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The 50 Best Albums of 2024 (So Far): Staff List
The 50 best albums released so far in 2024, as chosen by our staff.
Her self-examination is poignant, whether giving thanks to God about where she’s headed in life on the resilient single “Commas,” clutching her heart due to the pain of unrequited love on the Giveon-assisted “Last Heartbreak Song” or grieving her late father on tear-jerking closer “The Kids Are Alright.” While Starr’s deep, rich vocals anchor the album, she diversifies her Afropop/R&B palate by exploring other sounds, as amapiano’s rollicking log drums power the multilingual female empowerment anthem “Woman Commando” (featuring Anitta and Coco Jones) and the joyfulness of highlife music is juxtaposed with melancholy melodies on “Orun.” — HERAN MAMO Collaborations with Texan rapper BigXThaPlug double down on the hip-hop bonafides he flaunted on “A Bar Song” and his Cowboy Carter features, but with rollicking country-rock anthems (the Paul Cauthen-assisted “Last of My Kind”) and sugary Nashville pop confections (“Annabelle”) in tow, Where I’ve Been is a kaleidoscopic look at country that brings its more fringe sounds into the spotlight. But with Annie Clark drawing on her extensive musical palette, it’s a rush of a record — from the playfully funky “Big Time Nothing,” to the clanging electro-rock of “Broken Man,” to the title track featuring Cate Le Bon, which breaks with the album’s predominantly industrial vibe to close things out with a jaunty wink evocative of late Talking Heads.
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