tracks, which course through pain, relationship anguish and exciting sexual tensions, and if “Daddy Issues” lands in the right hands, it could prove to be the pop anthem of 2018. — Matthew Donnelly
6. Kesha, Rainbow
A substantial number of people made it a point to discredit Kesha’s work over the years – usually due to elitism, sexism, or varying combinations of both. So when Rainbow came out, in all its obvious brilliance, many used it to draw a line in the sand between the old Kesha (or Ke$ha), and the new. And yet, what makes Rainbow such a powerful piece of work is that it represents Kesha returning to everything she championed in the first place: unapologetic fun, endless hope and lyrics that kick you right in the heart. — Julian de Valliere
7. Miley Cyrus, Younger Now
After dabbling in hip-hop (Bangerz) and psychedelic rock (Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Pets), everyone’s favorite controversial pop star goes back to her roots on her sixth studio album, Younger Now. The 11-song collection does a good job of mixing country with pop, with standout tracks like infectious first single “Malibu,” Dolly Parton duet “Rainbowland” and sing-along title track leading the charge. Though we love to see Miley express herself, it’s refreshing to see her focusing more on songwriting and less on image. —Katrina Nattress
8. The Magnettes, Ugly Youth
The electro-pop trio look the patriarchy in the face and spit on this magnetic debut. Their DIY-produced record cobbles together examinations of beauty, self-worth and womanhood across eleven absolute stunners, with “Sad Girls Club,” “So Bad," "Parking Lot" and “Cheer" among their finest compositions. "I don't want pretty, I want ugly," they rally on "Ugly," which serves as the album's robust through line. — Jason Scott
9. Kelela, Take Me Apart
Kelela’s been putting out music since 2013, but it wasn’t until this year that the adventurous R&B singer released her debut album. Take Me Apart showcases personal lyrics and a vocal performance reminiscent of Janet Jackson, paired with ethereal electronic arrangements and crunching, industrial undertones. With electro-focused, sensual tracks like “LMK,” “Frontline” and “Blue Light,” Kelela has redefined what R&B is in 2017 and proved her freshman effort was well worth the wait. —Katrina Nattress
DEAD OCEANS
10. Japanese Breakfast, Soft Sounds from Another Planet
After decrypting the emotions behind the loss of her mother on 2016's low-spirited debut, Psychopomp, it sounds as if Japanese Breakfast matriarch Michelle Zauner is taking her first exhale on the shoegaze sophomore effort Soft Sounds from Another Planet. As she attempts the final step toward closure on songs like "The Body Is a Blade" and rummages the remains of a broken heart on "This House," her intergalactic odyssey brims with the sort of out-of-this-world ambiance to deem it one of the best indietronic masterpieces of 2017. — Paris Close
11. Mabel, Ivy To Roses
Mabel took us all by surprise when she announced an upcoming mixtape just two days before its release, mostly because she’d already made a sizeable mark this year with her debut EP and the two singles off it. Ivy To Roses went a step further in showcasing her as one of the UK’s most excellent talents. Mabel’s expert interweaving of R&B and pop is no less captivating when extended to the length of an LP, and cuts like “Begging” and “Come Over” hit with the force of a self-realised superstar ready to take on the charts. — Julian de Valliere
12. Allie X, COLLXTION II
There are few rising stars as crafty and magnetizing as Allie X, whose second album is stacked with brooding, brutal tales (“Paper Love," "True Love Is Violent") and ridiculously intoxicating hooks (“Old Habits Die Hard," “That’s So Us"). Allie X's smart songwriting is met with equally-alluring production and a vocal that is bold and powerful. Critics were so intensely focused on Taylor Swift and Lorde, they may have overlooked this quiet but luscious masterpiece. — Jason Scott
WARNER BROS. RECORDS
13. Lights, Skin & Earth
After debuting with a sugary synth-pop sheen with 2009's The Listening, as well as dabbling in harder new wave and electro-rock sounds on albums like Siberia and Little Machines, Canadian singer-songwriter Lights finds her pop sweet spot on Skin & Earth, a glistening, emotionally-charged concept album. Cushioned by Lights’ signature melodies, the artist soars on massive bangers like “Sky Diving” and “Giants.” Elsewhere, she experiments with moodier, more sensual R&B sounds—a first for the electro-pop powerhouse—on standouts like “Until the Light” and “Morphine.” One of the album’s strongest moments, however, comes in the form of the unexpectedly aggressive, unrelenting “Savage,” an aptly titled, bluesy kiss-off track that decimates an unworthy lover. — Erica Russell
TELEPROMPT
14. Mute Math, Play Dead
Even with a name like Play Dead, Mutemath can’t convince listeners their fifth LP is anything less than a particularly potent caffeine pill. Its conception may have been dramatic — longtime drummer-producer Darren King gave his two-weeks’ notice not long after the album was in the can, and bassist Roy Mitchell-Cardenas quickly followed suit — but the band have played on, and the album is, conversely, a strangely calm buzz. Here, Mutemath have taken the best of tracks like the zippy “Allies” and continued to experiment, mixing off-key staccato synths with dreamy, even melodies. If Alice had calmly drifted, instead of fallen, down the rabbit hole, it’d have sounded something like this. — Matthew Donnelly
STEPS MUSIC LLP
15. Steps, Tears on the Dance Floor
Almost impossibly, they did it: the super campy '90s "Tragedy" troupe returned 17 years after their last original studio full-length with a record of thumping dance-pop anthems that doesn't pander to radio trends once, all while still sounding thoroughly current. Lead single "Scared of the Dark" is a triumphant rallying cry of epic, Eurovision-friendly proportions, and floor stormers like "Glitter & Gold," "Neon Blue" and "Happy" prove that unapologetic dance-pop isn't dead. STEPS saved pop in 2017. — Bradley Stern
JYP ENTERTAINMENT
16. Suzy, Yes? No?
K-pop might be oversaturated by bright beats and infectious singalong uptempo hooks, but missA singer Suzy's lounge-ready, stripped-down solo effort provided a much-needed dose of chill. From the hypnotic opener "Pretend" to "Les Preferences," the singer's breathy and transportive voice supplies the essential soundtrack to contemplative late night drives and evokes a strong sense of nostalgia. — Bradley Stern
WARNER MUSIC JAPAN
17. Wednesday Campanella, Superman
Wednesday Campanella proves that not all J-pop consists of cute petticoat-wearing idols and sugary bubblegum beats. (Not that we don't love that as well.) The electronic trio supply listeners with dance floor-primed electro eccentricity on Superman, toggling between nu-disco with the groovy vibes of "Aladdin" and deep house with the throbbing, dark ambient tones of "Onyankopon." The album is an excellent exercise in electronic acrobatics, exploring sounds like trop-pop ("Kamehameha the Great"), wonky dub ("Chaplin") and jazzy funk-pop ("Ikkyu-san"). It's a big label album that miraculously retains the artful edge of an indie record, thanks largely to singer KOM_I's airy, elastic vocals. — Erica Russell
VERVE RECORDS
18. Michelle Branch, Hopeless Romantic
The sanguinity of Branch’s early-aughts “Everywhere” has dulled in the 14 years since the release of her most recent studio album, but the good news is the sound of wilting suits her. Hopeless Romantic, co-produced by The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney, captures the languid cool of between-class cigarette breaks, resting on basslines only implicitly familiar to the cafeteria’s can’t-be-bothered cool crowd. Still, longtime fans will get their pop-fix, as tracks like “Knock Yourself Out” are dead-ringers for Branch’s wistful anthems of yesteryear, which seem to be tailor-made for long highway drives. —Matthew Donnelly
FUELED BY RAMEN
19. Paramore, After Laughter
The rock group’s fifth studio album achieves the unlikely feat of Benjamin Button-ing and Big-ing in tandem. After Laughter, a heartened, romantic departure from the Twilight-defining “Decode,” is — at once — more playful than Paramore have ever been and more sophisticated than they ever indicated they could be. Tracks like “Hard Times” and “Rose-Colored Boy” are ‘80s tinged and tinny but done damn well. Steel drums and ebbing synth spell out the better part of the album’s joy, but it’s the taciturn, scaled-back “26” that will survive as the LP’s masterwork. —Matthew Donnelly
RCA
20. MUNA, About U
"So special," indeed: MUNA, a trio of queer women, forged an important (and entirely listenable) path with their socially conscious brand of synth-pop in 2017. Songs like "I Know A Place," a chill-inducing ode to safe spaces in these times of terror, and "Crying on the Bathroom Floor" perfectly encapsulate the oft-bleak climate. Oh, and album closer "Everything" could be the most devastatingly beautiful song of the year. — Bradley Stern
WARNER BROS. RECORDS
21. Dua Lipa, Dua Lipa
What can't Dua do? The drop dead gorgeous Albanian pop star's hypnotically deep voice stunned us time and time again over the years on anthems like "Be The One," "Hotter Than Hell" and the Miguel-assisted "Lost in Your Light." Deeper into the long-awaited debut, she strikes gold with even more gems, like the boundary-setting "New Rules." It's one of pop's fiercest debuts in recent memory. — Bradley Stern
ATLANTIC
22 . Charli XCX, Number 1 Angel
Charli drives full throttle into R&B on her aptly-titled mixtape, a collection of tracks meant to pacify fans while we await her third studio album. Fortunately, Number 1 Angel is much more than a placeholder amid her discography: It contains The Bops™. On "3AM," a saccharine banger with bite, she and Danish pop star MØ deliver emotionally charged "f--- you" pop along with a flawless hook. Elsewhere, the British singer-songwriter toys with PC Music's signature plastic club-pop sheen on "Roll With Me," revisits the moody goth-pop of True Romance on "Emotional" and resurrects the spirit of 2010-era electro with Uffie on "Babygirl." Meanwhile, Charli and cupcakKe's flirty, sticky-icky "Lipgloss" is the best thing since Lil Mama. — Erica Russell
RCA
23. Bleachers, Gone Now
Bleachers, a.k.a. Jack Antonoff, continues his stream of big, anthemic synth-pop on sophomore album, Gone Now. Tracks like "All My Heroes" and "Everybody Lost Somebody" could easily soundtrack a John Hughes film, while the refreshingly earnest "Let's Get Married" is just waiting to be shoehorned into the credits of a sweet rom-com. And that's the thing with Bleachers: Antonoff's love-letter-to-the-'80s sound—complete with shimmering synths, twinkly piano riffs and sax solos—is pure cinematic pop. It captures the hazy dreams and existential listlessness of suburbanites everywhere. — Erica Russell
TSNMI / ATLANTIC
24. Kehlani, SweetSexySavage
The silky sweet, sexy and indeed savage melodies of Kehlani's debut carried us through the frigid season at the start of 2017, evoking a nostalgia for '90s R&B. Tripping 808s and finger-snapping beats provide a canvas for the blossoming vocal talent to shine. — Bradley Stern
Source: Popcrush.com
Source: Popcrush.com
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