From ‘Magdalene’ To ‘Madame X’: The 20 Best Pop Albums Of 2019

Mike Wass | January 3, 2020 9:32 am
The 75 Best Pop Songs Of 2019
From Katy Perry To Selena Gomez, we count down the best pop songs of 2019.

With physical album sales plummeting and downloads following suit, the fate of the once-hallowed Long Player is uncertain. Record labels can’t quite figure out how they fit into our playlist-dominated world and many pop acts have given up trying — choosing to drip-feed fans a constant stream of singles instead. Which is a shame because an album offers the bandwidth to experiment and tell a story. Radio-ready bangers are great, but they tend to bleed into each other if there’s nothing more substantial on offer.

Happily, there are still purveyors of pop that treat the album as an art form. You will 20 examples below. Other contenders for our best albums countdown were Pink’s eclectic Hurts 2B Human, Jenny Lewis’ rowdy On The Line, Sharon Van Etten’s surprisingly pop-centric Remind Me Tomorrow, LÉON’s winning self-titled debut, Bruce Springsteen’s excellent Western Stars, Shura’s loved-up forevher, Anna Of The North’s airy Dream Girl, Ben Platt’s ballad-heavy Sing To Me Instead and MUNA’s bop-filled Saves The World.

20. Courage — Céline Dion

Key Tracks: “Courage” and “Falling In Love Again”

(Full review here)

I can sense eyes rolling as I write this blurb, but I couldn’t care less. Céline Dion gave us that rarest of things in 2019 — a pop album for adults that doesn’t wallow in sentimental pap. Instead, the Canadian songbird dabbles in everything from electronica to country while tackling topics as weighty as healing and loss. Courage is Céline’s best album since the ’90s.

— Mike Wass

19. Romance – Camila Cabello

Key Tracks: “Cry For Me” and “Used To This”

(Full review here)

Anyone who thinks love is straightforward is seriously mistaken. Camila Cabello reminds us of that on her sophomore LP, Romance. This a concept album that highlights the various emotions associated with matters of the heart. There’s passion (“Living Proof”) alongside rage (“Cry For Me”), joy (“Dream Of You”) paired with sadness (“Feel It Twice”) and contentment (“Used To This”) contrasted with lust (“My Oh My”). What holds it all together is the Fifth Harmony alum’s distinctive voice and confessional writing style.

— Mike Nied

18. Busyhead — Noah Kahan

Key Tracks: “Mess” and “Hurt Somebody”

One of the most exciting new voices to emerge from the singer/songwriter revival is Noah Kahan. His no-fuss brand of pop/rock, which comes with a generous dollop of folk, is showcased brilliantly on Busyhead. With finally crafted fare about everything from giving up (“Mess”) to losing a friend “Carlo’s Song,” this impeccable debut LP has been a constant source of solace for these ears in 2019.

— Mike Wass

17. Clarity – Kim Petras

Key Tracks: “Icy” and “Got My Number”

(Full review here)

If you weren’t convinced by the likes of “Heart To Break,” Kim Petras strengthened her case to be a main pop girl with Clarity. Her sophomore era delivers the glee-inducing bangers we’ve come to know and love, but also serves as an introduction to a more thoughtful side of her artistry (see “Another One”). From the ambitious release schedule (one song every week like clockwork) to the full-hearted embrace of pop’s various sub-genres, everything about this is impressive.

— Mike Nied

16. Free Spirit – Khalid

Key Tracks: “Talk” and “Outta My Head”

Khalid is the hardest working man in pop. With two LPs, an EP and a slew of solo singles and equally strong collaborations to his name, the 21-year-old churns out (great) material at a prodigious rate. After dropping Suncity in 2018, the “Better” crooner returned this year with Free Spirit. And the collection delivers bop after bop. Despite its eclectic sounds and themes, Free Spirit is bound together by Khalid’s velvety voice and insanely catchy productions.

— Mike Nied

15. Sunshine Kitty – Tove Lo

Key Tracks: “Glad He’s Gone” and “Come Undone”

Tove Lo really came through in 2019. The Swede blessed us with a barrage of superior singles, starting with “Glad He’s Gone.” The buoyant bop is the musical equivalent of a pep-talk you would give a friend after a breakup. It also sets the scene for Sunshine Kitty, a filler-free collection of bops and bangers that deserved much more love. Bouncing from the club friendly “Really Don’t Like U” (featuring Kylie Minogue) to the sparse soundscape of “Come Undone,” this is a diverse, subversive delight.

— Mike Nied

14. Thank U, Next – Ariana Grande

Key Tracks: “7 rings” and “imagine”

(Full review here)

Created in the face of personal tragedy, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next provides no shortage of opportunities to escape — be it into a bottle of bubbly and shopping sprees with friends (“7 rings”) or the arms of a casual fling (“bloodline”). The end result is more evenly paced than 2018’s sweetener. More importantly, songs like the dream-like “imagine” and painfully earnest “ghostin’” effectively transition Ari from big-voiced ingenue to a pop star with a creative vision and style of her own.

— Mike Nied

13. Dedicated – Carly Rae Jepsen

Key Tracks: “Too Much” and “Want You In My Room”

Carly Rae Jepsen set out to make a disco album when she first hit the studio. Two hundred songs, four years and one concept-change later, along came Dedicated. Although the project begins with a burst of sugary, nostalgia-tinged synths (“Julien”), the remainder of the tracklist takes a decidedly more modern approach to pop. Which turns out to be an inspired decision. Cuts including the emotionally-conflicted “Too Much” and lusty “Want You In My Room” prove that CRJ hasn’t lost her Midas touch for pristinely-produced pop.

— Mike Nied

12. Designer — Aldous Harding

Key Tracks: “The Barrel” and “Fixture Picture”

Art-pop has received a bad rep in recent years, but Aldous Harding’s genius has gone a long way to reviving all things avant-garde. Like 2017’s Party, Designer is absolutely bonkers. And while the 9-song collection rarely makes sense (a quality that is frankly overrated), it is never less than wholly engaging on an emotional level. This is an album to fall into and slowly decipher, one listen at a time.

— Mike Wass

11. Fine Line – Harry Styles

Key Tracks: “Falling” and “Adore You”

(Full review here)

Harry Styles established himself as a critical darling with his self-titled debut LP, but the classic rock-referencing opus raised questions about his ability to inject personal voice and style into the mix. Was he a tribute act to the greats or a bonafide star of his own? Those concerns are wiped away with the release of Fine Line. The One Direction alum’s sophomore album proves he is capable of making music for today while keeping one foot firmly planted in the past.

— Mike Nied

10. Charli – Charli XCX

Key Tracks: “Gone” and “White Mercedes”

(Full review here)

You’ve got to move fast to keep up with Charli XCX. As she reminds us on “Next Level Charli,” the Brit goes hard, fast and never looks back. Instead, the extremely-prolific futurist is always searching for what comes next. A fact that is perfectly showcased on her third LP, Charli. Radical and intensely collaborative, the project creates music for the year 2099 (a date set by one of two Troye Sivan collaborations). The finished product is a purposefully jarring soundscape that strips the hitmaker bare and rewrites the pop rulebook more times than you can count across its 15 songs.

— Mike Nied

9. Madame X — Madonna

Key tracks: “God Control” and “Crave”

(Full review here)

Imagine being 40 years into your career and still pushing the boundaries of pop. Only Madonna can relate. Madame X, the Queen of Pop’s 14th LP, is a concept album about a globe-trotting super-heroine with revolution on the brain. Madonna brings the project to life with vibrant, world music-inspired bops like “Medellin” and “Batuka,” and mind-melting experiments like “I Don’t Search I Find” and “Killers Who Are Partying.” It doesn’t always work, but when it does, this result is electric.

— Mike Wass

8. Late Night Feelings – Mark Ronson

Key Tracks: “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart” and “Don’t Leave Me Lonely”

Heartbreak takes center stage on Mark Ronson’s deeply emotional Late Night Feelings. Created with the assistance of superstars including Miley Cyrus and a talented crop of newcomers such as YEBBA and King Princess, the LP abounds with sad bangers. Downtempo disco beats set the scene for breakout hit “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart,” while other highlights include the gut-wrenching plea for human contact that is “Don’t Leave Me Lonely.” This is the perfect listening experience for anyone who is going through it.

— Mike Nied

7. Magdalene — FKA Twigs

Key Tracks: “Sad Day” and “Thousand Eyes”

FKA Twigs leads us through a brittle, otherworldly soundscape on Magdalene, one that resonates with choral harmonies, slippery synths and ominous beats. However, the Brit’s voice is never lost in the maelstrom. It guides us from one scene to the next like an invisible hand. At a time when cohesive albums are a dying art, this bucks the trend. Press play and take a journey into the mind of one of music’s true auteurs.

— Mike Wass

6. WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? – Billie Eilish

Key Tracks: “bad guy” and “listen before i go”

(Full review here)

Luck had nothing to do with Billie Eilish’s breakout year. The mega-talented teen earned that title several times over with WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? The LP emerges as one of pop’s strongest debuts in recent memory. On it, the streaming phenom faces down her darkest fears and paints them in painstaking detail. Beguiling production and her whisper-soft voice keep us tethered to the world she creates alongside brother FINNEAS.

— Mike Nied

5. Titanic Rising — Weyes Blood

Key Tracks: “Something To Believe” and “A Lot’s Gonna Change”

The magic trick Weyes Blood pulls off on Titanic Rising is finding a way to make her deeply intimate and intricately composed songs into epic sagas. The result is cinematic, lushly-orchestrated pop with alt flourishes and a complete disregard for radio. It’s ambient, retro and utterly irresistible. With one foot in the past and another in the here and now, Titanic Rising is unlike any other album released in 2019.

4. Wasteland, Baby! — Hozier

Key Tracks: “Shrike” and “Almost (Sweet Music)”

There’s no sophomore slump here. Hozier followed up his critically lauded, chart-conquering debut by retreating to the Irish countryside and concocting an album that drips in poetry. There’s also a hefty dose of fury at the state of the world and old-school soul. From “Shrike” (the darkest love song of 2019) to the slinky soul of “Almost (Sweet Music),” there isn’t a false note here.

— Mike Wass

3. Heard It In A Past Life — Maggie Rogers

Key Tracks: “Light On” and “Overnight”

Maggie Rogers really took her time with Heard It In A Past Life. After generating a tidal wave of buzz with her Now That The Light Is Fading EP, the newcomer gives us an equally superb Long-Player that lands somewhere between alt-minimalism and organic, ‘70s-evoking Cali-pop. From “Give A Little” to “Back In My Body,” this is a uniformly excellent showcase of one of music’s best new voices. She gets my vote for that Best New Artist Grammy.

— Mike Wass

2. HΘMΣCΘMING: THE LIVE ALBUM — Beyoncé

Key Tracks: “Before I Let Go” and “Lift Every Voice And Sing”

What’s a live album doing so high in our countdown? Well, HΘMΣCΘMING: THE LIVE ALBUM is a document of historical importance. Beyoncé’s Coachella set will go down in music history as one of the greatest performances of all time and this is your chance to relive it over and over again. The musicality, ambition and scope beggars belief. Oh, and it houses Queen Bey’s sublime cover of Maze’s “Before I Let Go.” This is a snapshot of the greatest artist of the 21st century at the height of her powers.

— Mike Wass

1. Norman Fucking Rockwell — Lana Del Rey

Key Tracks: “Venice Bitch” and “Bartender”

(Full review here)

It has taken five albums (six if you include Paradise) and the best part of a decade, but Lana Del Rey is finally being acknowledged as one of the giants of her generation. Norman Fucking Rockwell was met with universal critical acclaim and rewarded with a Grammy nomination for Album Of The Year. What has changed? Not much. Ultraviolence and Honeymoon were as perfectly crafted as NFR, but instead of inviting us into her world, this time around Lana wanders into ours. And she has a lot of thoughts on the hellscape we live in. If that’s what it takes to win over the music snobs, so be it. Now give her that Grammy.

— Mike Wass

What was your favorite album of 2019? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!