The most jam-packed roundup yet!
Lies After Love — Drama
Disclosure’s Settle mixed with Hot Natured’s Different Sides of the Sun — if Anabel Englund took exclusive crooning duties — with splashes of HAIM’s Something to Tell You, MGMT circa “Kids”, and a twist of St. Vincent. Though Lies After Love is too brief an EP to totally hang with such illustrious company, get on the Drama bandwagon now; they’re destined for a full album of similar caliber soon enough. Also, you’re looking at a major contender for THE sex music of 2018. Onto another:
East Atlanta Love Letter — 6LACK
One day I shallcome up with a name for the burgeoning genre that combines classic R&B with 21st century innovations in electronic dance music, epitomized by Khalid, the second half of Drake’s Scorpion, and now this album. Far removed from the big-room EDM dominating the streamwaves, it’s more low-key, laidback, downtempo, vibey, moody sex music (!), with ample flow and always danceable rhythm, no matter how slow. Minimalist producing that’s anything but minimal; call it complex minimalism, with influences across the musical spectrum.
ZOO — Russ
FLOOOOOOW. No rapper is better at singing hooky choruses. The content of Russ’ lyrics can leave you wanting more, but there’s nothing wrong with tone over substance, especially when that tone is so sexy (it’s been a hot week!). And unlike too many of his musical peers, Russ seems to understand that albums are more than just collections of his best new songs, thus the reason he excluded his best track of 2018, one of my absolute favorites of the year, period; it wouldn’t have fit with ZOO’s exact musical temperature. And yet, there’s a difference between varied consistency and simplistic monotony, and too often the album’s producing falls on the latter end of that spectrum.
Cry Pretty — Carrie Underwood
This shit — country girl pop rock! — is extremely my shit. I mean, it’s shit. Mildly enjoyable shit, if you’re not into this sort of shit. But if you are, it’s the shit. But still, shit nonetheless. In other words, it’s the best worst album of the year. A true delightmare.
Self Promotion — Wale
Three EPs from Wale this year! I prefer the seshness of It’s Complicated over the breakneck intensity of Self Promotion’s pace, which matches the lyrics’ searing sociopolitical commentary. But that’s just personal taste; he’s equally proficient at both. Respect the range.
Free Lunch — Wale
Unfortunately, Wale saved the worst for last!
Tha Carter V — Lil Wayne
Speaking of saving the worst for last: there’s a reason Wayne’s Dedication series has been more prolific than his more popular Tha Carter franchise; let’s just say relying on the producing of others really helps him. If only every track was like “Uproar”, which takes up a mere 180 seconds of the album’s 88-minute (!) runtime.
I Want to Die In New Orleans — $uicide Boy$
Can someone else give this album the Dedication treatment and re-rap over the same beats? Without the excessive autotune, it could’ve been a fascinatingly-perplexing orgy between Denzel Curry, Cypress Hill, and Run the Jewels — hold the Kevin Gates, please.
Luca Brasi 3 — Kevin Gates
Speaking of Kevin Gates…well…the less said about his new album, the better!
On the Rvn — Young Thug
Pros: “Icey”’s beat; “High”’s producing.
Cons: Everything else.
4Respect 4Freedom 4Liberty 4WhatImportant — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
So YoungBoy compiled the four mixtapes covered last week into an album. Not to renege on my critical responsibilities, but forgive me for listening only to the new tracks. And forgive me again for not writing more about them. If you don’t have something nice to say…
Decided — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
…don’t say anything at all.
2018 Albums, Ranked
- Black Panther — Kendrick Lamar
- Dirty Computer — Janelle Monáe
- Kamikaze — Eminem
- NASIR — Kanye West & Nas
- DAYTONA — Kanye West & Pusha T
- Lies After Love — Drama
- High As Hope — Florence + The Machine
- Queen — Nicki Minaj
- KIDS SEE GHOSTS — Kanye West & Kid Cudi
- East Atlanta Love Letter — 6LACK
- Milky Way — Bas
- The Color of You — Alina Baraz
- Redemption — Jay Rock
- Swimming — Mac Miller
- Light of Mine — KYLE
- beerbongs & bentleys — Post Malone
- Man of the Woods — Justin Timberlake
- Scorpion — Drake
- ye — Kanye West
- Treehouse — Sofi Tukker
- ZOO — Russ
- Shawn Mendes — Shawn Mendes
- DAY69 — 6ix9ine
- Testing — A$AP Rocky
- EVERYTHING IS LOVE — The Carters
- ? — XXXTENTACION
- Culture 2 — Migos
- K.T.S.E. — Kanye West & Teyana Taylor
- SR3MM — Rae Sremmurd, Swae Lee & Slim Jxmmi
- The Now Now — Gorillaz
- Hive Mind — The Internet
- My Dear Melancholy, — The Weeknd
- Bobby Tarantino II — Logic
- Vacation in Hell — Flatbush Zombies
- GANGIN — SOB X RBE
- Sex & Cigarettes — Toni Braxton
- Cry Pretty — Carrie Underwood
- Sorry To Bother You: The Soundtrack — The Coup
- Head in the Clouds — 88rising
- Survive the Summer — Iggy Azalea
- LIFE’S A TRIP — Trippie Redd
- ONEPOINTFIVE — Aminé
- Isolation — Kali Uchs
- Blindspotting: The Collin EP — Daveed Diggs
- D6: Reloaded — Lil Wayne
- KOD — J. Cole
- For My Fans — Fetty Wap
- Little Dark Age — MGMT
- Blue Madonna — BØRNS
- TA1300 — Denzel Curry
- Tha Carter V — Lil Wayne
- How We React and How We Recover — Jason Robert Brown
- ASTROWORLD — Travis Scott
- 44/876 — Sting & Shaggy
- Amen — Rich Brian
- Five Five — Pouya
- It’s Complicated — Wale
- Beach House 3 Bonus Tracks — Ty Dolla $ign
- STAY DANGEROUS — YG
- Self Promotion — Wale
- I Used to Know Her: The Prelude — H.E.R.
- Punken — Maxo Kream
- Expectations — Bebe Rexha
- 4275 — Jacquees
- Common Ground — Above & Beyond
- Love Yourself Tear — BTS
- Lost & Found — Jorja Smith
- Trapholizay — Zaytoven
- Cosmic — Bazzi
- I Want to Die In New Orleans — $uicide Boy$
- California — Diplo
- When We (Remix) — Tank
- 2.23 — Blac Youngsta
- Invasion of Privacy — Cardi B
- That’s A Girl’s Name — DRAM
- Life of a Dark Rose — Lil Skies
- As She Pleases — Madison Beer
- Still Run — Wet
- Legends of the Summer— Meek Mill
- Youngblood — 5 Seconds of Summer
- Ready — Ella Mai
- BEWARE THE BOOK OF ELI — Ski Mask the Slump God
- Activated — Tee Grizzley
- God’s Favorite Customer — Father John Misty
- Vibras — J Balvin
- By the Way, I Forgive You — Brandi Carlile
- The Big Pescado — Berner
- Rico — Berner
- Free Lunch — Wale
- Play — Dave Grohl
- Hoodwolf 2 — HoodRich Pablo Juan & Danny Wolf
- Rolling Papers 2 — Wiz Khalifa
- P2 — Dave East
- Camila — Camila Cabello
- I Like It Loud — Tiesto
- M A N I A — Fall Out Boy
- Victory Lap — Nipsey Hussle
- MEMORIES DON’T DIE — Tory Lanez
- Human — Steve Angello
- International Artist — A Boogie wit da Hoodie
- Fuck Everybody 2 — Blac Youngsta
- Bless Yo Trap — Smokepurpp & Murda Beatz
- Goodbye & Good Riddance — Juice WRLD
- Reckless — NAV
- The Longshot — The Longshot
- Fate — Tammy Rivera
- The World is Yours — Rich the Kid
- 23 — Jaydayoungan
- Kolorblind — DJ ESCO
- Edgewood — Trouble & Mike WiLL Made-It
- Hurtin’ Me — Stefflon Don
- F.A.M.E. — Maluma
- Rearview Town — Jason Aldean
- This One’s For You Too — Luke Combs
- Obsessed: Hedwig and the Angry Inch — Lena Hall
- November — SiR
- The Chocolate Box — Jeremih
- Sweetener — Ariana Grande
- Voicenotes — Charlie Puth
- The Vault — G-Eazy
- Dan + Shay — Dan + Shay
- Heart Break Kodak — Kodak Black
- Die Lit — Playboi Carti
- Ottopsy — Chief Keef
- Lil Boat 2 — Lil Yachty
- Glock Bond — Key Glock
- Drip Season 3 — Gunna
- Spiritual Conversations — Mozzy
- SUPERFLY — Future & Co.
- On the Rvn — Young Thug
- Golden Hour — Kacey Musgraves
- We Beefin? — at Wendys
- Until Death Call My Name Reloaded — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- Harder Than Ever — Lil Baby
- The Play Don’t Care Who Makes It — 2 Chainz
- Real Hasta la Muerte — Anuel AA
- Bad Witch — Nine Inch Nails
- Mansion Musick — Chief Keef
- Humble Beast (Deluxe) — G Herbo
- 4Freedom — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- Rich As In Spirit — Rich Homie Quan
- Pain and Pleasure — Tink
- Ray Ray from Summerhill — YFN Lucci
- Freda’s Son — YFN Lucci
- Dex Meets Dexter — Famous Dex
- Swervo — G Herbo & Southside
- Forever — Popcaan
- Age Of — Oneohtrix Point Never
- Queen Naija — Queen Naija
- Just Cause Y’all Waited — Lil Durk
- Apart — Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
- Karma 2 — Dave East
- Slime Language — Young Thug & Young Stoner Life Records
- The Marina — Curren$y & Harry Fraud
- BEASTMODE 2 — Future
- Aura — Ozuna
- Sick Boy…Everybody Hates Me — The Chainsmokers
- Hear No Evil — Young Thug
- First Time — Liam Payne
- Chained to the City — Kevin Gates
- No Stylist — French Montana
- Master the Day of Judgement — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- Until Death Call My Name — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- 2 Heartless — Moneybagg Yo
- Don Season 2 — Don Q
- Grow God — Money Man
- Don Talk — Don Q
- N****S Get Shot — Young Dolph
- Rich Hood — HoodRich Pablo Juan
- The Leek 4 — Chief Keef
- Bet On Me — Moneybagg Yo
- YBN: The Mixtape — YBN Almighty Jay, YBN Cordae & YBN Nahmir
- 4Respect — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- 4Loyalty — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- Luca Brasi 3 — Kevin Gates
- Decided — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
- Pray For The Wicked — Panic! At the Disco
- 4Respect 4Freedom 4Liberty 4WhatImportant — YoungBoy Never Broke Again
