Akini's Top 25 Albums of 2022: [#1]

[JSparksFan]

Due in large part to me hosting AlbumClash 2.0, I listened to more albums in 2022 than any previous year, so the competition to even make the final cut of 25 was fierce. Ultimately, my no. 1 was clear as daylight, but the race behind saw some near-blanket finishes.

[cheapthrills]

Midnights feels like a safe vote here. I feel like Carrie and Encanto are on the strength of specific tracks, and I feel I've seen more breadth from the other three. I wouldn't be shocked if Bey or Rina could pull it out, but it really has been Tay's year with this album.

[JSparksFan]

Midnights feels like a safe vote here. I feel like Carrie and Encanto are on the strength of specific tracks, and I feel I've seen more breadth from the other three. I wouldn't be shocked if Bey or Rina could pull it out, but it really has been Tay's year with this album.

Let's see how things unfold!

[JSparksFan]

25. FKA twigs - Caprisongs

For my first FKA twigs album explored in full, 'Caprisongs' was an interesting journey of alternative R&B and pop. My big takeaway was "Oh My Love", but I appreciated the ubiquity of most of the tracks.

Quality Rating: 7.78/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Oh My Love [#2]; Ride the Dragon [#7]; Jealousy [#9]; Darjeeling [#9];  Meta Angel [#16]; Tears in the Club [#18]; Papi Bones [#19]

24. Harry Styles - Harry's House

The third time proves to be the charm for Harry Styles as he releases not only his career-best album, but the best album from any of the 1D men, eclipsing Niall Horan's 'Flicker'. I still contend that the cool soft rock Harry does is pretty 70/30 as far as hit/miss ratios go, but beyond the biggest global hit of the year in "As It Was", 'Harry's House' was also furnished with keepers like "Late Night Talking" and "Cinema", with those three alone giving greater depth in quality than we'd gotten before.

Quality Rating: 7.808/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: As It Was [#1(x4)]; Late Night Talking [#3]; Cinema [#4]; Matilda [#8]; Little Freak [#10]; Music for a Sushi Restaurant [#11]; Daydreaming [#12]; Grapejuice [#13]; Daylight [#14]; Keep Driving [#15]; Boyfriends [#15]; Satellite [#18]

23. Florence + the Machine - Dance Fever

A marginal improvement from predecessor 'High as Hope', 'Dance Fever' still failed to take me to the celestial heights of 'Ceremonials' and 'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful'. I'm not quite ready to call it for Florence + the Machine, but I really do hope they can bring it with their next release. "Daffodil" proves that they still have it, so it's just a manner of being more consistent with the material.

Quality Rating: 7.809/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Daffodil [#1(x1)]; King [#2]; Choreomania [#4]; The Bomb [#6]; My Love [#11]; Back in Town [#16]; Morning Elvis [#18]

22. Orville Peck - Bronco

I didn't think my playlists would be blessed with sensitive queer cowboy country music in 2022, but 'Bronco' provided ample supply of just that. Fingers crossed his next album features even more of his sexy falsetto.

Quality Rating: 7.83/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Blush [#1(x1)]; Kalahari Down [#9]; Daytona Sand [#13]; The Curse of the Blackened Eye [#17]; Trample Out the Days [#19]; Bronco [#20]; Outta Time [#20]

21. Omar Rudberg - OMR

Admittedly, "Moving Like That" does take up most of the air on this album, but there are still some solid sensual party bops throughout. This was another pleasant surprise of an album, courtesy once more of CT.

Quality Rating: 7.88/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Moving Like That [#1(x3)]; Mama [#8]; Mi Casa Su Casa [#16]; In the Sunrise [#17]

[heppolo]

Orville Peck's one is really touching.

[crystalphoenix]

It feels a bit cheap to cast my vote after seeing your entire "Top 100 Songs" revealed, but I did it anyway (for RENAISSANCE) Also lovin' this extra-precise point system. Are three decimal places the limit, or...?

• So Niall's Flicker was previously your favorite 1D solo LP (even over both of Harry's first two albums)? JakeP would be proud! I think that's the only other 1D solo album I've heard in full. Back to Harry: I gotta shout-out "Keep Driving" and "Satellite" too
• At first, I thought Orville's retro-cowboy singing style might be a tad too...specific/gimmicky to enjoy across an entire album, but he lassoed me in pretty quickly. Not many individual tracks had strong enough runs to appear on my Top 50 songs of 2022, but Bronco stands as my 10th-most-played album of the year

[Tansike]

I voted for Midnights... because, it's Midnights!!

25. FKA twigs - Caprisongs
24. Harry Styles - Harry's House
23. Florence + the Machine - Dance Fever

Oh, I didn't know Caprisongs was your first "full" FKA twigs experience! Solid album for sure, maybe a little bit under expectations.

And speaking of under expectations, Harry's House definitely goes into the same category for me as well. Not saying it's not a good album, I like what Harry does with it and he really found a sound that suits and feels true to him. But coming from the fabulous Fine Line, I sadly found nothing that truly hit me on Harry's House. Super happy about your Cinema shoutout, it's my favorite song on the album!

Agreed with what you're saying about Dance Fever. Overall a good album though!

[JSparksFan]

Orville Peck's one is really touching.

Indeed. Great that you've heard it. I don't imagine too many UKMixers have.

It feels a bit cheap to cast my vote after seeing your entire "Top 100 Songs" revealed, but I did it anyway (for RENAISSANCE) Also lovin' this extra-precise point system. Are three decimal places the limit, or...?

I can go as (many decimals) deep as you'd like.

Semi-jokes aside, I'm going three decimal places for the ones that are tied at two decimal places.

Your "Beach House" call was right; let's see if your 'Renaissance' call is!

So Niall's Flicker was previously your favorite 1D solo LP (even over both of Harry's first two albums)? JakeP would be proud! I think that's the only other 1D solo album I've heard in full. Back to Harry: I gotta shout-out "Keep Driving" and "Satellite" too

Yeah, JakeP flew the Niall flag proud and high. And yep, I thought 'Flicker' was better than anything Harry and Zayn had done before this year.

At first, I thought Orville's retro-cowboy singing style might be a tad too...specific/gimmicky to enjoy across an entire album, but he lassoed me in pretty quickly. Not many individual tracks had strong enough runs to appear on my Top 50 songs of 2022, but Bronco stands as my 10th-most-played album of the year

That conjured some fun imagery in my head, but yeah, his songwriting has heart and insight. I'll certainly be keeping tabs on him moving forward.

10th-most-played for the year is impressive! 'Bronco' is all the way down to no. 56 for me, but he had to compete with 2022 albums and my all-time favourite albums, too.

I voted for Midnights... because, it's Midnights!!

Fair enough reasoning to me!

25. FKA twigs - Caprisongs
24. Harry Styles - Harry's House
23. Florence + the Machine - Dance Fever

Oh, I didn't know Caprisongs was your first "full" FKA twigs experience! Solid album for sure, maybe a little bit under expectations.

What's your fave FKA twigs album?

And speaking of under expectations, Harry's House definitely goes into the same category for me as well. Not saying it's not a good album, I like what Harry does with it and he really found a sound that suits and feels true to him. But coming from the fabulous Fine Line, I sadly found nothing that truly hit me on Harry's House. Super happy about your Cinema shoutout, it's my favorite song on the album!

I hardly remember 'Fine Line'; I need to revisit it.

Agreed with what you're saying about Dance Fever. Overall a good album though!

Glad we agree on this!

[JSparksFan]

20. Arctic Monkeys - The Car

Lyrically, 'The Car' is certainly one of the most intriguing releases of 2022, but sonically...um, well, I read somewhere that several of the tracks fall under the 'lounge pop' umbrella, which I feel is euphemistic language for elevator music.

Quality Rating: 7.89/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Jet Skis on the Moat [#6]; Hello You [#15]

19. Todrick Hall - Algorhythm

No one did camp pop music better in 2022 than Todrick Hall and honestly, no one could've been expected to. I do wish for his next LP he has at least 12 tracks. Nine-track albums feel like EPs to me.

Quality Rating: 7.92/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Pre Madonna [#2]; Sorry Barbie [#2]; Dance Forever [#2]; Higher [#6]; Gay Excellence [#10]

18. Megan Thee Stallion - Traumazine

Folks have speculated that 'Traumazine' was just a contractual obligation release and I must admit that a lot of the tracks are half-baked, but even with her dialing it in, this is still the best hip/hop album of the year. The issue is that Megan is capable of much better and I hope she's able to take care of some of the distractions in her life and return full-focus to music with the top-tier stuff we know is within her capabilities.

Quality Rating: 7.928/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Sweetest Pie [#1(x1)]; Consistency [#5]; NDA [#10]; Flip Flop [#14]; Not Nice [#16]; Anxiety [#17]

17. Charli XCX - Crash

The first album on the countdown with multiple chart-toppers on my daily chart, 'Crash' was the first big pop release of the year. Whist "Lightning" was the immediate standout, some of the other quality cuts had to grow on me or be pinpointed by other folks, like Paul, who are much bigger Charli XCX fans than I am.

Quality Rating: 7.933/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Constant Repeat [#1(x2)]; Lightning [#1(x1)]; Move Me [#2]; Crash [#7];  New Shapes [#10]; Yuck [#11]; Baby [#12]; Beg for You [#14]; Good Ones [#17]

16. The Weeknd - Dawn FM

The first album on the countdown: (1) with as many as three no. 1s on my daily chart and (2) with all (12/12) of its full-length, non-interlude tracks having made my daily chart, 'Dawn FM' had two big forces in its favour this year - a January release, which granted Abel my full attention with zero competing acts and my attendance at his tour this year, which theoretically would've given the tracks a second wind opportunity. What actually happened was that the tour brought back to my chart his older hits like "Blinding Lights" and "Can't Feel My Face", reminding me that 'Dawn FM', whilst a respectable body of work on its own, isn't quite on par with his 'Beauty Behind the Madness' and 'Starboy' best. It was, however, a massive improvement upon 'After Hours', so I'll take the step in the right direction!

Quality Rating: 7.95/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Out of Time [#1(x3)]; Best Friends [#1(x2); Here We Go...Again [#1(x1)]; Take My Breath [#3]; Sacrifice [#7]; How Do I Make You Love Me? [#11]; I Heard You're Married [#12]; Is There Someone Else? [#13]; Don't Break My Heart [#14]; Less Than Zero [#15]; Starry Eyes [#16]; Gasoline [#17]

[vinnie65]

I like the album Crash from Charli XCX

[Thriller]

Crash was great, should've had a lot more commercial longevity and more hits!

I just can't get into Arctic Monkeys anymore, their last great material for me was AM.

[crystalphoenix]

I can go as (many decimals) deep as you'd like.

Well, if three's the best you can offer...I might have to pass.

10th-most-played for the year is impressive! 'Bronco' is all the way down to no. 56 for me, but he had to compete with 2022 albums and my all-time favourite albums, too.

I've definitely gotten better about checking out more new full albums thanks to streaming, but I'm still nowhere near your level (especially with all your AlbumClash research).

• Getting a name-drop in your CRASH notes just made my day Charli knows exactly how to find my pop G-spot, which helped CRASH secure a nearly-200 play count lead over my No. 2 album of 2022. This isn't my first time loving a Charli LP, but apparently she deliberately crafted this one with broader pop appeal/chart-friendliness in mind and drew some inspiration from Janet (the production on the title track in particular really takes me back to RN1814), so it was even more of a slam-dunk with me than usual
• I'm no Abel expert, but strongly preferring Dawn FM over After Hours seems like a pretty warm (if not outright hot) take? (Or maybe most fans agree with you, and it's the GP rabble who put After Hours on a pedestal)? I do enjoy Dawn FM (currently my No. 16 most-played this year), but overall I'm more interested in/distracted by its messy rollout and muted success compared to its behemoth predecessor. (Obligatory #justficeforlessthanzero remark)

[Blondini]

Yay Crash and agree about Constant Repeat (which still has no video??).

[JSparksFan]

I like the album Crash from Charli XCX

It's a good one!

Crash was great, should've had a lot more commercial longevity and more hits!

I just can't get into Arctic Monkeys anymore, their last great material for me was AM.

Wow, that was almost a decade ago!

Well, if three's the best you can offer...I might have to pass.

The blasphemy! *Books west coast flight immediately*

I've definitely gotten better about checking out more new full albums thanks to streaming, but I'm still nowhere near your level (especially with all your AlbumClash research).

The interesting thing is, there's never enough time. I checked out so many albums this year, but there are definitely about five or six that I just didn't get to because of time.

Getting a name-drop in your CRASH notes just made my day Charli knows exactly how to find my pop G-spot, which helped CRASH secure a nearly-200 play count lead over my No. 2 album of 2022. This isn't my first time loving a Charli LP, but apparently she deliberately crafted this one with broader pop appeal/chart-friendliness in mind and drew some inspiration from Janet (the production on the title track in particular really takes me back to RN1814), so it was even more of a slam-dunk with me than usual

Well, she definitely got more attention from me this era than any of her previous ones. I checked and 'Crash' was no. 19 on my most-played 2022 albums list, so not shabby at all!

I'm no Abel expert, but strongly preferring Dawn FM over After Hours seems like a pretty warm (if not outright hot) take? (Or maybe most fans agree with you, and it's the GP rabble who put After Hours on a pedestal)? I do enjoy Dawn FM (currently my No. 16 most-played this year), but overall I'm more interested in/distracted by its messy rollout and muted success compared to its behemoth predecessor. (Obligatory #justficeforlessthanzero remark)

So 'Dawn FM' was my no. 10-most-played album of the year so he fared slightly better with me. And yeah, I guess it might be somewhat of a hot take, but I do wonder if people conflate their love for "Blinding Lights" with 'After Hours'. Oh and since you've been mentioning it so often, I've been playing "Less Than Zero" the last few days and it is pretty good indeed.

Yay Crash and agree about Constant Repeat (which still has no video??).

"Constant Repeat" was a late revelation for me!

[JSparksFan]

15. Ella Henderson - Everything I Didn't Say

Eight years after 'Chapter One' finished ninth in my 2014 year-end albums round-up, Ella Henderson returned in 2022 with more contemplative, vulnerable balladry, which will always have a place in my music library. "Ugly" is the sterling jewel, but "Good Things Take Time" is a well-placed uptempo highlight and "Cry on Me", featuring Mikky Ekko, the most affecting collaboration on the record.

Quality Rating: 7.96/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Ugly [#1(x2)]; Good Things Take Time [#6]; Cry on Me [#7]; Set in Stone [#8]; What About Us [#9]; Bad News [#9]; Emotions [#12]; Body [#15]; Let's Go Home Together [#16]; Places [#17]

14. Ari Lennox - Age/Sex/Location

The best of contemporary soul this year, Ari Lennox covers a broad range of topics that, as its title suggests, have online dating as the inspirational centrepiece. I fully expected the top collaboration to be the one with Summer Walker ("Queen Space"), but the best one was actually the one with Lucky Daye, "Boy Bye". 'Age/Sex/Location' is the first album on the countdown thus far with as many as five top five hits on my daily chart.

Quality Rating: 7.982/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: POF [#1(x1)]; Boy Bye [#3]; Hoodie [#3]; Blocking You [#4]; Pressure [#5]; Queen Space [#6]; Stop By [#13]; Waste My Time [#20]

13. Bastille - Give Me the Future

One of the most consistent albums of the year, 'Give Me the Future' has the least range in track ratings of any album I listened to in 2022 (7.7-8.2). Though not one of its tracks rose to the epic level of "Pompeii", this is actually a (slightly) better LP than 'Bad Blood' nine years back.

Quality Rating: 7.983/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Stay Awake? [#10]; Plug In... [#11]; Survivin' [#15]; Shut Off the Lights [#19]

12. Demi Lovato - Holy Fvck

Featuring some of her most personal lyrics to date, 'Holy Fvck' won me over for its rock sound, which I've always felt was a natural place for Demi's huge vocals. She started her career in the pop-rock space, so it was nice for her to go back to that sound and amp the rock all the way up.

Quality Rating: 7.99/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Eat Me [#1(x2)]; Skin of My Teeth [#1(x1)]; Dead Friends [#3]; Freak [#7]; 29 [#10]; Feed [#13]; 4 Ever 4 Me [#17]; City of Angels [#18]; Come Together [#20]

11. Meghan Trainor - Takin' It Back

Meghan's best album yet, 'Takin' It Back' is sunshine pop music done well. I love its empathetic songwriting and blending of other genres like doo-wop (familiar territory for her) and reggae (relatively new sound for her). It did however have the unfortunate timing of being released the same day as Carly Rae Jepsen's and Taylor Swift's new albums.

Quality Rating: 8.02/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Don't I Make It Look Easy [#2]; Mama Wanna Mambo [#6]; Made You Look [#9]; While You're Young [#10]; Final Breath [#18]

[Thriller]

Bastille have been on fire lately.

[heppolo]

Good to see Charli and Demi took some risks (Yungblud feature on the album is a bit meh though).

[JSparksFan]

Bastille have been on fire lately.

One of the pleasant surprises of the year for me.

Good to see Charli and Demi took some risks (Yungblud feature on the album is a bit meh though).

I agree that particular feature could've been better.

[JSparksFan]

10. Maren Morris - Humble Quest

Her first album since becoming a mom, 'Humble Quest' is quality country storytelling. Beyond the two big highlights "Tall Guys" and "What Would This World Do?", which both featured among my top 100 songs of the year, "Hummingbird" is a sweet ballad that she recorded whilst pregnant and features her baby on the intro and "Detour" a sweet, romantic cut where love triumphs impatience. The rock-tinged "Nervous" is a huge keeper, too.

Quality Rating: 8.04/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Tall Guys [#1(x1)]; What Would This World Do? [#3]; Nervous [#4]; Humble Quest [#5]; Circles Around This Town [#6]; Detour [#8]; The Furthest Thing [#17]; Good Friends [#19]

09. Years & Years - Night Call

After winning me over during their predecessor 'Palo Santo' era, Years & Years returned as a solo project and managed to retain most of the quality the entity had in group form. 'Night Call' is a lot lighter than the moody dark pop of 'Palo Santo', but it still comes armed with an array of catchy keepers.

Quality Rating: 8.05/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Muscle [#1(x1)]; A Second to Midnight [#2]; Immaculate [#2]; Consequences [#2]; Night Call [#6]; Intimacy [#12]; Sweet Talker [#14]; Make It Out Alive [#14]; Sooner or Later [#17]; Crave [#17]

08. Lizzo - Special

Whereas its predecessor 'Cuz I Love You' was soul-infused pop, 'Special' saw Lizzo go more disco-pop than ever before and it was to great effect. I do wish, though, that she'd included "Rumours" on the tracklist as that one was a bop, regardless of its underwhelming chart performance. In addition to the two tracks that topped my chart, "Coldplay" is one of her finest mellow cuts and does a great job showcasing that she has range beyond the busy uptempo numbers people usually love from her.

Quality Rating: 8.06/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: About Damn Time [#1(x1)]; 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) [#1(x1)]; Coldplay [#2]; Break Up Twice [#4]; I Love You Bitch [#6]; Special [#15]; Everybody's Gay [#19]; Grrrls [#19]

07. Taylor Swift - Midnights

Four no. 1s, which spend a cumulative total of 16 days atop my chart in Q4 2022, eight top fives, and her lucky '13' top 10s, 'Midnights' is easily the most prolific album to be featured on the countdown thus far. With 17 of its 20 tracks having charted on my daily chart, it is the most prolific 2022 album on my charts this year, so a seventh-place ranking may seem low. Well, it comes down to it being just too long. Had she culled this to the best 13, this likely would have finished fourth, but I do appreciate the excellent songwriting and the intriguing melodic gems, the greatest of which is easily "Maroon".

Quality Rating: 8.18/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: You're on Your Own, Kid [#1(x7)]; Maroon [#1(x4)]; Karma [#1(x4)]; Midnight Rain [#1(x1)]; Anti-Hero [#2]; Dear Reader [#2];  Would've, Could've, Should've [#4]; Lavender Haze [#5]; Mastermind [#6]; Snow on the Beach [#9]; Question...? [#9]; The Great War [#10]; Vigilante Shit [#10]; Glitch [#12]; Bigger Than the Whole Sky [#13]; High Infidelity [#15]; Sweet Nothing [#20]

06. Encanto Cast - Encanto OST

Soundtracks have a rich history on my countdowns so the deeply affecting Encanto OST was always gonna do well here. From Taylor to this one, we move from one extreme to another - from the lengthiest album featured among my top 25 albums list to the shortest. I've waxed poetic about three of these highlights on my year-end songs list already, but to give one of the no. 1s, "Dos Oruguitas", some love, it features a gorgeous male vocal from Sebastián Yatra, who is also hot af (it has to be said).

Quality Rating: 8.25/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Surface Pressure [#1(x5)]; We Don't Talk About Bruno [#1(x4)]; Dos Oruguitas [#1(x1)]; What Else Can I Do? [#2]; All of You [#2]; Waiting on a Miracle [#7]

[Tansike]

What's your fave FKA twigs album?

The M3LL155X EP. The first time I got to check her out, I got hooked immediately, but somehow she never got me that much again.

19. Todrick Hall - Algorhythm
18. Megan Thee Stallion - Traumazine
17. Charli XCX - Crash
16. The Weeknd - Dawn FM

I haven't noticed Todrick's release but still quoting him - as I actually heard everything else by him previously, so it was weird how he flew under my radar this year. Especially because I truly enjoyed the previous album Femuline. Will try to give it a go next week!

Traumazine was my first album by Megan and I think it's solid - it's still far from being my favorite genre though, so I mean "solid" in like a good way here. Ungrateful, Her, NDA and Anxiety left a mark.

As you say, Crash was one of 2022's first big Pop release and I think Charli has never been this good before. Strong from start to finish, and it's nice to see the album having multiple #1s.

Dawn FM continues The Weeknd's streak of releasing some high quality albums!

15. Ella Henderson - Everything I Didn't Say
13. Bastille - Give Me the Future
12. Demi Lovato - Holy Fvck
11. Meghan Trainor - Takin' It Back

Great group - Ella's album was really good, didn't see that coming if I'm being honest!

Bastille, Demi and Meghan are truly three of the better album releases this year. I feel like all three deserved so much more mainstream love - yes, Meghan got it for Made You Look, but the album still feels overlooked at this point. Super happy to see Mama Wanna Mambo being amongst your faves too <3

10. Maren Morris - Humble Quest
09. Years & Years - Night Call
08. Lizzo - Special
07. Taylor Swift - Midnights
(06. Encanto Cast - Encanto OST)

Uh, strong Top10!

As we already talked about over in my topic, Maren's album was another underrated one, though I think this is her best work as a whole yet. Such a good record, she's actually a great songwriter!

Night Call is also among my Pop highlights of 2022. Palo Santo was such a brilliant album, so I wasn't sure if Years & Years could meet the expectations with the follow-up, but he truly did.

Special was a great one - I'd probably like it even more than Cuz I Love You.

Midnights... I mean, do I need to say more? I just adore Taylor these days like I've never did before, and Midnights is one of the reasons why. A brilliant album from start to finish <3

Finally, while I never streamed the Encanto soundtrack, I truly enjoyed all the songs while watching the movie, so definitely need to quote that one here too!

Super excited for the Top5 now!

[JSparksFan]

The M3LL155X EP. The first time I got to check her out, I got hooked immediately, but somehow she never got me that much again.

Ah, gotcha. I'll have to check that one out.

19. Todrick Hall - Algorhythm
18. Megan Thee Stallion - Traumazine
17. Charli XCX - Crash
16. The Weeknd - Dawn FM

I haven't noticed Todrick's release but still quoting him - as I actually heard everything else by him previously, so it was weird how he flew under my radar this year. Especially because I truly enjoyed the previous album Femuline. Will try to give it a go next week!

Traumazine was my first album by Megan and I think it's solid - it's still far from being my favorite genre though, so I mean "solid" in like a good way here. Ungrateful, Her, NDA and Anxiety left a mark.

As you say, Crash was one of 2022's first big Pop release and I think Charli has never been this good before. Strong from start to finish, and it's nice to see the album having multiple #1s.

Dawn FM continues The Weeknd's streak of releasing some high quality albums!

If you've not yet heard Megan's 'Good News', I highly recommend "Outside". It's probably my favourite song from her at this point.

Ah, glad to hear you think 'Crash' is Charli's best.

15. Ella Henderson - Everything I Didn't Say
13. Bastille - Give Me the Future
12. Demi Lovato - Holy Fvck
11. Meghan Trainor - Takin' It Back

Great group - Ella's album was really good, didn't see that coming if I'm being honest!

Bastille, Demi and Meghan are truly three of the better album releases this year. I feel like all three deserved so much more mainstream love - yes, Meghan got it for Made You Look, but the album still feels overlooked at this point. Super happy to see Mama Wanna Mambo being amongst your faves too <3

Yeah, I'd honestly forgotten about Ella!

"Mama Wanna Mambo" is so infectious!

10. Maren Morris - Humble Quest
09. Years & Years - Night Call
08. Lizzo - Special
07. Taylor Swift - Midnights
(06. Encanto Cast - Encanto OST)

Uh, strong Top10!

As we already talked about over in my topic, Maren's album was another underrated one, though I think this is her best work as a whole yet. Such a good record, she's actually a great songwriter!

Night Call is also among my Pop highlights of 2022. Palo Santo was such a brilliant album, so I wasn't sure if Years & Years could meet the expectations with the follow-up, but he truly did.

Special was a great one - I'd probably like it even more than Cuz I Love You.

Midnights... I mean, do I need to say more? I just adore Taylor these days like I've never did before, and Midnights is one of the reasons why. A brilliant album from start to finish <3

Finally, while I never streamed the Encanto soundtrack, I truly enjoyed all the songs while watching the movie, so definitely need to quote that one here too!

Super excited for the Top5 now!

Yeah, I had concerns about solo Y&Y as well, but Olly delivered.

'Special' probably has more room to grow on me. It came out around the same time as another album, which overshadowed it for me.

Where would you rank 'Midnights' among Taylor's albums?

Yes, Encanto is already one of my favourite films of all-time, so zero surprise that its soundtrack finished so high here.

[Blondini]

Another Maroon lover. Of course!

[JSparksFan]

Another Maroon lover. Of course!

But of course!

[JSparksFan]

05. Panic! at the Disco - Viva Las Vengeance

The best rock album of the year, 'Viva Las Vengeance' is a cohesive journey of power ballads and fist-pumping, stirring anthems. Brendon delivers some of the year's best vocals here.

Quality Rating: 8.27/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Say It Louder [#1(x1)]; Don't Let the Light Go Out [#2]; Sad Clown [#3]; All by Yourself [#4];  Viva Las Vengeance [#16]; Middle of a Breakup [#17]; Star Spangled Banner [#20]; Something About Maggie [#20]

04. Carrie Underwood - Denim & Rhinestones

With nine top five hits on my daily chart, the second-most of any other 2022 release, 'Denim & Rhinestones' saw 11 of its 12 tracks peak within the top 10 on my daily chart (the title track was the only holdout, peaking at no. 14). Whilst not Carrie's best release, it continues her mindblowing streak since her 'Some Hearts' debut of a top-quality studio release. Flanked by the epic story of "She Don't Know" and the gooey romance of "Wanted Woman", 'Denim & Rhinestones' is comfortably the top country album of 2022.

Quality Rating: 8.31/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: She Don't Know [#1(x7)]; Wanted Woman [#1(x6)]; Crazy Angels [#2]; Burn [#2]; Hate My Heart [#3]; Garden [#3]; Poor Everybody Else [#4]; Ghost Story [#4]; Faster [#4]; Velvet Heartbreak [#6]; Pink Champagne [#8]; Denim & Rhinestones [#14]

03. Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loneliest Time

With 11 top 10 hits on my daily chart and each of its 16 tracks having charted, 'The Loneliest Time' is comfortably Carly Rae's most successful album on my chart. Boasting my year-end no. 1 song in "Beach House", 'The Loneliest Time' as her post-pandemic release sees her leaning into loneliness and embracing its multi-layered beauty. For me, this is the most beautiful Carly Rae's vocals have ever sounded. She sounds particularly sweet on "No Thinking over the Weekend".

Quality Rating: 8.46/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Beach House [#1(x13)]; Go Find Yourself or Whatever [#1(x1)]; Joshua Tree [#3]; The Loneliest Time [#3]; Surrender My Heart [#5]; Keep Away [#6]; No Thinking over the Weekend [#6]; Talking to Yourself [#7]; Bends [#8]; Bad Thing Twice [#8]; Sideways [#10]; Western Wind [#14]; Shooting Star [#16]; Far Away [#17]; Anxious [#17]; So Nice [#18]

02. Rina Sawayama - Hold the Girl

With five no. 1s, the second-most of any album this year, 'Hold the Girl' was a sophomore release that had a lot to live up to and it met those astronomical expectations. The soundscape here isn't quite as expansive as 'SAWAYAMA', but the songwriting is and Rina's broad-stroked storytelling is where the magic resides on 'Hold the Girl'. She also leans into more melodrama-tinged melodies here and I love that for her (and me). Nine top 10s and 13/13 tracks charted is indicative of pretty solid success on my daily chart.

Quality Rating: 8.47/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: Frankenstein [#1(x2)]; This Hell [#1(x2)]; Send My Love to John [#1(x1)]; Hold the Girl [#1(x1)]; Imagining [#1(x1)]; To Be Alive [#4]; Holy (Til You Let Me Go) [#7]; Hurricanes [#8]; Minor Feelings [#10]; Your Age [#11]; Phantom [#12]; Catch Me in the Air [#12];  Forgiveness [#20]

01. Beyoncé - Renaissance

Beyoncé didn't make this albums countdown interesting at all. As she has done with every solo studio release since '4', she has in 'Renaissance' the year's top album. Fuelled by seven no. 1 hits and 11 top five hits, more than any other 2022 release, this love letter to queer Black house and disco music predictably resonated with me, despite Beyoncé and her team's reluctance to share any visuals with us. I give Beyoncé plaudits for doing what she wants when she wants. 11 years ago, when an album like this was the en vogue sound, she released a classic R&B and soul record with '4' and now that dance has all but been suffocated on the charts by hip/hop and country music, she drops this unapologetic dance/house/disco conglomerate of awesomeness. Only a Queen (B), tbh. 16/16 tracks charted, Beyoncé checked all boxes with this stunner.

Quality Rating: 8.72/10

Songs' Chart Peaks on Akini's Daily Top 20: America Has a Problem [#1(x5)]; Alien Superstar [#1(x3)]; Church Girl [#1(x2)]; Cuff It [#1(x2)]; Energy [#1(x1)]; Break My Soul [#1(x1)]; Thique [#1(x1)]; Heated [#2]; Cozy [#3]; Summer Renaissance [#5]; Plastic Off the Sofa [#5]; Move [#6];  All Up in Your Mind [#11]; Pure/Honey [#12]; Virgo's Groove [#16]; I'm That Girl [#20]

[Blondini]

Yay Carly and Rina. Carrie has had better days - for me.