Ten of the of the year, as chosen by Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman.
91裸聊视频淐owboy Carter,91裸聊视频� Beyonc茅
She rode in on a white horse, in patriotic chaps and wielding an American flag. She declared, this 91裸聊视频渁in91裸聊视频檛 a Country album91裸聊视频� but 91裸聊视频渁 91裸聊视频楤eyonc茅91裸聊视频� album91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� positioning herself in opposition to the genre91裸聊视频檚 rigid power structures. And yet, she made the year91裸聊视频檚 best country (and then some) release: Beyonc茅91裸聊视频檚 a 78-minute, 27-track masterclass in inherited and uncelebrated histories, pulling from the Black and brown performers at the core of country91裸聊视频檚 canon, and providing visibility to oft-overlooked progenitors. It91裸聊视频檚 heard in the inclusion of Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry. And it91裸聊视频檚 heard in Beyonc茅91裸聊视频檚 natural twang, a return to form for the Texas native 91裸聊视频� at times, a vibrato that pulls directly from the earth. It may only be 2024, but it91裸聊视频檚 hard to imagine this record not being considered one of the decade91裸聊视频檚 best.
91裸聊视频淏RAT,91裸聊视频� Charli XCX
It wasn91裸聊视频檛 just babes, but a brat movement: English singer-songwriter Charli XCX91裸聊视频檚 sixth album altered the language of 2024. The music oscillates between hedonism and anxiety 91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频渢he euphoria of a late night on the dancefloor and the creeping disquietude of the morning after,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� but also manages to bring the underground91裸聊视频檚 pop queen into the mainstream without compromising her vision. There was a period where Charli XCX91裸聊视频檚 collaborations with the future-seeking PC Music collective and producer A .G. Cook seemed too progressive for everyday ears. But 91裸聊视频淏rat,91裸聊视频� and its vomit-chartreuse iconography, resonated. Listeners were ready to return to the rave 91裸聊视频� or attend for the very first time 91裸聊视频� and dance-pop music is far more interesting for it.
91裸聊视频淎lligator Bites Never Heal,91裸聊视频� Doechii
When alligators kill, they do what is known as a 91裸聊视频渄eath roll91裸聊视频�: They sink their teeth into their prey and spin rapidly, flipping their bodies in and out of the water, drowning, disorienting and dismembering whatever was unlucky enough to get in its way. Florida rapper Doechii91裸聊视频檚 breakout mixtape, 91裸聊视频淎lligator Bites Never Heal,91裸聊视频� embodies that kind of intensity 91裸聊视频� not in aggression, per se, but in acuity 91裸聊视频� for a versatile album that teeters from the romance of her smooth R&B and the particularity of her flows. Single 91裸聊视频淏oom Bap91裸聊视频� made her greatness known. Tracks like 91裸聊视频淐atfish91裸聊视频� confirm it.
91裸聊视频淢anning Fireworks,91裸聊视频� MJ Lenderman
Last year, AP named 91裸聊视频淩at Saw God,91裸聊视频� the album from Asheville alt-country indie rockers Wednesday, . The band features MJ Lenderman, whose 91裸聊视频淢anning Fireworks91裸聊视频� is almost frustratingly addictive. It91裸聊视频檚 a record of hilariously evocative moments from pathetic people (or is it pathetic moments from hilariously evocative people?) atop purposeful, easy slacker rock melodies. From there, it91裸聊视频檚 a kaleidoscope of brilliant lyrical short stories. (An oft-quoted favorite of his cult following? 91裸聊视频淜ahl煤a shooter / DUI scooter91裸聊视频� from 91裸聊视频淛oker Lips.91裸聊视频�) For fans of alternative music, it is an immediate classic. We91裸聊视频檇 suggest placing 91裸聊视频淢anning Fireworks91裸聊视频� on your record shelf, but it91裸聊视频檚 unlikely to leave your turntable.
91裸聊视频淥rqu铆deas,91裸聊视频� Kali Uchis
When Amy Winehouse first emerged, she was celebrated for being a once-in-a-generation voice, an old soul in a modern world 91裸聊视频� not overly sentimental or stuck, but an artist willing to communicate with the past to make art in the future. In many ways, the same can be said about Kali Uchis and her Her superpower is her syrupy voice, which feels in time and out of it 91裸聊视频� classically and effortlessly smoothing over and disrupting her lush sonic worlds. If 2024 is about fluidity 91裸聊视频� of genre, language, love, loss and divination 91裸聊视频� Uchis provides a roadmap from restrained reggaeton to alt-R&B.
91裸聊视频淕NX,91裸聊视频� Kendrick Lamar
The holidays arrived early this year when Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar surprise released . It is his first album since 202291裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淢r. Morale & the Big Steppers91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� and perhaps more tellingly, his first since his victory lap over Drake that inspired one of the year91裸聊视频檚 best songs, 91裸聊视频淣ot Like Us.91裸聊视频� In full, 91裸聊视频淕NX91裸聊视频� builds off the promise of his blockbuster single 91裸聊视频� West Coast hip-hop showboating from one of the greatest living rappers anywhere. But it91裸聊视频檚 Lamar91裸聊视频檚 performance that makes this one of the year91裸聊视频檚 best. it is his effortless ability to 91裸聊视频渟witch cadences and lyrical perspectives mid-song91裸聊视频� and seemingly limitless breath control that stand out.
91裸聊视频淗it Me Hard and Soft,91裸聊视频� Billie Eilish
It often seems like there is no record Billie Eilish can91裸聊视频檛 break, no accomplishment she cannot summit. So where was she to go, at just 22, with her third studio album? Up, as it turns out. is a 10-track testament to her own ambition. It fuses insights pulled from her first two records 91裸聊视频� the gothic humor and unusual production of and the classist detours 91裸聊视频� but wizened. There are the fan favorites of 91裸聊视频淟unch91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淏irds of a Feather,91裸聊视频� but also standouts like 91裸聊视频淐hihiro,91裸聊视频� with its delicate promise and techno-house crescendo at its coda. No one is doing it like her.
91裸聊视频淭wo Star & The Dream Police,91裸聊视频� Mk.gee
Upon first listen, if New Jersey confounds, do not worry. He is a 2024 success story who emerged fully formed and completely unusual, only to make fans of everyone from Justin Bieber to Eric Clapton 91裸聊视频� and their influence is heard throughout 91裸聊视频淭wo Star & The Dream Police.91裸聊视频� The record is gauzy, ripe for a 91裸聊视频渓o-fi music to study to91裸聊视频� playlist, but also commands attention for its spaced-out production and sparkling pop, all reliant on the malleability of his guitar compositions. Those range from sticky staccato to a kind of soulful 91裸聊视频�80s melodicism.
91裸聊视频淭he Past Is Still Alive,91裸聊视频� Hurray for the Riff Raff
Hurray for the Riff Raff, the musical moniker of Alynda Segarra, has long studied Americana, blues, and folk punk, perfecting their craft with each new release. On the narrative 91裸聊视频淭he Past Is Still Alive,91裸聊视频� their eighth studio album, Segarra pulls from their background as a hitchhiker, train hopper and outsider artist to document the kind of life-altering adventures 91裸聊视频� ugly and rejuvenating 91裸聊视频� that can only happen far from home. It91裸聊视频檚 a beautiful portrayal of the U.S. 91裸聊视频� all big skies, starry nights and idiosyncratic people 91裸聊视频� as well as dumpster diving, shoplifting, addiction, politics, queer bars and poetry. In a word: America.
91裸聊视频淧hasor,91裸聊视频� Helado Negro
Nearly a decade ago, Helado Negro 91裸聊视频� the bilingual musical project of Roberto Carlos Lange 91裸聊视频� released the single 91裸聊视频淵oung, Latin and Proud,91裸聊视频� a celebratory exploration of Latino identity that became a rallying cry for indie kids with similar heritage. It doubles as a kind of framework in which to think about all of his art, in particular, the inventive, breezy, The album, recorded in English and Spanish, uses electronic sounds to express inspirations pulled from nature. It91裸聊视频檚 a wide-ranging release, effervescent and ambitious, easy to listen to and joy to dissect.
