Best Album of 2024

 The following albums made my end of the year top albums list.  

How Do You Sleep At Night by Teezo Touchdown

     This was the first album that I really got into this year.  I was hooked with the opening lines of the first song.   

Someone stopped me and said, "Hey dude, have you seen the new Spider-Man?"
I said, "Not yet, been really, really busy
But I promise I'ma see it when I can"
Life is a movie, bet you can't find bootlegged on someone's Reddit

I found the album to be playful and fun lyrically and experimental and effective musically.  

 

Eternal Sunshine by Ariana Grande

     I don't know much about Ariana Grande, but I think of her as a pop star and this album is the perfect pop star album.  Lots of good very catchy songs.  You can put this album on and really enjoy it.  Great to run to, walk to, drive to just all around a solid R&B pop album.  

 

Willis, Carper, Leigh by Wonder Women of Country

     It's just six songs, but it's such a fun album.  You know it's going to be a good experience when the opening song has yodeling.  

 

Empathogen by Willow

     This was the first album that really made me sit up and pay attention to it this year.  It's experimental and interesting.  It has so much energy it's hard to turn away from.  I really didn't know much about Willow, but I would highly recommend checking this album.  Especially if you like experimental jazz pop :).  Probably the most interesting album of the year and I'm really curious to see where Willow will go with her music after this album.  

 

12 Notes by Alec Benjamin

     I liked Alec Benjamin's last album and I thought this one was better while my daughter thought it was worse.   I get it, it's way more mainstream and pop than his last album and that fits me but not her.  At times he can be a bit too playful with his approach, but it's a very solid singer songwriter pop album.  

Promised Land by Vintage Culture

     Like I said in my review of this album it's very solid, just a bit long.  It's one of those albums that I hold at this level just because it is so consistent.    

 

Hit Me Hard and Soft by Billie Eillish

      Her third album, this is easily her best album for me.  As much as I liked her first album I just think this album feels so much more confident in what it wants to be.  Lyrically she's never been better than she is here and her vocals and arrangements with her brother are great. One of my favorite lyrical moments in the year are on the song "Wildflower."

I'd never ask who was better
'Cause she couldn't be
More different from me
Happy and free in leather

What Happened to the Heart by Aurora

     Another solid album from Aurora.  For me it was a little to all over the place and inconsistent but still plenty of good moments to pull from.  

 

The Great Impersonator by Halsey

     There is a lot to this album, but in the end it's a solid set of songs by someone who I really enjoy as an artist.  As a fan I found it fit into her body of work very well.  I really found some of the things she was doing with her lyrics and choices to be quite smart, but that's who she is to me.  

 

Evergreen by Soccer Mommy

     I just wrote about this album and how solid it is.  The only problem this album had really was that it didn't have those one or two real standout songs.  Otherwise it's a beautiful album.  I could see coming back to this one in 10 years and saying this has held up very well and is a 4 star album.  

 

And my Album of the Year!!

Me Again by Sasha Alex Sloan

     In a year where there seemed to be a lot of very personal music being made I found this one to be the best of the bunch.  Lyrically it's so solid and consistent.  Vocally, she's never sounded better and musically it really nails the vibe so consistently through the album.  

     I'm so impressed with the range of topics she takes on in this album and all very well.  

Tracks

1. Me Again:  Ever been caught it a really bad situation in your life where everything is so out of whack that you just don't feel like yourself?  You just want life to be normal again?  That's what this song is about.  

2. Cowboys Cry:  A song for those of us who feel so sad when things don't seem to be going our way.  Just a reminder that's it's OK to cry.  

3. Kids:  A song about her mom and the realization that her mom is beginning to rely on her for help just like she's always relied on her mom.  

4. Glad You Did:  A song about someone caught in an abusive relationship and her desire to see that person to get out of it.  It's a sad and haunting song that really nails it.  

5. Oxygen Mask:  A song about someone you love but they don't love themselves and just how hard that can be on a relationship.  

6. Highlights:  A song about a parent who was never there when their child needed them.  

7. Falling Out of Like:  A little song about two people who are together but they are no longer really together because they just don't really like each other any more.  

8. Tiny's Song:  A song to a lost pet.  It's a heart breaker and so good.  

9. Deep:  A song about not letting the little things in life getting you down.  

10. Only You Can:  A song about dealing with someone who has an addiction problem.  

11. Don't Laugh I'll Cry:  A song about a person who has a hard time showing their real emotions about things.  

12. Good Enough:  A song about a woman who is killing herself because she doesn't believe she's thin enough, pretty enough, etc.  

13. Picked First:  I'll just include the lyrics for this one.  

Took the first flight I could get home
Checked into the front desk
Walked up to your floor
Shared a couple bites of cheesecake
Talked about the summers
We spent on your porch

And you were trying not to cry for me
And I was trying not to cry for you
Yeah, you really, really were the best
But you left way too soon

Oh, dear, I miss you all the time
I wish we never said goodbye
Like daisies in the dirt
The most beautiful flowers
Always get picked first

We were sitting in the silence
Listening to voices over the TV
I was staring out the window
Holding onto your hand, didn't wanna leave

You were trying not to cry for me
And I was trying not to cry for you
Yeah, you really, really were the best
But you left way too soon

Oh, dear, I miss you all the time
I wish we never said goodbye
Like daisies in the dirt
The most beautiful flowers
Always get picked first
Oh, dear, you left me way too fast
I wish they saved the best for last
Like daisies in the dirt
The most beautiful flowers
Always get picked first

You were trying not to cry for me, mm
And I was trying not to cry for you