Check out my top 10 albums for 2010 after the jump.
10) Professor Green – Alive Till I'm Dead
Released: 19th July 2010
Professor Green finally released his debut album after years of grafting underground on the battle scene. The Guardian stated the album was "Pop music, yes, but sparky and cleverly composed pop that still has an ear for the club," the album received generally positive reviews throughout. Collaborations with Lily Allen, Labrinth and Example and helped its commercial success.
Stand out track: Jungle ft Maverick Sabre
9) Contra – Vampire Weekend
Released: 5th January 2010
Second album released by the New York indie outfit showed that the band still had a knack for writing catchy riffs and particularly good indie/pop songs. BBC music said the album is “hard to digest at first, but with repeated listens Contra becomes increasingly enjoyable and, in places, quite magical.”
Stand out track: Cousins
8) Tourist History – Two Door Cinema Club
Released: 26th February 2010
I first came across Two Door Cinema Club at Reading last year and I was blown away by the amazingly catchy melodies. Tourist History was the bands first album and received mainly positive reviews, The Times described the album as "an excited burst of short, simple indie pop songs driven by jangly guitars and punk rhythms."
Stand out track: Something Good Can Work
7) Magnetic Man – Magnetic Man
Released: 10th October 2010
Magnetic Man's self-titled debut album played a huge part in bringing Dubstep to the mainstream. The project consisting of Benga, Skream (two of Dubstep's originators) and artwork made it popular to listen to the genre. The album combined with the brilliant live show the band created (containing a Light cage and Macbook Pro's) helped to contribute to the success.
Stand Out Track: I Need Air
6) Friday Night Lights (Mixtape) – J. Cole
Released: 12 November 2010
It says a lot for the Roc Nation artist that his Mixtape has been compared to commercially released albums. The album was given 10/10 by 'AllHipHop.com' stating “Friday Night Lights is a mixtape with very few blemishes and faults. Cole nicely nits together a very interesting precursor to his upcoming album “Cole World” and it holds its own as one of the most complete mixtapes of the year.”
Stand Out Track: Enchanted ft Omen
5) Treats – Sleigh Bells
Released: 11th May 2010
The best way to describe Sleigh Bells is different, 'Pitckfork' described their debut album as "remarkably fresh and unlike anything else right now." Distort guitars, programmed drums and catchy hooks make this album what it is.
Stand Out Track: Infinity Guitars
4) Teflon Don – Rick Ross
Released: 20th July 2010
Ross' fourth studio album is in my opinion his best to date, featuring collaborations with the some of Hip-Hops best rappers and producers; Kanye West, J.US.T.I.C.E. League, T.I., Jay-Z and Cee-Lo Green to name a few makes this album an instant classic. The New York Times stated that Teflon Don establishes Ross' as “one of rap’s most potent and creative forces."
Stand Out Track: Maybach Music 3 (So many to choose from but the epci production on this one makes it stand out for me.)
3) My Dark Twisted Fantasy – Kanye West
Released: 22nd November 2010
Kanye's efforts to push the boundaries of Hip-Hop were stretched even further by the release of his fifth studio album, like the Teflon Don album it featured an all star cast. I think what brings about the cohesiveness of this album is the fact that West recorded the whole album in Hawaii with all the artists featured, focussing on the album 24/7, his commitment to put 2009 'VMA Awards' behind him pushing him the create a great album. The Guardian described the album as "herculean... a flawed near-masterpiece."
Stand Out Track: All Of The Lights
2) Lights – Ellie Goulding
Debut album from English Singer/songwriter Ellie Goulding. The album main production duties were handled by Starsmith and this allowed for the album the have a common feel throughout. Ellie's beautiful voice combined with the catchy pop songs made this album what it was. Allmusic commented that Ellie “take the best parts of all of her contemporaries' styles and create pleasantly surprising records.”
Stand Out Track: The Writer
1) Thank Me Later – Drake
Released: 15th June 2010
Drake sold over a million copies of his 2009 mixtape 'So Far Gone' so the anticipation for the release of his debut album was off the charts. The album like most big Hip-Hop records features a long cast of collaborations including Drake's mentor Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. A lot of the production was undertaken by Drake's long time friend and collaborator Noah “40” Shebib (he also mixed most of the tracks,) 40's trademark sound helped to give Drake's album a unique sound and the combination of Drake singing and rapping gave him the edge over many current rappers. AllMusic stated that Drake's “willingness to be introspective and honest makes him unique and helps make Thank Me Later special. It is the rare album, rap or otherwise, that follows through on the artist's potential and the fan’s anticipation."
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