The songwriting on Delirium doesn't always feel worthy of her ambitions, but Goulding is technically peerless and versatile, maintaining her power and flare throughout and crushing every glassy jam she's put in front of.
Bieber is the comeback kid, with "Sorry" as his theme song. He spends Purpose learning lessons, begging for forgiveness and vowing to be a better Bieber.
Made in the A.M. is 1D’s Let It Be – the kind of record the world’s biggest pop group makes when it’s time to say thanks for the memories.
Almost every track is like a bouncy castle: fun, certainly, but not made for long-term stays.
Rebel Heart is a long, passionate, self-referential meditation on losing love and finding purpose in chilling times.
Revival is an audacious name for a 23-year-old singer’s second album, but from start to finish, Gomez earns it. This is the sound of a newly empowered pop artist growing into her strengths like never before.
Whatever her intentions, they've led to her most genuinely thrilling music ever.
Whether she's holding notes with the strength of a suspension bridge or enjoying a rare lighthearted "whoo-hoo!" on "Sweetest Devotion," her incredible phrasing – the way she can infuse any line with nuance and power – is more proof that she's among the greatest interpreters of romantic lyrics.