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Albums 50-41
Albums 40-31
30 – LATE REGISTRATION, Kanye West (2005)
While hardly a pop record, this album still finds a home on this list by being the signature breakout moment for Kanye West, or as the mainstream recognized it, the release that allowed Kanye’s success to start catching up to his ego. Late Registration is smartly crafted using Kanye’s heavily underrated lyrical imagination; the album strays away from the typical rap paradigm by focusing almost constantly on Kanye’s inner demons, while the shining epic moments in this record have still yet to have been matched by the rapper since his launch to superstardom. There’s a certain grandiose quality to songs like “Gone” that are almost self-aware in their gravitas; Kanye West finds a way to channel his inflated self-perception and boy-like (im)maturity into a project that’s absolutely bursting at the seams of musicality. There’s no denying the genius craft that went into making Late Registration a reality, and whether you’re a fan of West or not, you can’t deny that Late Registration is one of the most legitimizing moments of rap since its conception.
Brightest moments: Gold Digger, Gone
29 – SPEAKERBOXXX/THE LOVE BELOW, Outkast (2003)
This album introduced the world to one of the most infectious pop-funk anthems of all time, but more importantly, the yin-yang execution of Speaker/Love was a brilliant artistic choice, and its influence is implacably shown in future releases like I Am… Sasha Fierce, among others. More importantly, perhaps, is the undeniable glow and sheen of every song on the two-sider, from infectious hooks (“Ms. Jackson”
to almost trance-like hip-hop flavor (“The Whole World”
to the type of funk-soul even James Brown would be proud of (“Ghetto Musick”
. This is a future classic record that really set the tone for alternative approaches to hip-hop and R&B and helped pave the way for other adjacent acts to take more stylized approaches to their music. Before Gnarls Barkley hit their stride, there was Outkast to shine a light though the figurative tunnel.

Brightest moments: Hey Ya!, Ms. Jackson
28 – FUNERAL, Arcade Fire (2004)
A concept album tenderly woven with harsh undertones and an element of danger and edge that’s unmatched by most albums in this genre. Funeral is the type of album that one wouldn’t expect; it positions itself as the kind of material that you wouldn’t put much emotive capital into, but the way each track breaks down the listener is a feat very few albums can attest to pulling off. It’s a breathlessly gorgeous album, and if given the proper chance to do its magic, it can be an empowering and inspiring journey in music. Not much else can be said about Funeral, other than the fact that the project deserves to be listened to in full, with earphones, and with an open mind. It’s a rare record that’s worth much more than it tries to position itself to be. The magnum-opus of the indie-rock genre.
Brightest moments: Wake Up, Haiti
27 – 19, Adele (2008)
19 is much more subtle and meaningful than its successor, and what it brings to the table is an honest series of pop-folk tunes that are inspiring in their elegance. 19 is sort of a concept album in so far that it covers a variety of youth issues that complement the album title nicely, but more importantly the record is a monstrous interlude for Adele’s pop entrance. The album is of course wonderful, but the aesthetic and style of these songs helped inspire a new wave of traditional low-tempo balladry that only a singer of Adele’s caliber could create. While 21 rings more recent in listeners’ minds, it’s the preceding album that truly captures Adele’s artistic vision: a candid, bitter and damaged confessional from a woman scorned.
Brightest moments: Make You Feel My Love, Melt My Heart To Stone
26 – CHUNK OF CHANGE, Passion Pit (2008)
Chunk of Change is one of the most enchanting electronic records of all time, and listening to it can be a transcendent experience if the listener gives it the opportunity to do its work. Smooth transitions from one track to the next, coupled with the awe-inspiring synth production creates an all-around gorgeous experience that does nothing if not validate the recent electronica trend in music. Electro-pop/rock can get a bad rap from cynics who say it could sacrifice lyrical depth for synthesized melodies, but there’s much to be said about Chunk of Change’s ability to retain the emotive elements of smart lyricism while inspiring the listener with sonic magic. There are certain chords in “Sleepyhead” that are timeless in their execution.
Brightest moments: Sleepyhead, Cuddle Fuddle
25 – CONFESSIONS, Usher (2004)
A lot of credit needs to given to this album for helping in transitioning pop-hip-hop into a heavily collaborative, club-focused sound. The rousing success of “Yeah!” stands hand-in-hand with Crazy In Love and Toxic as one of the most influential modern classics, but beside that point is another undeniable fact: Confessions is a living and breathing entity, and each song successfully contributes to the whole in a way most R&B albums fail to do. Yes, the songs are diverse and many of the club-focused material may seem like distractions, but together all the songs reflect the split music personalities of the artist. Usher’s vocal fits best on a soothing R&B instrumental, and no other album of his serves those vocals better. Confessions is an honest record that’s filled with smart material and sexuality bursting at the seams.
Brightest moments: Yeah!, Burn
24 – 4, Beyonce (2011)
What puts 4 so high on this list is not its influence so much as what it stands for. Beyonce veers away from her expectations in pop and delivers an unexpected record in 4. What’s so unexpected about 4? It’s the fact that it’s not trying to change the world, usher in a new trend, or shock the listener. Rather, 4 is the product of an artist who wanted to pay homage to her predecessors by paying respect to the genre that crowned her as its active-duty queen. The album works tirelessly to sell itself as a non-concept (a complete shift from its predecessor), and instead positions itself as a collection of songs that somehow still fit together like an intelligent concept. This is an album that’s purely about the sum of its parts, and every song stakes an equally legitimate claim on 4. Nods to Donna Summer, Gladys Knight and the Jackson 5 can easily be heard throughout, and overall the album does a fabulous job of boldly bringing the R&B core back to pop music that was otherwise on a fade-out. History will be very kind to this record, and grateful to Knowles for introducing the world to it.
Brightest moments: Countdown, Love On Top
23 – KALA, MIA (2008)
What can only be defined as a rambunctious stoner acid-trip, Kala still has plenty of heart. At the core of the record is an artist who seems either lost in the world or distracted by her own euphoric ridiculousness, and that spirit is what elevates an album like this into the stratosphere. I’ve used the term “stupid in all the right ways” on this list before, but that characteristics doesn’t ring truer for any album other than this. “Bamboo Banga” is a hilarious and catchy stream of consciousness that almost makes fun of the listener for taking it even the slightest bit seriously. That’s actually the way the entire album feels, and though seemingly honest moments like “Come Around” almost sound like MIA is trying to give the album some emotive credence, the song is still a silly gear that operates a lubed-up, self-aware, loud, daring, beautiful machine. Listening to it can almost make you feel stupid for finding inspiration in any other genre of music, and that’s a ground-breaking ability.
Brightest moments: Bamboo Banga, Paper Planes
22 – SPEAK NOW, Taylor Swift (2010)
Taylor Swift’s ever-growing prominence in the pop scene hit critical mass with this release, but Speak Now deserves credit for being one of the most focused and well-written pop albums in a long time. Swift has a keen eye for lyricism, and she politely fuses typical country chords with an attention to hook and melody in a way only a pop master can. She follows along the footsteps of a certain country-pop icon that delectably managed to bridge the gap between the two unique genres, but Taylor Swift does it with a youthful flavor that makes her a legitimate pop force. Besides, who can’t deny the sweetness and perfectly-entwined lyrics of “Enchanted,” or the charming boldness of “Mine” or “Mean?” Taylor Swift managed to somehow cater to younger listeners while also presenting the most wise-beyond-her-years writing this side of Adele’s 19.
Brightest moments: Sparks Fly, Enchanted
21 – BACK TO BASICS, Christina Aguilera (2006)
Creating this album is probably hands-down the ballsiest move any notable female pop star has ever done since Madonna’s earlier transformations in the late 1980s. You will never see Beyonce or Britney Spears take a quintessential shit on their momentum to release a 1940s-inspired throwback album for the sake of making one. There’s a lot to respect about someone who has the artistic integrity to make a project like this a reality, but more respectable is the fact that this album is jarringly high-quality. It’s a long journey of an album, with plenty of distractions along the way, but at its core is an insatiable need on the artist’s part to entertain both the listener and her legacy. Back to Basics is a bit of an over-crowded album, and it’s obvious that Aguilera had much to get off her chest with the over-abundant track list, but there are dozens of brilliantly high-shining moments throughout that echo memories of Etta James, Tina Turner and Ella Fitzgerald. Aguilera’s voice is at its crispest here, and songs like “Hurt” have every making of a timeless classic. We can’t expect everyone to appreciate Back to Basics, but those who are willing to give it a thorough listen will no doubt appreciate its boldness and impeccable attention to detail. Aguilera gets a lot of flack from pop fans (and she tends to deserve a great deal of it) but no matter how you slice it, you still can’t say that your fave made an album quite like this. Chances are you never will.
Brightest moments: Hurt, Mercy On Me
ALBUMS 20-11 COMING SOON