We’ve had a top ‘ 20

It may have been the worst year most of us can remember but 2020 positively exploded with great new music…

INDIE POP Taylor Swift’s

surprisingly intimate Folklore took an unexpected change of direction from the glossy pop of Lover. Heralded as her indie album, it showed Swift’s skill as a storyteller, putting this strikingly sophisticated work ahead of the herd.

The 16 songs cover lost love, rites of passage and redemption, the lyrics standing out against minimal backing. An absolute pop gem.

Soccer Mommy’s Color Theory saw the unorthodox singersongwriter on top form. Sophie Allison’s unconventional melodies underpin hard truths.

R& B

Chloe X Halle’s Ungodly Hour is this year’s classiest R& B album. The young Bailey sisters from Atlanta, Georgia, are blessed with two of the best soul voices of their generation. Their harmonies are beautiful and they clearly adore 90s R& B.

ROCK

Fans of stadium rock lapped up AC/ DC’s head- banging, bonerattling Power Up. But if you prefer your rock with a little more depth, then Bruce Springsteen’s Letter To You was the score to beat.

Reunited with the E Street Band, the Boss looked back at different periods in his life – and at 71 he has a lot to look back on. Ghosts, about loss and soldiering on, served as a powerful celebration of the collective soul of rock’n’roll that lifts the spirits in these times. “I’m alive,” roared Bruce. Be glad of that.

The Killers’ Imploding The Mirage was another standout release, while Bob Dylan hit fresh peaks of creativity with Rough And Rowdy Ways.

COUNTRY

Lust, loneliness, sacrifice – Ashley McBryde covers them all on her boldly assertive fourth album Never Will which ranges from the rousing country rock of Martha Divine to the risque One Night Standards.

Her smart lyrics include “You’d think a girl on fire would stay away from gasoline” on The First Thing I Reach For.

HIP HOP

Flo Milli, born Tamia Carter, has been rapping since she was 11. She’s 20 now and her debut album Ho, Why Is You Here? has less fat than an iceberg lettuce.

Twelve bubbly, self-assertive songs are packed into a fun halfhour that takes no prisoners. For a more political take on this turbulent year, try RTJ4 from hip hop upstarts Run The Jewels with the most radical manifesto since Public Enemy.

DANCE POP

Jessie Ware takes us on a magic carpet ride to the clubbing days of yore with What’s Your Pleasure? “Is this love too hot to handle? Make a wish, w blow out my candle,” she teases on the synth- driven title track.

Highlights include the upbeat Spotlight and her perky cover of JJ Cale’s Oh La La.

Ariana Grande’s Positions and Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia were also hugely impressive.