This year, by far, we have seen some outstanding pop performances by artists across the globe. Ranging from the obvious choices with chart-making history like Adele's sophomore album 21, through to the debut performances of new artists like the critically-acclaimed Katy B's On A Mission.
2011- a year that has delivered nothing short of a great pop music and in doing so, has made it more difficult that ever to finalise our Best Pop Albums of the Year. But, without further ado, here we go.
20. Zoë Badwi "Zoë"
Zoë Badwi has presented us with a number of great club tracks over the years -
Release Me and
In The Moment come to mind almost in an instant. The Melbourne girls claim to fame however was with her ARIA top ten smash
Freefallin', which came in at an impressive #2 on our Top 50 Singles of 2010.
Following the hands-in-the-air anthem Badwi delivered the pop-tastic
Accidents Happen, which again cemented her as one of Australia's newest and most exciting pop artists. Shortly after the release we were treated with Zoë's anticipated self-titled debut album. Gay men and lovers of club music unite - what a brilliant entry in the pop stratesphere.
19. Sophie Ellis-Bextor "Make A Scene"
It had been a long four years since Ms Ellis-Bextor graced us with an LP, and the delivery of
Make A Scene certainly didn't disappoint. Whilst only peaking at a measly #33 on the UK Albums Chart (her lowest charting album to date); the dance-pop themed fourteen-track album housed some of the worlds biggest club tracks including
Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) [with the
Freemasons],
Not Giving Up On Love (with
Armin van Buuren) and
Bittersweet.
Make A Scene brought us some new, fresh tracks that helped showcase the porcelain-skinned beauties vocals too - the
Róisín Murphy penned
Off & On,
Starlight and the glorious
Magic.
18. Above & Beyond "Group Therapy"
It's hard to believe that for a group that's been around for the best part of eleven years, they have only delivered two studio albums. Above & Beyond, the English dance troupe that have been remixing your faves like
Britney Spears and
Madonna, delivered a masterpiece in their latest album,
Group Therapy.
Working with long-time collaborators
Zoë Johnston and
Richard Bedford (who feature on a staggering eleven of the fifteen album tracks!), the boys from A&B released the singles
Sun & Moon,
Thing Called Love and
You Got To Go from the album. Watch out for our favourite -
You Got To Go - in the upcoming Best Pop Singles of 2011.
17. Coldplay "Mylo Xyloto"
The fifth studio release from UK band Coldplay saw a slightly new take on the music front. Working with
Roxy Music's
Brian Eno, the band delivered more of a pop feel in their new material. As an example, the album's lead single,
Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall, features a sample of
Peter Allen's classic hit from the 70's,
I Go To Rio.
The band delivered an exceptional masterpiece in their critically acclaimed album which also houses the singles
Paradise (currently top five in a range of countries worldwide) and the soon to be released
Charlie Brown. One of the biggest surprises however was hearing the groups work with
Rihanna on the track
Princess of China.
16. Darren Hayes "Secret Codes and Battleships"
Australia pop star Darren Hayes returned in 2011 with an exciting entry into the pop world, the
Carl Falk produced single
Talk Talk Talk. The uptempo single still sits as one of this years outstanding pop gems which paved the way for a beautiful album,
Secret Codes and Battleships.
Following the lead single, Daz announced two different singles for the UK and Australian markets, with the UK served
Black Out The Sun and Australia
Bloodstained Heart. The later represents one of the most beautiful ballads Mr Hayes has delivered in his career, aided by a tear-jerking video for the single.
The album peaked at #8 in Australia and #29 in the UK. Don't forget to check out
Stupid Mistake and
The Siren's Call, two other must-hear tracks on the album.
15. David Guetta "Nothing But The Beat"
After delivering two of the years
worst singles -
Where Them Girls At and
Little Bad Girl - we were scared of what David Guetta's latest offering would deliver. That was of course before we heard Australian singer/songwriter
Sia belt out the empowering anthem
Titanium, indeed one of the finest singles released this year.
Joining Guetta's collaboration with Sia, the next standout track would have to be the
Nervo-penned masterpiece
Night Of Your Life, sung by powerhouse vocalist
Jennifer Hudson. No words can describe the epic beauty of this track, think of it as the 2011 version of
When Love Takes Over.
And lastly, Guetta also employs the talents of
Jessie J and
Nicki Minaj on the tracks
Repeat and
Turn Me On respectively. Both showcase the girls talents (Minaj - singing!) in club tracks that highlight the power of the Guetta machine.
14. Rihanna "Talk That Talk"
Almost a late entry into the year, the Bajan pop star delivers yet another album in her short yet successful career. Housing one the years most talked about singles,
We Found Love featuring Scottish DJ
Calvin Harris,
Talk That Talk sees Rihanna deliver a mix of club, pop, reggae and R&B jumbled into a album full of down-right raunchiness.
Depending on who you speak to in the blogosphere, the critics love it or hate it. Either way, you can't deny the force of the Rihanna Navy pulling through. Whilst
We Found Love still reigns atop the Billboard Hot 100 (seven weeks in a row we believe!), the albums second single
You Da One is starting to make it's presence felt on charts globally.
Don't forget to check out the other standouts on the album -
Where Have You Been (also produced by Harris),
Drunk On Love, and the album's title track featuring hip-hop superstar
Jay-Z.
13. Britney Spears "Femme Fatale"
The icons seventh studio album was greeted with much please to those in the music industry. Delivering a strong and firm hold on the charts with the albums lead single
Hold It Against Me, the
Dr Luke and
Max Martin produced hit paved the way for an exceptional album that went on to deliver three Billboard top ten hits - the only Britney album to do so, ever.
The second single
Til The World Ends, penned by glitter trash whore
Ke$ha, saw Spears shine in yet another exceptional video shoot - complete with Spears' signature choreography.
I Wanna Go and
Criminal, served as the third and fourth singles from the LP, again delivered great pop performances (with a swagger of hot remixes for you to get down to).
Big Fat Bass, which features
Black Eyed Peas frontman
will.i.am and
(Drop Dead) Beautiful featuring newcomer
Sabi; deliver two other exceptional album album tracks which you must get your hands on.
12. Pnau "Soft Universe"
Australian dance outfit Pnau delivered their fourth album in 2011, their first since their self-titled LP back in 2007.
Soft Universe also served to be their most successful to date, peaking at #13 in Australia.
Greeted with
The Truth early on in the year, the band gave us a delicious taste of their new music. Still holding the same unique Pnau touch,
The Truth seemed slightly more euphoric in it's delivery. Following with
Solid Ground, which
Popjustice named
Song of the Day back in May, the group really showcased the albums full worth.
Solid Ground, again one of this years finest pieces of music, is Pnau at their best. Whilst it's hard to imagine any track ever being better; take a listen to
Unite Us,
Everybody and
Twist of Fate - the other standout performances on the album.
11. Beyoncé "4"
Poor Beyoncé really got smashed this year with her delivery of
4. Instead of fans, critics and bloggers embracing the tribute to the old school days of soul music, Mrs Jay-Z was truly punished. The album's lead single,
Run The World (Girls) could have had something to do with it however.
Run The World (Girls) was either loved or hated by everyone. In our camp, we love it. We love the risk of the track, the fact it's scattered all over the place and the fact it's just one pile of hot mess. Regardless, you can't knock the outstanding choreography Beyoncé delivers in this video. This girls knows how to
move.
Moving past the lead single, the option of delivering a range of promotional and official singles at a sporadic pace (most with videos alongside), was a scattered approach that threw many. Regardless, it allowed us to embrace the variety of tracks on the album - again something we loved.
Whilst it's not Bey's best album to date, it still holds the killer tracks
End Of Time,
Countdown and
Love On Top - all which deserve a nod themselves.
10. Foster The People "Torches"
Some may say that Foster The People were a bit of a surprise for us this year. The Californian indie-pop group delivered one of the globe's biggest sleeper hits -
Pumped Up Kicks - which has gone on to hit #3 in both the US and Canada; and top ten in many other countries.
The group, which formed back in 2009, have delivered a sensational debut album. Listening to the LP on repeat for a number of days (much to the dislike of the rest of our household), has truly cemented these boys as one of our favourite artists to emerge this year. Much like their lead single, the album keeps delivering gems with
Helena Beat,
Call It What You Want and
Don't Stop (Color On The Walls).
As a side note, it shouldn't then surprise you that the album has been co-produced by the likes of legends -
Greg Kurstin (
Kelly Clarkson, Sia) and
Paul Epworth (
Adele,
Florence + the Machine).
9. Clare Maguire "Light After Dark"
Any blogger will tell you about their desire for Clare Maguire and her debut album
Light After Dark. After being nominated by
BBC for their
Sound of 2011 award, and winning the
Next Big Thing at the
Q Awards, Maguire and her music were highly anticipated.
The Last Dance, which the British singer/songwriter wrote post the death of
Michael Jackson, served as the album's most successful single in her homeland, however it still failed to crack the top twenty. The following single,
The Shield and The Sword, again failed to move mountains in it's chart presence.
Regardless of the underwhelming chart success, Maguire's debut LP delivers at a phenomenal rate. The surging presence felt when Maguire belts out in
I Surrender triggers memories of listening to
Stevie Nicks; and when the haunting harmonies start in
Ain't Nobody you're instantly reminded of
Shakespears Sister.
8. Sneaky Sound System "From Here to Anywhere"
Australian duo Sneaky Sound System had a lot riding on the success of their third album. They claimed two
ARIA Awards back in 2007 for
Breakthrough Artist and
Best Dance Release with their debut album, which peaked at #5 and went on to achieve double-platinum certification. Upon release of their follow up album, aptly titled
2, the album landed at #1 in Australia and delivered the top twenty hit
Kansas City.
After that however, things changed. Their signature branded dance-pop music failed to resonate with the commercial market and all following singles failed to make any further chart action. Then not long after, group member
MC Double D left.
Move forward to 2011 and the group, now consisting of
Black Angus and the uber talented
Miss Connie, deliver one of the year's best albums. In fact, we'd go as far as saying that it's the groups best album
to date.
After previewing new material at a gig early in the year we were extremely excited about the future for the dance duo. We'd already heard
We Love and seen it's cheeky video, but wanted more. Shortly after, we were introduced to
Big.
Big stands as the albums big moment - it's a ballad when a ballad isn't a ballad. It's raw and powerful and you can't help but find yourself helplessly singing the chorus
"this is the moment we've been waiting for, this could be big for me and you..."
Not to get stuck on the album's prized moment, it continues to deliver with
Really Want To See You Again (slotted as the album's third single),
1984,
Friends and the cute
Lovetown. Actually, even the not-so-great songs are better than most album tracks. Overall, an exceptional album from the team as SSS.
7. Florence + the Machine "Ceremonials"
Working with Paul Epworth and
Eg White again could only mean good things for Florence + the Machine. After delivering an outstanding debut performance with
Lungs back in 2009, which collected two BRIT Awards and was nominated for a Grammy, team Flo had big shoes to fill.
Lungs, which delivered six official singles including the epic
Cosmic Love and the platinum-selling
You've Got The Love, was praised by the world over - meaning the sophomore album from the British group was highly anticipated and needed to deliver.
What The Water Gave Me arrived in August, with
Shake It Out only a week later. Fans were enchanted by Flo's haunting vocals in
WTWGM and it provided a great preview of the upcoming album. Still, in our opinion the following
Shake It Out was a far better track.
We had the opportunity to see the group perform in an exclusive show only last month and true to Flo's form, her vocal delivery and overall presence was second to none. The set included the uptempo
Spectrum, the albums third single
No Light No Light, and the Deluxe Edition only track
Remain Nameless.
In our opinion the album is a complete set. Whilst we've had others not feel as convinced with
Ceremonials as they were with
Lungs, it's a fantastic follow up to a pretty impressive debut.
6. Katy B "On A Misson"
British up-and-comer Katy B unleashed her debut single
Katy On A Mission late last year to an unsuspecting crowd, and boy were they pleased. The dubstep masterpiece showcased a fresh new talent emerging from the undergrounds with plenty of promises to fill a much needed void in the dubstep/garage genre.
After securing three UK top ten hits with the lead single
Lights On (feat.
Ms Dynamite) and
Broken Record, Katy released her debut album
On A Mission. The album, which was later nominated for the
Barclaycard Mercury Prize, spawned a total of seven singles - impressive by any means - especially for a debut artist.
On A Mission contains a range of standouts including the kooky
Witches Brew and one of our favourites,
Movement. Katy's debut LP is a must for any collection, a sensational album from the talented flame-haired beauty.
5. Wynter Gordon "With The Music I Die"
New York's Wynter Gordon has been on music scene for some time, however only in 2011 were we treated with a full album from this talented star. Finishing last year with one of Australia's biggest summer anthems,
Dirty Talk (which finished at #26 in our Top 50 Singles of 2010) was an instant hit that proved to be a great taste of what Gordon's debut album would sound like.
Working with a swag of writers and producers for the album (
Nervo,
Denzal Park,
Tom Neville,
Robbie Rivera and
Axwell),
With The Music I Die was an epic release for someone whom only months before was no where to be seen commercially.
Dirty Talk, which stayed at #1 in Australia for three weeks, propelled Gordon into the spotlight as she became our newest (and adopted) pop star.
Her second single release
Til Death, remixed by Aussie DJs Denzal Park, delivered yet another top twenty hit; which was then followed by the Axwell produced single
Buy My Love.
For us, one of the biggest standouts on the album is the track
Still Getting Younger, written and produced by
Nick Littlemore and
Peter Mayes of Australian dance group Pnau. Gordon's vocals alongside the anthemic melody of the track are simply
to die for.
4. Lady Gaga "Born This Way"
Where would pop music, and indeed us, be without Lady Gaga? Another New York native who has almost single-handedly changed the way we think about pop music. The funny thing is,
The Fame, Gaga's debut album, was only released three years ago.
The Fame, and it's re-release
The Fame Monster, need no introduction. They delivered a total of nine official singles (including the limited-region releases of
Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) and
Dance In The Dark); and collected three BRIT Awards, five Grammys and countless other awards. In addition to these achievements, singles such as
Just Dance and
Poker Face stand as a some of the highest selling singles OF ALL TIME.
As you can imagine,
Born This Way had a lot to live up to. We still recall waiting until that very moment back in February when the track was played on radio for the very first time, worldwide. It was excruciating waiting! And what followed of course, was what we know -
Flop This Way, Born A Gay, Madonna-Gate, etc... you get the drift.
Ok, so
Born This Way wasn't the best lead single from Gaga's sophomore album. And
Judas may not have been the best follow up, but hey, she can't always get it right. If you move past these somewhat dire tracks (even though we still love
Born This Way!) you'll find an album full of good if not outstanding tracks.
The Edge Of Glory,
Yoü and I and
Marry The Night all served as singles, as they should - each with their creative videos (some questionable of course).
Bad Kids, Scheiße and
Electric Chapel are the stuff that your dreams should be made of and are missing out on not being released in their own right.
Highway Unicorn (Road to Love), well it needs a video just for the namesake!
Underneath all the hype, the bad videos, ripping people off and the drama behind her looks, Lady Gaga has still delivered a great album. It was never going to be
The Fame, but it was always going to be
Born This Way.
3. Kelly Clarkson "Stronger"
The original American Idol returned in 2011 with one of her strongest albums to date. We will never discount the brilliance of
Breakaway, but
Stronger, the fifth studio album from Kelly Clarkson, will now stand tall next to the sheer excellence of that LP.
Wash away the darkness of
My December and polish the awkwardness off
All I Ever Wanted and there you'll find the Texan beauty looking to shine through.
Stronger, with it's clear direction and strength in its maturity, shows us the Kelly Clarkson we were missing from her two previous releases.
Mr Know It All, the albums lead single, was an almost safe yet comfortable choice. It's by no means the best track on the album, but it still managed to score Clarkson another US and UK top ten single, and her first ever Australian #1.
The album has some major highlights - the second single from which the album takes its name
What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) being one of them. It's your
Since U Been Gone all grown up. Kelly's powerhouse vocals over the pop/rock anthem we know and love. On saying that it's not old, it's new. It's fresh, it's edgy and it's good.
Clarkson has confessed that the song she is most proud of writing is featured on the album, the mid-tempo track
You Love Me. Upon listening it invokes a little of
The Police's hit
Every Breath You Take, with some classic
Melissa Etheridge in Clarkson's vocals. It's a great track and definitely a standout on the album.
Other tracks worth listening to are
Dark Side, Einstein, Hello and
Alone - they're all so familiar yet so new at the same time. Welcome back to the front, Clarkson, we've missed you.
2. Will Young "Echoes"
With the rumour that
Richard X would be producing Will Young's fifth studio album the internet was a complete buzz. The legend had worked with
Goldfrapp, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Róisín Murphy in recent years producing some of the hottest tunes; so with those thoughts in mind excitement built and sent fans, critics and bloggers into a somewhat pop frenzy.
Then
Jealousy emerged. The lead single from the release, co-written by Young and
Kish Mauve, was a mid-tempo ballad that spoke of the oh-so-familiar feeling of wanting something that's not yours. It instantly struck a chord with many and gave Will yet another UK top ten hit, peaking at #5.
Shortly after the release of the single we were treated to the full masterpiece that is
Echoes. With Richard X overseeing the production, Young worked with a range of writers to deliver one of this years best pop albums -
Fred Falke,
Biffco,
Stefan Storm (from
The Sound of Arrows) to name a few.
Young released
Come On, a cover of the 2009 single by Kish Mauve, as the albums second single. Was it the best choice? Maybe. In fact, Young could have chosen one of a few for the second single and still had a safe choice. A number of the album tracks are standouts, and we mean
standouts.
Runaway,
I Just Want A Lover and
Losing Myself are exceptional examples and should no way be overlooked for the third single. Will, you listening?
Echoes, delivering Young his third #1 album in the UK, is something the Pop Idol alumni should be proud of. It's a very solid piece of pop music history that gets stronger and stronger the more you listen to it.
1. Adele "21"
It seems almost predictable that Adele and her sophomore album
21 would come in at the coveted top spot for Best Pop Album of 2011. The English singer/songwriter and her adult-contemporary tunes have been played by millions of people worldwide, in every single facet of life.
I'm not sure that Adele, or anyone for that matter, could have predicted what has happened this year with the talented star.
21, which has sold more than thirteen million copies since its release in January, has gone on to achieve a whopping twelve times platinum in the UK, ten times platinum in Australia and five times platinum in the US. No other artist in years has come even close to what this broad has sold in a short term that doesn't even span a year.
So, is it fitting that it deserves to be crowned "The Best"? Well, as you would know it's more than just how many copies an album sells (in our books anyway). It's about the connection. It's about how an album makes you feel.
21; with it's heartbreak, vengeance, passion and tears; connects with everyone.
Rolling In The Deep, the lead single launched upon the world just over 12 months ago, strikes a chord in many with its lyrics as Adele makes her claim.
Someone Like You, which hit the #1 spot in all the big markets, brings a tear to your eye as it takes you back to your lost love.
Billboard recently named Adele's 21 Album of the Year, and for many a good reason. We'd like to echo that by naming Adele's outstanding return to pop music,
21, as our Best Pop Album of 2011.
