At the beginning of last year, I was curious to see what 2022 would bring us not just in terms of songs, but actual albums. I do believe 2022 was a great year for creatives. It was kind of like everyone was coming out of the dark ages. Artists were ready to get back to full projects, touring and experiencing music live with their fans. Fortunately for us, about a trillion artists dropped new music this year, from A-list veteran artists all the way to younger indie musicians.
Now, I do have to highlight a few disclaimers before moving on to my favorite albums. In this article, I decided to be extremely choosy with my top picks. These albums had to be albums that I genuinely liked from start to finish, as well as have great replay value. Some of y’all’s favorites make great songs, but extremely discordant albums. Realistically, if I was a little bit more lax, there would have been about 10 albums on this list.
Let’s take a look at my three favorite albums of 2022.
- “Dawm FM” By the weeknd
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Since the mid-2010s, The Weeknd has time and time again proved himself to be a superstar. Coming off an amazing Super Bowl performance in 2021 with his album “After Hours,” The Weeknd was taking no breaks. In February of 2022, his album “Dawn FM” came out — I would like to point out that I was a fan of this album from the beginning. With help from featured artists Jim Carrey, Quincy Jones, Lil Wayne and Tyler, the Creator, The Weeknd created the most beautiful concept album. I would argue this album elevated him as an artist. This is definitely an album you should listen to from beginning to end. It honestly gets better with every listen. My top songs off of the album are “Sacrifice” and “Is There Someone Else.”
- “GEMINI RIGHTS” By steve lacy
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Steve Lacy, the man you are. Before listening to this album, I was definitely a casual Steve Lacy listener. When this album came out, I listened to 25 seconds of the first song and I had to pause. I knew I was getting what I, as an avid music listener, deserved. While this album was short, I feel that it was perfect for the context and the artist. From the production to the lyricism to the musicianship, “Gemini Rights” proved that Lacy is one of them. I definitely wish I was able to experience this album live, but I am still very satisfied just hearing it through my headphones. My top songs off the record are “Mercury” and “Helmet.”
- “RENAISSANCE” by Beyoncé
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Mother is back. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Carter, the greatest performer of all time, came to save music. After six long years, #Beyhive has received another solo Beyoncé album. “Renaissance” was many things, and it’s honestly hard to find the words to encapture how great this album was. When it was announced that “Break My Soul” was coming out this summer, I knew something monumental was on the horizon.
Mind you, Queen Bey needed no album rollout. “Renaissance” has fused some of Yoncé’s best vocals, crazy samples and insane production, resulting in what I would call the album of the year. Beyonce keeps getting better with every year she takes under her belt and considering this album was only a first act, I can say that Beyonce fans will be very grateful in the near future.
My top songs from the album are “Heated,” “Church Girl” and “Virgo’s Groove.”
While almost all of my favorite artists released music this year, I am hopeful that 2023 will be just as eventful. I hope to see more artists commit to concept albums and really take the time to do proper album rollouts with visuals and singles. In addition, I am super excited so many artists will be touring in 2023 so we can see these bodies of work really take form and come to life.