Year in Review: Best 10 albums of 2015

Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly” was undoubtedly the most daring album of 2015. Through a blend of hip-hop and soul, Lamar gambles on mixing rap and politics, but does it brilliantly. “To Pimp A Butterfly” captures everything hip-hop embodies and provides 79 minutes of non-stop perfection. Whether Lamar’s bringing funk back into the spotlight, like in “Wesley’s Theory,” or ...

Alabama Shakes came onto the music scene in 2012 with their debut “Boys & Girls,” bringing with them a genuinely uncommon sound as a mix of soul and southern rock. “Sound & Color” exemplifies all the talent Alabama Shakes possesses. From start to finish, Brittany Howard’s raspy voice floats over each instrumentation beautifully. Songs such as “Don’t Wanna Fight” show their charm, yet ...

Who would’ve thought a Broadway musical cast could surpass artists such as Adele and Drake? However, “Hamilton” radiates excellence, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s genius shines through in every song. The show centers around the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton, but uses mainly hip-hop and R&B to tell its story. The music is inventive and genuine, reflecting the time period it descr...

The layers of sound in Jamie xx’s “In Colour” sprawl for miles. The album has a life of its own, with each song breathing harder and louder than the one before. Each song takes on its own emotion, and feels distant yet personal, crafting an extraordinary album. “In Colour” feels like an album from a veteran producer, not a debut album from Jamie xx, a 27-year-old. The multiple levels of synthesi...

Adele’s record-breaking album “25” wonderfully represents the singer’s lifestyle and emotions. Though it would be hard to beat her sophomore album “21”, Adele somehow exceeded expectations once again. “25” only furthers Adele’s superstar status, spinning a web of beauty within heartbreak. Songs such as “When We Were Young” show the passion Adele brings to her music. “Hello” di...

No one broke onto the music scene in 2015 like Børns did. His album “Dopamine” proved to be one of the year’s most well-produced albums. “Dopamine” vividly explores Børns’ potential, with each song feeling less like a song and more like its own story. “Holy Ghost” impresses, where Børns has the opportunity to boast his unearthly, beautiful falsetto. Børns may hail from the Midw...

Before he made “Beauty Behind the Madness,” The Weeknd was most well-known for his early trio of mixtapes, “Trilogy.” Now he can put the past behind him, because after releasing his latest album, the sky’s the limit. When released, “Beauty Behind the Madness” carried substance within a pop album for the first time this year. The Weeknd pours his soul into this album and proves pop mus...

When Tame Impala released the album “Currents,” it was deservedly met with high acclaim. Tame Impala creates its music elegantly, and “Currents” exemplifies their admirable work. Each song feels genuinely original, always building off of the preceding track. By the time the album’s finale “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” comes along, Tame Impala shows an inherent control on the genre of psych...

Vince Staples leaped into the mainstream significantly with “Summertime ‘06.” The album loosely centers around the summer of 2006, in which Staples said he lost many friends. Staples’ debut, a double album, may remind listeners of Kendrick Lamar’s “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City,” which also graphically details life in Southern California. Each song brings a dark attitude to the album, paint...

Drake put the month of February in the palm of his hand when he released “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.” Although labeled by some as a mixtape, the project was released on iTunes, and felt in no way like a regular mixtape. Drake embodies rap culture in 2015, and each song on this album shows exactly why. “Know Yourself” and “Energy” became club hits in a matter of days, and still ...