Some years are richer than others when we talk about music, and 2016 was one of those years. Between the unexpected Frank Ocean’s come back after an endless awaiting just as we had to wait for Rihanna to surprisedly drop «ANTI», the Beyoncé’s visual album, Kanye West’s amazing album «The Life of Pablo», Lady Gaga’s project where she goes back to her origins, Britney Spears’ pop’s resurrection, Sia’s thousand faces on «This Is Acting» or the The Weeknd’s maturity  on «Starboy», those 12 months were fascinating for music lovers. Every artist tried to give the best of themselves, to push their limits, to find their true self while others risked themselves with new genres with more or less success. It is hard not feel something about some of these projects. This article will review the 5 albums that did 201

 

5/ Twenty One Pilots - Blurryface

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Blurryface is an apt title for a duo whose musical identity is tricky to make out. Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun have been scuffing the lines between rock, hip-hop and electro since 2011, and now they’ve added reggae, dubstep and folk-rock stomps to the mix. What gives the sonic zig-zagging focus is Joseph’s candor-whether he’s consumed by love («Tear In My Heart») or wrestling with which direction to take his songwriting («Lane Boy»), listening to him unpick his troubles is consistently compelling.

 

Recommended for : Alternative / Hip Hop / Electronic lovers

Highlights : «Fairly Local», «Tear In My Heart», «Lane Boy», «Stressed Out», «Ride»

 

4/ Rihanna - ANTI

 

No more waiting: Her new album finally arrived in 2016 after 3 years of patience .

A decade into her career, Rihanna remains a hypnotic presence. Brooding, erotic, and deceptively diverse, ANTI coolly jumps from oozing slow jams («Kiss It Better») to bubbling pop confections (the futurist dancehall-lite Drake collaboration «Work») to serrated experiments (the vaguely industrial «Woo) and throwback comfort food («Love on the brain», «Higher»). As always, her voice remains the star, with charisma pouring like smoke out of the speakers.

 

Recommended for : Pop / R&B lovers

Highlights : «Work», «Kiss It Better», «Needed Me», «Love On The Brain», «Sex With Me»

 

3/ Beyonce - Lemonade

 

When Beyonce’s voice cracks with sorrow on «Sandcastles», it shows that the pop’s most celebrated independent woman isn’t immune to pain. Lemonade uses those emotions and an incendiary narrative about infidelity as jumping-off points; «Hold Up», «Don’t Hurt Yourself» and «Sorry» are middle-fingered clap-backs to galvanise the BeyHive. But focus solely on Becky and you’ll miss the big picture. With «Freedom» and «Formation», Beyonce offers fierce celebrations of blackness. The accompanying film combines words by Somali-British poet Warsan Shire with radical imagery, reaffirming Bey’s stature as one of the most visionary artists and provocateurs of her generation.

Recommended for : R&B lovers

Highlights : «Formation», «Sorry», «Hold Up», «Freedom», «All Night

 

2/ Drake - Views

 

With immaculate vocal turns and sleek production, Views is Drake’s tour through the city that made him. A meticulous contrast to the off-the-cut brilliance of recent mixtape, he taunts adversaries with speaker-rattling anthems («Hype», «Still Here»), revisits his humble beginnings («Weston Road Flows»), and rekindles the seductive chemistry with Rihanna («Too Good»). Those extremes - the Caribbean warmth of «One Dance» and the icy lament of «Fire & Desire», the unflinching vulnerability and unapologetic self-assurance - make Views a riveting victory lap from Toronto’s game-changing MC.

Recommended for : R&B / Hip Hop / Dance lovers

Highlights : «Hotline Bling», «One Dance», «Pop Style», «Controlla», «Too Good»  

 

1/ Adele - 25

 

The follow-up to 21 is a peerless collection of stately ballads and seismic vocal performances. Written with an impressive team of collaborators - Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Max Martin, Danger Mouse and Bruno Mars’ Smeezingtons squad among them - after the birth of her son and a pressing vocal cord operation, 25 finds Adele singing with newfound strength and clarity. From the volcanic chorus of «Hello» to the hilly melodies of «Send My Love (To Your New Lover)» and the stratospheric belting of «Sweetest Devotion», each song is an expertly arranged, beautifully realized showcase for a once-in-a-generation voice.

Recommended for :

Highlights : «Hello», «When We Were Young», «Send My Love (To Your New Lover)». «Water Under The Bridge», «All I Ask
 

Then, even though 2016 hasn’t, for most of us, been the smoothest of years - but it has been another big year for music. While we hope that globally 2017 will be a better year than 2016, we’re wondering if it can be a better year musically than 2016 who proposed some big and beautiful projects.

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Nicolas M.