Billboard's 25 Best Albums of 2015

Billboard's 25 Best Albums of 2015

Original Source →

22.

May 29, 2015
Critic Score
82
18 reviews
Much of the album is frenetic -- full of bodies and larger-than-life. But the muted and downcast moments end up being memorable, tender and affecting.

21.

September 18, 2015
Critic Score
75
38 reviews

Honeymoon erases most of Del Rey’s modern influences ... to better display her sepulchral voice and highly-stylized phrasing, in which the melisma is so arbitrary, it almost seems determined by throws of the I Ching.

20.

September 18, 2015
Critic Score
71
6 reviews

17.

June 2, 2015
Critic Score
77
39 reviews

It's not a radical reformation of Welch's style; she hasn't stripped all the ornamentation from her cathedral of sound and become a folky confessional songwriter. But she is resorting less to abstract, lofty imagery and speaking with a more frank immediacy.

15.

February 24, 2015
Critic Score
75
12 reviews

With sterling wordplay and a consistent melancholy vibe, the Detroit native took all the tension, the highs and lows, and laid it out on wax, compiling the strongest project of his career.

14.

January 20, 2015
Critic Score
89
46 reviews

13.

May 5, 2015
Critic Score
84
6 reviews
For all the grief and regret it contains, it's a triumphant debut, encapsulating the grit of life, ­turning it into a hell of a journey.

11.

July 17, 2015
Critic Score
78
19 reviews

DS2 is a heavy dose of medication as entertainment, and it's not for those with a low tolerance.

10.

July 17, 2015
Critic Score
83
28 reviews
This is country music that knows its country music.

9.

February 10, 2015
Critic Score
87
42 reviews

Lyrically, Tillman has a penchant for enjambment that leaves punchlines and revelations momentarily suspended, so songs unfold with continual surprises.

7.

April 21, 2015
Critic Score
79
35 reviews

Among rock music of its kind, it's one of the most ­muscular collections in some time, yet it accomplishes this by hardly even flexing.

6.

June 1, 2015
Critic Score
83
45 reviews

For as erudite as it is, though, In Colour doesn't require footnotes to enjoy -- it's first and ­foremost a dance record.

5.

November 20, 2015
Critic Score
74
43 reviews

On 25, the material is occasionally inspired, sometimes dull, but always serviceable -- and with Adele, that’s enough.

4.

June 30, 2015
Critic Score
84
23 reviews

There's a lot, sometimes too much, to take in, but Staples has tons to say, in a delivery that finds middle ground between Nas' wizened rasp and Too Short's melodic Cali lilt.

3.

November 6, 2015
Critic Score
84
36 reviews

Art Angels is a marvel of meticulous, even obsessive home-studio recording, uncompromised by bandmates or collaborators.

2.

September 25, 2015
Critic Score
90
4 reviews

Hamilton’s stage production should be required viewing for every American citizen, but this exhilarating listen is a much more practical, and every bit as enjoyable, stand-in.

1.

March 15, 2015
Critic Score
95
45 reviews

Despite the bold declarations, beautiful beats and brash imagery, To Pimp a Butterfly is not an announcement, it's a conversation.

Original Source: http://www.billboard.com/photos/6792633/best-albums-of-2015/1
Comments
Sign in to comment
No one has said anything yet.
Connect with AOTY
Like Us
Follow Us

February Playlist