Despite a global pandemic, musicians were far more active in 2021 and had time to create their finest work. It resulted in some of the best albums in years.
The year gave us spectacular album re-issues spanning rock legends, foundational R&B/soul artists, classic pop, post-punk, alternative rock and so much more.
In these challenging times, soul and R&B walked tall and carried a big stick, while also being a much-needed balm and source of warmth in 2021.
Any list of the year’s best Americana albums inevitably contains a sprawling biome of country, folk, soul, blues, R&B, bluegrass, and roots-rock.
The 20 best pop albums of the year radiate with unstoppable playlist power, much-needed sweet escapism, self-reflecting moments, and killer melodies.
The best electronic albums of the year feature many diverse approaches from electropop to IDM and ambient to footwork with artists pushing the music forward.
Hip-hop and myriad mutations of electronic music are the critical contemporary cultural lenses through which we view the creation of new ideas and aesthetics.
Creative, improvised music in the Black American tradition remains in a state of wonder and genre-crossing excitement in the best jazz albums of 2021.
Our 10 Best Country Albums of 2021 reveal artists of every stripe producing some of the most satisfying country music we’ve heard in years.
These 10 Best Brazilian Pop Albums of 2021 showcase women, LGBTQ+, Northern, and independent artists. It’s like 1920s Modernism, but with more diverse faces.
In talking about music as global, it’s critical to understand movement as a part of it. The albums on this list are all products of global musical encounters.
In 2021 indie rock was a guitar-led extravaganza with artists drawing from an ever-widening musical well. These are the 15 best indie rock albums of the year.
