This year has been a hot ass mess, but the music has been amazing. I was originally going to do a top 20 albums list, but there has been so much music I enjoyed this year that narrowing it down to 20 has been so difficult.

Ungodly Hour

Chloe x Halle sophomore album is my favorite of the year. They have really been on point this year. Dare I say, they were the best artists of 2020. This 13 track masterpiece shows the adult side of the girls, who are now 20 and 22 years old. This album even got three 2021 Grammy nominations. Favorite songs: Busy Boy, Lonely, Don’t Make It Harder On Me.

Future Nostalgia

Dua Lipa was the Pop standout of this year. This album is so good. The title is very fitting for the vibes of the songs. She even put out a remix version of the album featuring 80s idol herself, Madonna. The single “Don’t Start Now” was the song of the summer if we are being honest. I will certainly be on the lookout for Dua in the years to come. Favorite songs: Pretty Please, Break My Heart, Physical

Jaguar

Jaguar is Victoria Monét’s EP. It’s only 9 songs, but it is so good. We already knew she was an amazing songwriter, but this EP proves she has some pipes as well. Favorite songs: Experience, We Might Even Be Falling in Love, Dive

Ho, Why Is You Here?

Flo Milli shit bitch 😜. This mixtape/EP is a debut from Alabama rapper Flo Milli. Put this on when you really want to feel like a bad bitch. She even has a song on the record titled Like That Bitch. I’m excited to see more from Flo Milli next year. Favorite songs: May I, Like That Bitch, Pussycat Doll

Plastic Hearts

Miley Cyrus has finally got into her rock era. This album features rock idols like Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, and Billy Idol. I was blown away by Miley here. Favorite songs: WTF Do I Know, High, Angels Like You

Good to Know

Jojo really put her all into this album. I love it so much. She even released an acoustic and deluxe version. On the original version, my favorite songs are Man and Pedialyte. On the deluxe version my favorite song is Kiss.

Evermore

Taylor Swift released Evermore a few weeks after she released Folklore. I enjoyed folklore, but I prefer Evermore. Both albums have taylor reaching into her folk/indie side instead of the traditional pop that she is known for. Favorite songs: ivy, marjorie, willow

B7

Brandy hasn’t released an album in a very long time. B7 delves deep into her personal life and gives us a much needed update on the R&B titan. I enjoyed this album very much. I’m glad Brandy is back. Favorite songs: Bye Bipolar, Borderline, Love Again

Lianne La Havas

This self titled album from UK star Lianne La Havas was so refreshing. You can tell she puts alot into her songs. I enjoyed it. Favorite songs: Bittersweet, Can’t Fight, Sour Flower

Love Goes

Sam Smith’s third studio album was wonderful. This album proves once again why Sam is the star they are. Love Goes features collabed with Burna Boy and Labrinth. The album brought out so many wonderful emotions. Favorite songs: Love Goes, My Oasis, For the Lover That I Lost

Positions

Ariana Grande. I have to admit, I wasn’t a big Ariana listener before this album. I heard her hit songs, but had never sat down and listened to an entire album before. This album is very good. Favorite songs: POV, Just Like Magic, Safety Net

Industry Games

Chika is amazing. Her flow is 🔥🔥🔥. She is another Alabama rapper and this EP really let’s her shine. I am very excited about what she has to offer us in the next year. Favorite songs: Crown, Industry Games, Balencies

Wonder

Shawn Mendes is in love. You can tell he loves Camilla just by listening to this album. I wish them all the best. This album is really good and I enjoyed it. Favorite songs: Wonder, Piece Of You, Teach Me How to Love

Sawayama

Rina Sawayama’s debut album is one of the best albums of 2020. My god, what a debut. Throughout the album she gives a flawless performance. It’s so good. I feel she got snubbed for the Grammy nominations, but either way I’m excited for what she will do next. Favorite songs: Dynasty, Bad Friend, Chosen Family

These are just some of my favorite albums from this year. I’d say these are my top choices. I listened to a lot of music this year from varying genres. This was my first year listening to K-pop. I enjoyed Blackpink’s album and I enjoyed BTS’s song Dynamite. In the R&B category, Khelani’s album It Was Good Until It Wasn’t was good as well. The UK group Little Mix released their album Confetti and I swear that album is full of bops.

Rap was dominated by women this year. Megan thee Stallion released her debut studio album this year. Good News was exactly what expected from her and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. If you want to shake your ass, go listen to this album. My favorites: Circles, What’s New, and Go Crazy. City Girls released City on Lock, it’s a fun album and you can tell Caresha and JT were glad to be back together. Atlanta rapper and former The Rap Game winner, Mulatto released her debut album Queen of the Souf. It’s good and she has some great features on it like Gucci Mane, Trina, Saweetie, and the aforementioned City Girls. Teyana Taylor released her album The Album and it as a love letter to her husband, basketball star Iman Shumpert and their two daughters. It was sweet.

Maggie Rogers released a new album last week, Notes From The Archive: Recordings 2011-2016. It’s a compilation album of the songs she recorded before she got famous. It’s very good. My favorite songs are: New Song, Wolves, Satellite.

Albums from 2019 that were in heavy rotation for me this year was Doja Cat’s Hot Pink, Harry Styles’s Fine Line, and Maggie Rogers’s Heard It In A Past Life. Even though Hot Pink came out last year, Doja Cat had one of the hottest songs of this summer with Say So. My favorite songs from Hot Pink are: Talk Dirty, Streets, and Addiction. Harry Styles’s Fine Line is his second solo album. God damn was this album good. My favorites were: To Be So Lonely, Falling, and Adore You. Maggie Rogers’s Heard It In A Past Life was phenomenal. Good grief. Just phenomenal. My favorites: Say It, Fallingwater, and Overnight.

There were some albums I listened to this year that were alright. John Legend’s Bigger Love reminded me of his old stuff. Queen Naja’s MissUnderstood was nice for a debut. Country star Mickey Guyton’s EP Bridges was good.

I didn’t listen to Alicia Keys new album although the reviews on it say it’s really good. I didn’t listen to The Weeknd’s After Hours, although that too was critically acclaimed. I also feel with the praise After Hours got, it should have been nominated for a Grammy 🤷🏾‍♀️.

All the artists and albums I mentioned here can be found on all digital streaming services. Have a Merry Christmas and go enjoy some good music. 🎶🎄