2019 was the year that I started listening to entire albums again. I don’t know if it was the move back to the city (which required more of a commute to work and more walking in general) or people started putting out better, more complete projects instead of a slew of singles, but I feel like I listened to complete albums more. Of course, I did have several songs that I repeated more than others, so those are highlighted here too.

You can check out my mid-year music review here.

Banks: III

Favorite Songs:  “Stroke,” “Hawaiian Mazes,” “Alaska”

I may be a bit biased since I saw Banks perform the night before this album was released, but III was a great album. It was a mix between the hard, vicious energy that Banks is known for with a softer side.  Think black leather and pink chiffon.

You can see my review and pictures for her tour here.

Ariana Grande: thank u, next

Top tracks: “needy,” “NASA,” “in my head,”

I’m going to admit, wasn’t the hugest fan of Sweetener. But about six months later she put out a whole new project that made me completely forget about that. How an album can be simultaneously sad and fun at the same time is miraculous to me, but it is.

Carly Rae Jepsen: Dedicated

Top tracks: “Julien,” “No Drug Like Me,” “Too Much”

Carly has already proven that she’s more than “Call Me Maybe” after 2015’s Emotion, and she continued her saccharine music theme with Dedicated. It’s impossible to listen to this album and not smile.

Taylor Swift: Lover

Top tracks: “Cruel Summer,” “I Think He Knows,” “Death By A Thousand Cuts”

Basically the opposite of reputation, Lover was about, you guessed it, love.  She finally seemed to close the chapter of past drama with the opening track, “I Forgot That You Existed.”

Kehlani: While We Wait

Top tracks: “Feels,” “RPG,” “Love Language”

I talked about how much I loved this album during my mid year review, but almost a year after this release I still love this album and found a new favorite song each time I listen to it.