Rolling Stone: 20 Best Pop Albums of 2016

[Dolores Haze]

20. Kristin Kontrol, 'X-Communicate'

19. JoJo, 'Mad Love'

18. M.I.A., 'AIM'

17. Kitten, 'Heaven or Somewhere In Between' EP

16. Perfume, 'Cosmic Explorer'

15. Tkay Maidza, 'Tkay'

14. Lizzo, 'Coconut Oil'

13. DNCE, 'DNCE'

12. Bruno Mars, '24k Magic'

11. Ariana Grande, 'Dangerous Woman'







10. Fifth Harmony, '7/27'

 

Keeping the girl-group torch alive in 2016 proved to be simple for Fifth Harmony, who have outlasted the TV show that spawned them and become gale forces in pop. "Work From Home," their second album's winking collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign, was the mega-hit, an "Afternoon Delight" for the smartphone generation that fluttered by on minimalist synths. But the album thrived on its unapologetic celebration of girl power. "That's My Girl" was a joy-saturated back-pat for all the independent women in their squad of Harmonizers, "Not That Kinda Girl" rebuked unwanted advances with the assistance of sizzling keyboards, and "All in My Head (Flex)" rounded up the chorus of Mad Cobra's "Flex" and the gleeful "Trap Queen" MC Fetty Wap to assist its self-admiration. M.J.

 

9. Tegan and Sara, 'Love You to Death'

 

Using relentless hooks, the simplest of synth presets and their mastery of verse-chorus-verse structure, Tegan and Sara Quin examine desire from all sides on their eighth LP. Aided by producer Greg Kurstin, this era's Shadow Morton, the sisters do it for themselves on Love You to Death. Sometimes the Quins are so expert that they sand off their tunes' psychological complexities. Not on "Boyfriend," though, in which they keep stiff upper lips as a girl crush chooses a worthy dude, or on the ballad "100x" where they promise themselves never to go through this shit again. For Tegan and Sara, craft and poise are inseparable. A.S.

 

 

8. Pet Shop Boys, 'Super'

 

"Feelin' good, in the mood/That's the state I'm in," Neil Tennant sings. For the 14th Pet Shop Boys album, he and impassive-behind-designer-shades partner Chris Lowe minimize the rue and up the beats. The result is an album of club jams that would exhaust most ravers, never mind pensioneers Tennant's age. Take "Burn," an ode to revelers burning the disco down. As usual with Tennant and Lowe, they plan for every occasion: A song called "Twenty-Something" cocks an eyebrow at kids with "issues" and nothing to say, but the classic is "The Pop Kids," about the boys from their 1990 evergreen "Being Boring" falling in love on the dance floor to a song and with each other. Only when they're dancing can they feel this free – where have we heard that before? A.S.

 

7. Lady Gaga, 'Joanne'

 

Lady Gaga promised country-pop for her fifth studio album Joanne, but actually served up an excellent slice of acoustic pop that was part Seventies FM, part Nineties alternative. From the driving "Diamond Heart" to the excellent ballad "Million Reasons," Gaga's soft-rock transformation takes the pop star into a new direction without losing her flair for the dramatic and penchant for the kitschy. Those moments of fusion – like the novelty country-dance tune "John Wayne" and Beck co-penned masturbation banger "Dancin' in Circles" – are where the pop diva thrives, finding a character to embody and then letting the music tell a new story. B.S.

 

6. Carly Rae Jepsen, 'Emotion: Side B' EP

 

When Carly Rae Jepsen released her opus of the heart Emotion in 2015, she let slip that she had written some 250 songs for the project. Emotion: Side B collects eight of the cast-offs from that album, and it's not shocking that they're as satisfying as any other pop released in 2016, foregrounding Jepsen's ability to imbue a diary entry's worth of feelings into a single syllable. "Higher" anchors its besotted lyrics and fizzy synths with storming New Wave drums; "Cry" turns a coffee-klatch lament about a reluctant lover into a tear-jerking ballad. Even "Store" flips the sing-song refrain "I'm just going to the store, to the store" into a Dear John letter to be danced (and cried) along with. M.J.

 

5. Britney Spears, 'Glory'

 

After 2013's more personal, though often tepid, Britney Jean, Britney Spears' Glory felt like a breath of fresh electro-pop air. A star-studded array of pop's strongest producers and writers – including Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, Cashmere Cat, BloodPop and more – helped elevate the LP to the levels of dance perfection seen on 2007's Blackout. Single "Make Me" allows Spears to thrive at her coo-iest, and she shines as a Eurotrash sex robot on the electric "Do You Wanna Come Over?" Even the softer moments like the sweeping "Just Luv Me" and the whisper-y "Better" have Spears at her liveliest in years. B.S.

 

4. The Monkees, 'Good Times!'

 

Adam Schlesinger, who made his name reviving power-pop as half of Fountains of Wayne, gathers together a crew of clever songwriters – including Rivers Cuomo, Ben Gibbard, Andy Partridge, Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller – to provide top-shelf material for a reunion that lives up to the album's title and its exclamation point. But though Good Times! updates the Monkees' sound, it also keeps one foot in the past: A tweaked Sixties demo allows Micky Dolenz to perform a virtual duet with the title track's composer, the late Harry Nilsson; and Davy Jones (who died in 2012) appears via a 1967 outtake. Septuagenarians have never celebrated puppy love so winningly. K.H.

 

3. Tove Lo, 'Lady Wood'

 

On her second album, this Swedish pop singer-songwriter is just as sexed up and drugged up as she was when she was passing out in the tub on "Habits (Stay High)" or promising "we fuck for life" on "Talking Body." On "Influence" she warns you not to trust her when she's loaded; on the title track she whips out her metaphorical gal boner. And whether she's riffing off a monologue from Gone Girl on "Cool Girl" or lunging into yet another doomed relationship on "True Disaster," Lo crafts the sort of messy but consistent three-dimensional character that's in short supply in contemporary pop. The album's spacey electronic production, with beats dropping in and out, offers the sonic equivalent of the carnal and pharmacological pleasures she sings about. K.H.

 

 

2. Rihanna, 'Anti'

 

Rihanna's long-simmering eighth album brought together stinging songs that showcased the pop provocateur's ever-widening range, both stylistically and vocally. She channeled late-night loneliness and regret-tinged isolation on clamorous club arguments ("Woo") and faithful covers of Aussie indie-psych ("Same Ol' Mistakes") alike, creating a stark tableau on which she could work out grievances with those who have disappointed her. There are quite a few: The sinewy, dancehall-inspired "Work" is a parry toward a guy (portrayed by frequent foil Drake) who only wanted to connect physically; while the DJ Mustard-produced "Needed Me" is a biting kiss-off to a lover whose flights of romantic fancy proved to be too much. Her torch song "Love on the Brain" proves that she isn't totally immune to heartache, with an all-in performance that only strengthens the song's hurts-so-good imagery. M.J.

 

1. The 1975, 'I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It'

 

The barely contained erotic energy and boundless hooks of the 1975 make them INXS for the Snapchat generation. The band's take on pop is jittery and malleable – they work with sumptuous synth-pop on the pulsing "The Sound," cover themselves in glam-era glitter on the posturing "Love Me" and give listeners a taste of their mini-epic ambitions on "Please Be Naked. But leader Matthew Healy's winking lyrics and his bandmates' ability to keep their eyes on the melodies, even when they're flipping through genres, make them especially vibrant. The 1975's self-aware bravado, circa-1988 retro production and knack for brain-Velcro melodies make this sprawling collection both a rock anomaly and a pop event. M.J. 

 

 

credit: 20 Best Pop Albums of 2016

 

 

 

agree with the No.1 spot 

[Sofs]

I didnt even know Lady Gaga was on her 5th album,

[Ryland]

Agree with 'Joanne'

Not agree with 'Glory'

I can easily change 'Glory' for 'WINGS'

[Vixen]

Dangerous Woman deserves a higher rank.

 

And justice for Little Mix's Glory Days.

[SAUCY]

Love the cover for good times

[-masayume-]

I didn't even know M.I.A has released new album this year, I'm such a bad fan.
 

[TiffanyEyeSmile]

Where's Little Mix? Dangerous Woman should rank higher and no.1 yassssssss

[Tokki the Awkward Potato]

Dangerous woman should be atleast in top 3

[AdzPower]

Yaaas Britney slay me! Kind of shocked but pleased at their being no Beyonce.

[Mercurio]

Glory, Joanne and 24k Magic are extremely weak and where's Mind of Mine and Starboy? How tragic that Carly had to save western pop music this year with unreleased songs from her previous album.

[Dolores Haze]

Yaaas Britney slay me! Kind of shocked but pleased at their being no Beyonce.

i think it's because this is only for Pop Albums? Beyonce's Lemonade is No.1 in Rolling Stone's Highest Rated Albums of 2016 though. http://www.albumoftheyear.org/ratings/35-rolling-stone-highest-rated/2016/1

[SeoMania]

 

6. Carly Rae Jepsen, 'Emotion: Side B' EP

 

When Carly Rae Jepsen released her opus of the heart Emotion in 2015, she let slip that she had written some 250 songs for the project. Emotion: Side B collects eight of the cast-offs from that album, and it's not shocking that they're as satisfying as any other pop released in 2016, foregrounding Jepsen's ability to imbue a diary entry's worth of feelings into a single syllable. "Higher" anchors its besotted lyrics and fizzy synths with storming New Wave drums; "Cry" turns a coffee-klatch lament about a reluctant lover into a tear-jerking ballad. Even "Store" flips the sing-song refrain "I'm just going to the store, to the store" into a Dear John letter to be danced (and cried) along with. M.J.

I was so cynical before, I must confess

Oh, you got me hi-i-igh, hi-i-igh, hi-i-igher

 

I never really know when he'll be leaving

And even with hello I hear goodbye

He always makes me cry-y-y, cry-y-y

 

If you want to, you can stay the night

I don't want to be the one, the one

If you want to, you can hold me tight

I don't want to be the one, the one

 

Glory sucked though, it should be lower and Dangerous Woman should be higher.

[Lux.]

Glory Days by Little Legends, Dangerous Woman by Americana Grande and Glory by Breadney Spears are the Holy Triad of Pop Albums A.D. 2016 and no one can convince me otherwise

 

 

Rolling Stones can choke

[MidnightEXO]

i own 10 of these

19. JoJo, 'Mad Love'

18. M.I.A., 'AIM'

13. DNCE, 'DNCE'

12. Bruno Mars, '24k Magic'

11. Ariana Grande, 'Dangerous Woman'

10. Fifth Harmony, '7/27'

6. Carly Rae Jepsen, 'Emotion: Side B' EP

3. Tove Lo, 'Lady Wood'

2. Rihanna, 'Anti'

1. The 1975, 'I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It'

 

 

11 lol if forgot britney

 

yes my taste is iconic i know
 

[craZee]

Yaaaaaaaaasss 1975

[PeachyHearts]

Dafuq! Where are BeyHive's LEMONADE & Little Mix's Glory Days??!?!? Ariana Grande's Dangerous Woman Album should be higher. That album was platinum perfection! But I'm glad to see RiRi & 5H up in there though. Also so happy to see PERFUME! Their slaying fragrance will make you choke~

[KiyoKo]

Is no one excited for JoJo's album except me!?

[ImInCloud13]

Joanne's first half is good the rest meh, DW deserves a much higher rank, Glory was good but it doesn't deserve to be that high, 7/27 sucks and shouldn't be even on that list, Starboy should be there and Lady Wood is excellent. Slay at Perfume sneeking in there

 

I didnt even know Lady Gaga was on her 5th album,

It's actually her forth. The Fame Monster was like a re-release EP. I wouldn't count it as an actual album

 

The Fame - The Fame Monster - Born This Way - ARTPOP - Joanne

[Bitchcraft]

Starboy is basically a pop album why didn't it make the list?

 

And LOL at joanne being there, what a terrible album

[Dal.Kani]

Justice for LM and Glory Days! All the songs are bop!! 

[shay]

19. JoJo, 'Mad Love'

YAS they acknowledge the queen is flawless

 

12. Bruno Mars, '24k Magic'

this album is flawless..it should be higher

[Breathe On Me]

 

5. Britney Spears, 'Glory'

 

After 2013's more personal, though often tepid, Britney Jean, Britney Spears' Glory felt like a breath of fresh electro-pop air. A star-studded array of pop's strongest producers and writers – including Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, Cashmere Cat, BloodPop and more – helped elevate the LP to the levels of dance perfection seen on 2007's Blackout. Single "Make Me" allows Spears to thrive at her coo-iest, and she shines as a Eurotrash sex robot on the electric "Do You Wanna Come Over?" Even the softer moments like the sweeping "Just Luv Me" and the whisper-y "Better" have Spears at her liveliest in years. B.S.

 

YAAAAAAAAS QUEEN!

 

 

 

 

7. Lady Gaga, 'Joanne'

 

 

Lady Gaga promised country-pop for her fifth studio album Joanne, but actually served up an excellent slice of acoustic pop that was part Seventies FM, part Nineties alternative. From the driving "Diamond Heart" to the excellent ballad "Million Reasons," Gaga's soft-rock transformation takes the pop star into a new direction without losing her flair for the dramatic and penchant for the kitschy. Those moments of fusion – like the novelty country-dance tune "John Wayne" and Beck co-penned masturbation banger "Dancin' in Circles" – are where the pop diva thrives, finding a character to embody and then letting the music tell a new story. B.S.

 

List cancelled.

[Frozen Orchid]

i only bought Lady Wood and AIM

[nareurong]

Dangerous Woman should be much higher