Mariah Carey-Caution

Mariah finally got out of her rut (while she’s has a few good singles, the last Mariah Carey project that I liked in its entirely was 2005’s Emancipation of Mimi) with this year’s surprise hit Caution. Instead of trying to make a formulaic hit, Mariah got back to writing her soul wrenching lyrics and worked with the hottest producers instead, like DJ Mustard and Timbaland, to make both a timely and classic album. She also stepped out the box and worked with producers Nineteen85 and Blood Orange.

Top Track: “A NoNo”

A Star Is Born

Full disclosure, I’ve haven’t seen any previous iterations of this movie and I didn’t have any expectations because I’m not a huge county fan, but I loved this movie and soundtrack. My emotions! My emotions! This is the Lady Gaga we need.

Top Track: “Why Did You Do That”

Drake-Scorpion

I would describe Scorpion as the “choose your own adventure” album of 2018. This album could be an inflated mess with too many songs. It could be a rap album. It could be an R&B album. It could be a long interlude to Drake finally confessing he has a kid. I choose Scorpion to be a perfect mix of songs to make any mixtape I feel like.

Top Track: “Nice For What”

Black Panther Soundtrack

Its been a long time since movies soundtracks were exciting and we ave two on the list this year. Kendrick is great at a concept album, and taking the concept of Black Panther and giving a voice to the characters and the spirit of this fictional country was amazing.

Khalid and Swae Lee: “The Ways”