HAIM's been hanging around the folk rock scene for over a decade, basically iterating on the same sisterhood boy drama concept, looking for their sound. This year they found it. 90s light grunge, a little sloppy, basically just over it.

Devon is a mess. I've been waiting for her to make an album (EP) for a long time because despite the crassness with which she leads, the innocence in her expression tells you what you actually need to know. 

Similar in tone to a Dominic Fike, her voice lends itself to a vulnerability that cuts right through the music.

Destin Conrad made 2 albums this year - this one and an experimental, jazzier one. This is the one you wanna listen to.

This R&B album is 1 slot short of timeless. It belongs in this era but I think sonically it would stand any time in the last 30 years. I'm confident you'll be able to pick this up in 10 years and say "oh that album was a jam".

Just a heads up, Destin in gay and makes no attempt to hide it. You can feel how you want about that fact or the fact I'm calling attention to it, either way, you've been told.

Wow did she find her sound. Despite being a relative newcomer to the big music scene, Olivia's voice was such an obvious win from the beginning it feels like she's been around for 5+ years instead of the 2 since her debut album. But this - this is the matured version of the aesthetic she's been cultivating: clean, classic, soulful R&B. 

I feel bad having her at #3 - I actually don't know if there's anything she could do to improve. There's a very real timeline in which this would be AOTY. I actually bought the LP twice, vinyl for me & CD for Erika. Would recommend to anyone.

Now that I've waxed poetic about 2 beautiful, refreshing soul albums, I have to tell you that the album of the year is by a vietnamese R&B singer from north Florida who made her debut album cover a low-res roach animorph.

And yet, undeniably (for me) it is. From the moment she dropped her debut singles, to the full album release, to the deluxxx version, I play this album at least every week, with no skips, and absolutely no regard for my higher self. This is the 2 Fast 2 Furious of albums.