The 21 Best Albums of 2021 (So Far)

After the singular bizarreness of 2020, many of us looked to 2021 as a year where things returned to "normal." Whether that "normal" was a romanticized version of pre-pandemic life or just anything that resembled a world that wasn't as virtual, we longed for it. So far, the albums that have been unleashed in 2021 are, by and large, reflective pieces of work. Many of them, like Aly & AJ's A Touch of the Beat..., are explicitly shaped by the most melancholy moments of the height of the pandemic. Conversations about loneliness, love, lust, and longing anchor the majority of these albums. Demi Lovato and Tyler, The Creator examined their pasts and built pieces of themselves into something greater on their respective albums. Jazmine Sullivan blended stories from different women to create a layered narrative of love and Black womanhood. Olivia Rodrigo gave adolescence the nuanced look that it's always deserved, and Doja Cat and J. Cole used their various relationships as catalysts for self-reflection. The 21 albums on this list truly marry the political and the personal. Most importantly, they are proof that one of the most impactful lessons of the past year was the beauty that comes from truly stopping, thinking, and listening to your own thoughts, no matter how dark or scary they may be.

21. Dancing With The Devil... The Art of Starting Over (Demi Lovato)

Island

One of the greatest musical tragedies of 2021 is how the greatness of Demi Lovato's new album has been muddled by a messy single campaign and painfully avoidable controversies. Their first album since their near-fatal 2018 overdose, Dancing With the Devil... The Art of Starting Over finds the Disney star-turned-pop phenom grappling with their brokenness and building towards some kind of wholeness. Separated into a prelude that briefly traces the series of events surrounding their overdose and a comparatively larger collection of hopeful tracks, Dancing With The Devil is marked by Demi's resilience and improved vocal performance. Whether they're belting their way through the album's two cathartic title tracks ("Dancing with the Devil" and "The Art of Starting Over") or going for more restrained vocal choices on songs like "The Way You Don't Look At Me," Demi employs the grit necessary to accurately showcase the messy process that is healing, grieving, and taking responsibility for your actions. From country and gospel to trap-pop and pop-rock, Demi travels through a plethora of genres that blend together each of their former musical personas into one triumphant patchwork of who they are today. Read the full album review here. Listen to: "Easy (with Noah Cyrus)" and "Sunset"

20. SoulFly (Rod Wave)

Alamo

Arguably the saddest guy in hip-hop, Rod Wave's SoulFly is one of the most surprisingly tender albums of the year so far. A collection of somber rap ballads, SoulFly finds Rod tracing the impact of his childhood on the man he is today. Rod isn't the most technical rapper, nor are his beats the most impressive; it's his voice, rather, that makes his work so compelling. At once comforting and intimidating, Rod Wave's voice holds decades of stories and hundreds of hidden truths. There are echoes of the blues and soul in his tone which helps connect the distinct new-schoolness of SoulFly to the storied subgenre that is the inner city blues. Even when his story-telling is blunt, that voice breathes some softness into the lyrics; On "Pillz & Billz" he croons "I watched my cousin smoke crack his whole fuckin' life/Fentanyl hit the street and he OD'd the same night." What SoulFly lacks in narrative detail and big-name features, Rod Wave more than makes up for with his inimitable voice. There's a certain sorrow woven into his tone that keeps you coming back for more. Listen to: "SoulFly" and "Street Runner"

19. Southern Curiosity (Fancy Hagood)

Mick Music

Back in 2015, a mystery artist debuted on the scene. Signed to Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun, Who Is Fancy debuted with the understated "Goodbye." Early radio support in major markets buoyed the single onto the Billboard Hot 100 and a three-way collaboration with Meghan Trainor and Ariana Grande called "Boys Like You" soon followed. Who Is Fancy went on to open for tours from both Trainor and Grande, but the lack of traction "Boys Like You" garnered eventually led to the end of his professional relationship with Braun and Republic Records. Now, six years later, Who Is Fancy has reemerged as Fancy Hagood — a country crooner that refuses to let his gay identity be flattened out and hidden. Southern Curiosity, Hagood's debut album, is a complete 180 from the glossy Top 40 pop of his first two singles. Instead, he relies on grandiose strings, choirs, and pensive guitar and piano to score his heartfelt stories of an often ignored intersection of identity. On "Either," he subverts the high school love story trope to tell a story of forbidden love with another boy who is yet to accept his own sexuality. Southern Curiosity is a refreshing and compelling addition to a genre whose mainstream talents have fallen into redundancy. Listen to: "Southern Curiosity" and "Casanova"

18. Shelley FKA DRAM (Shelley FKA DRAM)

Empire / Atlantic

Similar to Fancy Hagood, Shelley FKA Dram is the reintroduction of an artist who garnered considerable mainstream pop success. Back in 2016, DRAM was the hottest new name at the intersection of rap, pop, and R&B. His debut single, "Cha Cha," laid the groundwork for Drake's "Hotline Bling," "Broccoli," a collaboration with Lil Yachty launched him into the mainstream and earned him a Grammy nomination, and "WiFi," an Erykah Badu duet, proved his viability in a relatively more traditional iteration of R&B. After a stint in rehab and some time off to recalibrate, DRAM was reborn as Shelley FKA DRAM. This new album, the first under his revised moniker, is clearly from a man with a clearer perspective on life and his purpose. A collage of love songs that shift from earnest to heartwarmingly overbearing, Shelley FKA DRAM is a more subdued affair than his debut. Muted synth-laden soundscapes accented by disco and neo-soul underscore his paeans for love and reciprocation. From a Summer Walker feature to a Daft Punk cover, the album covers a lot of ground, but Shelley remains the captain of his fate. Listen to: "Cooking With Grease" and "The Lay Down"

17. Poster Girl (Zara Larsson)

TEN / Epic

Zara Larsson is one of the few artists who has broken the U.S. without actually breaking the U.S. Her MNEK duet, "Never Forget You," was a sizable hit, and "Symphony," a collaboration with Clean Bandit, also gained considerable traction. As for her own music, Zara has struggled to find her footing Stateside. Well, America be damned! If they don't acknowledge an album as delectable as Poster Girl, then surely someone will. Stacked to the brim with saccharine melodies and lyrics that cover intoxicating love, toxic relationships, and praise for weed, Poster Girl is pop perfection. Zara's voice effortlessly tackles torch song ballads with Young Thug ("Talk About Love"), experimental pop bops ("Love Me Land"), and power pop anthems ("Right Here"). Zara can be inconsistent, but Poster Girl finds her at her sharpest and most focused. It was well worth the wait. Read the full album review here. Listen to: "Need Someone" and "Poster Girl"

16. A Touch of the Beat... (Aly & AJ)

Aly & AJ Music / AWAL

Like Demi Lovato, Aly & AJ are another set of Disney alums that released a career-best album in 2021. A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun is an album that doesn't collapse under the weight of its monstrous title. The sister duo pull from country, synthpop, folk, and americana to create an album that pulls from pandemic-induced experiences without being drown by the height of that era. The album's narrative is a solemn one that traces the emotions attached to falling in and out of love — from timeless "Slow Dancing" to divorce. With this album, the sisters certainly make a strong case for siblings having tighter musical chemistry than non-related collaborators. Their voices are relatively lightweight, but they're able to channel enough emotion into the picturesque lyrics so that the album genuinely feels full. There's nothing as fiery as "Potential Breakup Song," but that's okay because the album is completely enchanting in its own right. Read the full album review here. Listen to: "Stomach" and "Slow Dancing"

15. Evermore (Taylor Swift)

Republic

Although Evermore was released at the tail-end of 2020, it's too good not to be included here. Taylor has inundated us, for lack of a better word, with music in the first half of 2021. From her re-recorded version of Fearless to remixes of "willow" and featured turns on songs from Big Red Machine and HAIM, she's been going full steam ahead since Folklore dropped last summer. Evermore, the sister album to the Grammy-winning Folklore, is just as enrapturing as its older sibling. Taylor expands some of the narratives explored on Folklore by opening up the universe and including new characters and storylines. Evermore finds Taylor moving further away from autobiographical lyrics to fully-realized fiction like the gorgeous "champagne problems" and "dorothea." New duets with The National ("coney island") and Bon Iver ("evermore") add some grit and deeper voices to balance out Taylor's contributions, but she's still the star of the show. Evermore may not match Folklore's heights, but when it does hit, it hits. The album's conversations on depression, mental health, and the sprawling paths love can lead someone on are instantly compelling. Read the full album review here. Listen to: "ivy" and "tolerate it"

14. The Off-Season (J. Cole)

Dreamville / Roc Nation / Interscope

One of the stronger albums in Cole's discography, The Off-Season is remarkably consistent from top to bottom. The "no features" king tapped Lil Baby, Morray, 21 Savage, Bas, 6LACK, Cam'ron, and more to assist him on this layered reflection on his legacy and his future. We're in a period where a lot of our biggest rap stars are approaching 10+ years in the game. This uncomfortable truth informs the bulk of The Off-Season from the soul samples to the Lil Baby-esque melodic flows. Cole has carefully curated an album that sits at the convergence of the old school giants (there's an MF Doom sample and Cole's classic Nas-esque storytelling) and new school juggernauts (21 Savage and Morray are the perfect additions to the reflective and motivational "m y . l i f e"). Cole's storytelling is still second to none, and on The Off-Season, his hunger to remind everyone of his spot and his greatness pushes him out of his comfort zone. The album can get overly concerned with Cole's thoughts on his legacy, but when he gets out of his head and talks about his son, old friends, and flexes his success, he wins. Effortlessly. Read the full album review here. Listen to: "l e t . g o . m y . h a n d" and "h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e"

13. Expectations (Kenyon Dixon)

Kennygotsoul

R&B truly is in a great place right now. The indie scene, in particular, continues to impress. On his fifth album, Kenyon Dixon flexes his vocal dexterity over sultry ballads and moody mid-tempos. He explores a range of expectations and realities concerning love, relationships, and life with pure honesty that really draws you in. His chosen collaborators are the perfect additions to the soundscape that he's created; he taps fellow left-of-mainstream R&B crooners Jade Novah, Avery Wilson, V. Bozeman, and Alex Isley to fill out the different storylines. He shifts between doo-wop, reggae-inflected pop/R&B, and moody gospel-tinged soul with startling ease. Expectations is markedly cohesive despite its lengthy tracklist — a feat that feels otherworldly at this point in time. All in all, it's not just the musical influences or the collaborations that make Expectations so great; Kenyon can really sing! When he launches into his heart-piercing falsetto, just remember to prepare yourself. Listen to: "Should've Been You" and "What I Like"

12. SOUR (Olivia Rodrigo)

Geffen

Undoubtedly the biggest album of the year, Olivia Rodrigo's superb debut has the quality to back up its commercial and cultural dominance. SOUR is bigger than a rumored relationship with Joshua Bassett, it's an honest examination of how emotions work in the world of adolescence. Everything is infinitely more intense and visceral, and Olivia hits every shade of those emotions on this album. From the biting "jealousy, jealousy" to the somber "favorite crime," Olivia pulls from punk pop, acoustic balladry, and alternative rock to create a sonic universe that mirrors the narrative that anchors the album. Olivia uses the relationship outlined through the album's singles ("drivers licence," "deja vu," and "good 4 u") to explore how different subgenres can be used to channel different emotions. On "traitor," her voice swells from gentles whisper to an impassioned belt, but on "hope ur ok" she stays in the softer part of her range to underscore the heaviness of the subject matter. High school-oriented media generates a lot of money, and yet it's never treated as media that's worthy of genuine analysis. On this album, she validates emotions that feel histrionic at the moment, and breaks down the intricate social hierarchy of high school. With SOUR, Olivia seeks to give adolescence the respect it deserves. Read the full album review here. Listen to: "jealousy, jealousy" and "enough for you"

11. Daddy's Home (St. Vincent)

Loma Vista

Her first album since 2017's Grammy-winning MASSEDUCTION, Daddy's Home finds St. Vincent diving headfirst into 70's rock and roll. The sounds of 1970s New York and her father's recent release from prison are the most outsized influences on the cinematic album. Daddy's Home is fascinating in the way that St. Vincent and Jack Antonoff prioritize world-building in a way not dissimilar to some of the greatest auteurs of all time. Pain is a major anchor for this album, when Annie goes a bit too deep into the rabbit hole of the Daddy's Home universe, the overarching feeling of pain brings her back to the surface. There's considerably less guitar-shredding, but the psychedelic rock explored on previous records is still present, along with some new flourishes of soul and jazz. The melodies on Daddy's Home aren't as immediate as melodies and hooks on her previous record, but the challenge they present is emblematic of the commitment it takes to create (and unpack) an album as intricate as this. Listen to: "...At the Holiday Party" and "Pay Your Way In Pain"

10. Wary + Strange (Amythyst Kiah)

Rounder

Black power and gay pride aren't exactly two things that come to mind when you hear the phrases "country music" or "Americana music." Amythyst Kiah is challenging that notion with each of her releases. Led by the Grammy-nominated "Black Myself," Wary + Strange is a look at Amythyst's personal progression as a Southern Black LGBTQ+ woman, but also as a daughter, a friend, and her own person. Her deft guitar skills are the perfect complement to her wailing voice — a voice that's steeped in soul and grit that help lift her intensely personal lyrics to even greater heights. Lachrymose guitars and strings swell and contract throughout the album. Amythyst is using this music to find her way back to herself; she revels in a kind of muted pain, a brand of pain that is informed by loss and emotional shutdowns. The album wears the blues on its sleeves both sonically and thematically, but it never feels too heavy because Amythyst makes sure the album doesn't overstay its welcome — even in an era of tiringly long tracklists. Listen to: "Soapbox" and "Wild Turkey"

9. Fire In Little Africa (Fire In Little Africa)

Motown

This year marked 100 years since the gruesome Tulsa Massacre. Fire In Little Africa invokes the spirit and drive of Tulsa, Oklahoma through a sprawling collage of poetry, hip-hop, and R&B with hints of blues and rock. Although the album is overwhelmingly concerned with Black excellence over Black liberation, the music and the energy are undeniable. There's an urgency coursing through every chord of this album. An urgency to bring and do justice to the rich lineage of Black folk in America, and an urgency to make the most of this incredible opportunity. This is an eponymous album billed to a collective of over 60 Oklahoma singers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and rappers. It's rare that we get to see such fully realized bodies of work specifically designed and curated to showcase local talent. Over lush jazz-inflected soundscapes, these Oklahoma talents recount the splendor of Black Wall Street, the fiery story of the Tulsa Massacre, and they also use the strength of their lineage to offer up visions for the future. The merging of the past and the present to shed light on the future has never sounded so good. Listen to: "Elevator" and "Drowning"

8. Neptune (Gallant)

Gallant / EMPIRE

At times, repeatedly calling artists underrated can feel performative and redundant. In the case of Gallant, he's really that good, and he deserves way more flowers than he's currently being given. With Neptune, Gallant follows up his sublime Ology (2016) and Sweet Insomnia (2019) with a markedly muted collection of songs that grapple with the elusiveness of love. True to its name, Neptune's production feels less earthy than some of Gallant's previous work. He fills relatively sparse soundscapes with harmonies that float around the main vocal. On Neptune, he taps special guests like Brandy, VanJess, and Arin Ray to assist him in his journey through the galaxy of love. "Scar," is a particularly striking number that balances a thumping tempo with an exploration of crippling emotional pain. This is an album steeped in the sound of 90s R&B; it's conceptually focused, but the paradox is that the primary concept is a certain aimlessness that drives the album forward. Every song feels like a different planet in a solar system of loneliness, lust, independence, and unrequited love. Gallant has simply never missed, and he probably never will. Listen to: "Dynamite" and "Scars"

7. Planet Her (Doja Cat)

Kemosabe / RCA

Speaking of outer space, Gallant wasn't the only artist to blast off this year. Doja Cat dominated 2020 with "Streets" and "Say So," and she came back for round 2 with the immersive Planet Her. Doja shapeshifts through afrobeats, R&B, trap ballads, and bedroom pop on this dreamy record. It's not so much a star-making album (that would be Hot Pink) as it is a spot-cementing album. If there were any doubts about the viability of Doja's career or her ability to recreate magic, those were all put to rest with Planet Her. Whether she's crooning on a smooth ballad ("Been Like This"), balancing theatricality and rap prowess ("Get Into It (Yuh)"), or trading rapid-fire verses with a fellow rapper ("Options"), Doja effortlessly adapts to each new territory. Then again, these are exactly *new* places. Doja has explored these sounds on her mixtapes, SoundCloud one-offs, and first two albums, but on Planet Her everything is just a little bit tighter and more fully realized. What she lacks in thematic consistency, she makes up for with melodies that permanently lodge themselves in your brain. And you'll love every minute of it. Read the full album review here. Listen to: "Ain't Shit" and "Alone"

6. Homegrown (VanJess)

Keep Cool / RCA

At the top of 2021, VanJess dropped a project that would quietly become one of the best and most cohesive projects of the year. Homegrown accomplishes a lot of things in a very short period of time. At once, VanJess take a deep and nuanced look into the cyclical tendencies of relationships and give the funky uptempo side of R&B the love that it's been lacking recently. The sister duo link up with KAYTRANADA ("Dysfunctional") and Phony Ppl ("Caught Up") for dance-minded numbers that relay the frantic feel of uncertainty in romance. These sisters, not unlike Aly & AJ, have impeccable chemistry. Their silky voices meld together perfectly and pick up every texture in the luscious soundscapes of Homegrown. Whether the two ladies are making flirty advances or using floral metaphors to express the emotional, physical, and mental connection that drives quality relationships, they handle everything with ease. Homegrown is a record that's aware of its weight, but it doesn't ever feel heavy or overwhelming. Production from Snakehips, samples of "Rump Shaker," and introspective lyrics make the whole affair move smoothly and with intention. Read the full review of Homegrown here. Listen to: "Caught Up" and "Slow Down"

5. Lovesick (Raheem Devaughn & Apollo Brown)

Mello Music Group

Despite the constant, and sometimes accelerated, evolution of R&B, there are still artists pumping out the soul-infused grown folk R&B that people still seek. Three-time Grammy nominee Raheem Devaughn teams up with storied hip-hop producer Apollo Brown on this ode to love and sex. Lovesick finds Raheem making the case for why he is the one and only option for his lady. In a similar way to what Jazmine Sullivan did with Heaux Tales, Raheem updates his classic sound with rap-adjacent beats and cadences to fit into R&B's general current mainstream landscape without sacrificing the foundation that he's built for himself. It's a freaky, fearless, and explicit album. On "If I Made Love To You" he muses, "You can scream 'til I make your legs go numb like a tranquilizer/I promise to push so deep." Sure the metaphors can be a bit heavy-handed, if not sappy, but that's part of the charm. With a voice that smooth and beats this luscious, this will definitely give Silk Sonic a run for their money... whenever that album drops. Listen to: "Zaddy" and "When A Man"

4. Off the Yak (Young M.A)

M.A Music / 3D

Megan, Saweetie, Cardi, City Girls, Doja, Nicki, and the list goes on. Female rap is in a great place right now. Not only are the ladies dominating commercially, but there's also true variety in the approaches that they take to the genre. One of the best rappers out right now, Young M.A, deserves more love in these conversations. Not only did she drop the best "Beat Box" remix, but she also dropped one of the best albums of 2021 so far. To put it simply, Off the Yak is triumphant. This is an album that finds the Brooklyn rapper operating at a level higher than the majority of her contemporaries. What's truly interesting is that for all of Off the Yak's greatness, it still feels like there's another gear that Young M.A has yet to switch to. After breaking out with the timeless "Ooouuu" a few summers ago, M.A has failed to score another hit on that level. The thing is, she doesn't need one. On Off the Yak, she tightens her flows and improves her punchlines while updating her sound with motifs of drill music. Whether she's trading tongue-in-cheek bars of braggadocio with Fivio Foreign on "Hello Baby" or treading the depths of introspection on the title track, Young M.A does it all with an inimitable charm. Listen to: "Successful" and "Yak Thoughts"

3. Nine (Sault)

Forever Living Originals

When you make an album available for just 99 days, it simply has to be worth it. As Sault has proven with each of their four albums in the past two years, they will always make music that is more than worth it. The elusive British music collective may have little to no presence on social media, but their kaleidoscopic sonic experiences gift us visionary looks at Blackness. Wrapped up in neo-soul with hints of house, rap, and funk, Nine is absolutely stunning. The narratives of Nine are conveyed through an explicitly London lens. "London gangs, when your soul is tied/It's all built on lies/Now you're herе for life," Cleo Sol muses. When you're tied to something "for life," you find ways to cope with everything: from the light-hearted to the traumatic. On "Haha" Sault uses a capella chants to relay how Black folks have turned to humor as a way to understand our darkest collective moments. Although the lyrics are focused on London, the production widens the album's view and connects these singular stories to the greater Black diaspora through the use of soulful riffs, drum and bass, and more. Listen to: "Haha" and "Alcohol"

2. Call Me If You Get Lost (Tyler, The Creator)

Columbia

Tyler, The Creator just keeps getting better. Every album reveals a new shade of his personal and musical identity, and Call Me If You Get Lost takes all of those shades and wraps them up into one cinematic project that finds the Gangsta Grillz mixtape era meeting Tyler at the height of his production abilities. Only on a Tyler, The Creator album would you find YoungBoy Never Broke Again crooning like a choir boy on a starry-eyed love song. Call Me If You Get Lost is really a love letter to Tyler himself. Under the guise of a new character in the TTCCU (Tyler, The Creator Cinematic Universe), Tyler acknowledges the most uncomfortable and vile parts of his past and builds forward without completely discarding the moments that truly make him him. DJ Drama's voice rings out over the track as Tyler pulls from jazz, trap, Motown, soul, and doo-wop to create one hell of an album. With features ranging from 42 Dugg to Ty Dolla $ign, Tyler has curated an experience that not only pushes him but also pushes his collaborators. At the rate that Tyler keeps topping himself, we should be scared of his next project. Read the full album review here. Listen to: "WUSYANAME" and "RUNITUP"

1. Heaux Tales (Jazmine Sullivan)

RCA

Here we are, Number One. Was there really any other choice? There is no album, mixtape, project, or EP that is anywhere near the level of what Jazmine Sullivan has created with Heaux Tales. The soulful voice behind anthems like "Let It Burn" and "Bust Your Windows" created her most conceptual project yet with the help of some of her friends. Heaux Tales explores the intricacies of relationships, sex, money, loyalty, and self-worth through the lens of Black womanhood. Each song is tied together by spoken word "tales" that foreshadow the subject matter of the subsequent songs. For example, the album's crown jewel, "Lost One," is preceded by "Rashida's Tale" — a heartbreaking tale of betrayal and regret. Heaux Tales finds Jazmine inviting collaborators to assume the position of characters to help tell certain stories. On "Price Tags," Anderson .Paak appears as the textbook toxic nigga, and on "Girl Like Me," H.E.R. plays the role of a woman unfortunately infected by internalized misogyny. Above all, what grounds Heaux Tales (in addition to its hard-hitting lyrics) is Jazmine's voice. She skates over beats like a rapper on "Put It Down," invokes the roots of the Black soul tradition on "Pick Up Your Feelings," and brings the house down with belts that tug at heartstrings on "Lost One." There simply isn't anything quite like Heaux Tales. One could say it feels like magic, but the messages, stories, and experiences are too real for that to be the case. Jazmine is just that incredible. Read the full album review here. Listen to: "Bodies" and "The Other Side"

Honorable Mentions: A Gangsta's Pain (Moneybagg Yo); Thats What They All Say (Jack Harlow); Ready Is Always Too Late (Sinead Harnett); Slime Language 2 (Young Thug, Gunna & Young Stoner Life); Destined 2 Win (Lil Tjay); Overgrown (Joyce Wrice); DEACON (serpentwithfeet); Haram (Armand Hammer & The Alchemist); I TAPE (Vic Mensa); Magic 8Ball (Mac Ayres); evil twin (Isaac Dunbar)