USA TODAY International Edition
Top albums bring relief during this tough year
Like everything in our lives, the coronavirus pandemic has completely upended the music industry.
Ever since the U. S. went into lockdown in mid- March, major albums have been delayed, concert tours have been canceled or postponed, and people have been turning to familiar songs for comfort from the relentless anxiety of the daily news.
Even while 2020 has been a total dumpster fire, the music that’s come out of it is anything but. In fact, we’d say these past six months have delivered some of the richest and most rewarding new releases in quite some time, with a slew of much- anticipated comebacks and less- established artists showing star bona fides.
Here are our 10 favorite albums from the year so far:
10. Megan Thee Stallion, ‘ Fever’
The Houston rapper’s viral, Beyoncé- assisted “Savage” remix is already a swaggering song- of- summer contender. But there’s plenty more where that came from on Megan’s bracing debut mixtape “Fever,” with its infectious, throbbing beats and playful odes to money, sex and power.
9. Waxahatchee, ‘ Saint Cloud’
After touring to support her tempestuous, grungy breakup record “Out in the Storm” in 2017, Alabama singer/ songwriter Katie Crutchfield decided to pump the brakes and get sober. The result is her tender fifth album “Saint Cloud,” which takes an introspective look at addiction and codependency with a hazy, country- folk sheen reflective of her Southern roots.
8. Chloe x Halle, ‘ Ungodly Hour’
An immaculately crafted, self- assured sophomore effort from Chloe and Halle Bailey ( the latter of whom was cast as Ariel in Disney’s live- action “The Little Mermaid” remake). With hypnotic harmonies and stunning visuals, the multitalented sisters are poised to one day inherit the sultry R& B throne from their close mentor ( and Parkwood label boss) Beyoncé.
7. Fiona Apple, ‘ Fetch the Bolt Cutters’
The long- awaited return from one of music’s most elusive and evocative storytellers, “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” finds Apple at her messy, lyrical best. With disarming wit and simmering rage, she seeks to dismantle the patriarchy while thoughtfully unpacking her own past traumas and relationships.
6. Perfume Genius, ‘ Set My Heart on Fire Immediately’
Mike Hadreas has always pushed the limits of what music is and can be. ( Look no further than 2014’ s “Queen,” an otherworldly pop masterpiece.) On the indie rock singer’s cinematic fifth album, he delivers some of his most ambitious and wrenchingly personal songs yet, exploring queer love, loss, ephemera and body dysmorphia.
5. Tennis, ‘ Swimmer’
A delectable slice of ‘ 70s retro- pop by husbandand- wife duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley, who offset the album’s tough themes of grief and marital woes with warm synths and groovy guitars. Anchoring it all are Moore’s gentle, honeyed vocals, which have drawn comparisons to Stevie Nicks.
4. Bob Dylan, ‘ Rough and Rowdy Ways’
On his first album of original music in eight years, Dylan, 79, takes stock of his life and loves while staring down the barrel of death. It’s a world- weary, melancholic effort that’s frequently rambling, often funny and sometimes even tear- jerking.
3. Run the Jewels, ‘ RTJ4’
The primal scream of 2020 is bottled in one angry, cathartic, defiant new album, and that’s “RTJ4.” It was written and recorded by rappers Killer Mike and El- P months before nationwide protests erupted in response to the death of George Floyd in police custody. But their sadly timely lyrics about police brutality and systemic oppression against Black Americans hit even harder now.
2. La Roux, ‘ Supervision’
The year’s most underappreciated album so far, from an artist who deserves to have the career of her pop contemporaries Robyn and Carly Rae Jepsen. “Supervision,” the third album by “Bulletproof ” breakout La Roux, is a work of liberation by singer/ producer Elly Jackson, following a tumultuous split from musical partner Ben Langmaid. Building on the ‘ 80s funk- pop foundation of 2014’ s “Trouble in Paradise,” Jackson channels David Bowie and George Michael as she works through anxiety and heartbreak. Despite its short eight songs, Jackson manages to take us on a vibey, colorful and fully realized journey as she learns to stand on her own two feet.
1. Jessie Ware, ‘ What’s Your Pleasure?’
Disco has been the genre du jour of just about every major pop star in 2020, whether it’s Dua Lipa’s hits- spawning “Future Nostalgia” or Lady Gaga’s titanic dance- floor return “Chromatica.” While we adore both those albums, neither of them can match Ware, a chameleonic torch singer who’s flirted with dance music on collaborations with fellow Brits Disclosure and SBTRKT, but didn’t take the full plunge until “What’s Your Pleasure?”
Ware has always been an endlessly charismatic performer. Along with powerhouse pipes, her live shows are delightfully rife with vulgarities and selfdeprecating humor. But she’s never been more fun – or more in her element – than she is on her lived- in fourth album, paying reverent homage to disco greats Donna Summer and Minnie Riperton without ever feeling pastiche. Her songs are cheeky and seductive, pulsing and euphoric, as she croons about romantic love (“Save A Kiss”) and carnal desires ( the hypnotic title track). It’s an intoxicating dance party we never want to leave and an almost bittersweet nostalgia trip that takes us back to sweatier, simpler times.