After the surprise release of July’s Folklore, there were a lot of questions about where Taylor Swift’s music direction was going. It was hard to tell if she was going to continue the indie/alternative-pop sound of Folklore, or continue making the sophisticated pop records that she’d become known for. With Evermore, she decided to continue the quiet, stripped-back sound of Folklore, but add in a bit more country flair. That gentle musicality, combined with the flowery and poetic lyricism, makes Evermore a very strong album in my opinion.
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Ariana Grande: Thank U, Next (2019) Songs Ranked
After a series of traumatic events in her personal life, Ariana Grande defied expectations and conventions for a pop star of her caliber and released two studio albums within a 6-month time span. And that’s an impressive feat in and of itself, but it’s made even better by the fact that I believe they are her two best albums to date. Sweetener and Thank U, Next are pretty much tied for my favorite, and I think it’s their emotional vulnerability and musical ingenuity that makes them both so great.
The Beatles: Rubber Soul (1965) Songs Ranked
Rubber Soul, at the time of its release, was the first Beatles album to truly push the musical boundaries of its time. This is often considered to be the record that set the stage for Revolver, which set the stage for Sgt. Pepper, which is pretty definitively heralded as a psychedelic masterpiece. There are plenty of gems in this tracklist, so I’m excited to discuss these songs.
Ariana Grande: Sweetener (2018) Songs Ranked
Sweetener is without a doubt Ariana Grande’s most and least popular album. At the time that it came out, reception was very mixed, with some people claiming it was a fresh, emotional piece of work and some claiming it was a disjointed, weird project. Nowadays, I think people are starting to appreciate this album for what it is, which makes me happy because I do in fact love Sweetener. It’s either my favorite or second favorite of her albums. I love it’s emotional vulnerability (which was lacking on her previous albums) and unique vocal/production style, and the album’s message (which we’ll get into later) is one that really resonates with me.
Ariana Grande: Dangerous Woman (2016) Songs Ranked
Dangerous Woman is Ariana Grande’s third studio album, and it’s one that is very up and down for me. This album, in my opinion, contains some of her very best songs as well as some of her worst. However, looking at it as a whole, I definitely appreciate it for the mature, moody collection of songs that it is.
The Beatles: A Hard Day’s Night (1964) Songs Ranked
A Hard Day’s Night, while lacking in the bursting enthusiasm and energy of The Beatles’ first two records (in my opinion) is still a fine collection of songs. There’s lots of personality in the music and it feels like the boys were just having fun with these songs. So while it’s not one of my absolute favorite Beatles record, I still have tons of respect for it. (Also I haven’t yet watched the movie that goes along with this album but I really want to, and I feel like it may change my perspective on the album but oh well.)
Queen: A Day at the Races (1976) Song Ranking
After the commercial success of their previous studio album, A Night at the Opera, expectations were high for Queen to deliver another successful and enjoyable album. This album serves as a sequel to that album in pretty much every way. From the names, to the cover art, to the musical styles, A Day at the Races certainly adds on to the group’s previous record.
Fleetwood Mac (1975) Song Ranking
This was the first album Fleetwood Mac put out with their most beloved lineup of Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks. To say that they put out a strong debut for the lineup would be a massive understatement. This is a truly great album, and it boasts some of the bands best songs to date. I can see why Rumours is more acclaimed (and I would say I prefer Rumours), but it’s evident that this eponymous album planted the seeds for the greatness that would come from Rumours.
5 Seconds of Summer (2014) Song Ranking
Even before the release of their self-titled, debut album, 5 Seconds of Summer had already achieved worldwide fame through several EP releases, as well as a stint in touring with One Direction. Though it was easy to brush them off as yet another boyband, they wanted to make a statement that they were no such thing (not that I have a problem with boybands of course. I’m a 1D girl for life). They played their own instruments, wrote their own songs, and gravitated towards a pop-punk sound, as opposed to a bubblegum pop musical direction.
One Direction: Four (2014) Song Ranking
With Midnight Memories, One Direction started to move away from the bubblegum-pop sound of their first two albums and into a more mature realm of songwriting. While I think that Midnight Memories is a great album, I also think it only planted the seeds for what became One Direction’s unique, personal sound. Four is the full bloom, and it sounds more artistic and personal than anything that came before it.
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