Year End Favorite Albums: 2013

2013 appeared to be a year or resurgence when it came to soulful sounds on the charts. While is has been noted that not a single Black artist topped the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist during 2013, even though soulful sounds were clearly making a comeback and topping the charts (see Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, Macklemore, etc.), that didn't mean that great music from Black artists didn't hit the airwaves and the charts.

While a lot of great records were released within 2013, these 5, ok 6, as well as the honorable mentions stood out to me as some of the best vocal, sonic, and lyrical work to debut this year. The list is not numerical in order of "most favorite" as the field this year was so tight and definitely offered a variety of great albums depending on your mood. Some artists had strong comebacks this year (Tamar Braxton; Fantasia; some would argue Beyoncé), others were brought more into the mainstream with solid debuts (Laura Mvula, K. Michelle), and one artist "reintroduced" herself with a blaring empowered LP that warrants further attention as we enter into 2014 (Janelle Monáe). Peep the list below and in addition to several honorable mentions.

1. BEYONCÉ - Beyoncé

Released just weeks ago after many sites and publications released their top albums of 2013, Beyoncé's self-titled fifth studio album is why I wait until New Years Eve to put my list together because you never truly know in the digital age what will get released before the clock strikes midnight. Dropped in the midnight hour of December 12th, her album has already sold over a million copies in the United States alone within 11 days of its release and offers the biggest 1st week digital sales in iTunes history as well as Beyoncé's biggest of her career. While there wasn't a single to lead the set, Beyoncé has now opted to release standouts "XO" and the Jay-Z assisted "Drunk in Love" as the two leading singles from the set. In addition to these two singles, BEYONCÉ boasts King B's most ambitious and musically stimulating offer to date. Featuring a D'Angelo influenced "Rocket," an ode to Prince on "Blow," personal favorite "Yoncé/ Partition" and the sonically stimulated "Ghost/Haunted," BEYONCÉ is Beyoncé best body of work by far and warrants a GRAMMY nomination for Album of the Year,  if not win come 2015.

2. Sing To The Moon - Laura Mvula

Since hearing Laura Mvula's single "She" back in 2012, her debut album Sing To The Moon was already on my list of music to check out in 2013. Having built a lot of hype surrounding her and her then forthcoming debut album, Laura's debut album exceeded the hype surrounded the UK phenom in my opinion and truly didn't receive the commercial success that this solid debut album warrants. Not only featuring her debut single "She" and it's followup "Green Garden," the haunting "Father, Father" is a personal favorite in addition to the ballad "Diamond" and the title-track "Sing To The moon." While Laura made more of an impact in the UK than she did here in the States, I just hope that 2013 will find more people gravitating towards this phenomenal debut album from Laura Mvula, which is my favorite debut LP of the year and the best I've heard since Emeli Sandé and Frank Ocean's debut efforts in 2012.

3. Side Effects Of You - Fantasia

Three years since Fantasia's last album Back to Me, Side Effects Of You is Fantasia's best work to date in my opinion. Helmed primarily by Harmony Samuels, Fantasia took more of an active role in her fourths tudio album, taking on more co-writing credits this time around and with a clear vision of what she wanted her latest album to sound like. Led by the evergreen infectious mid-tempo "Lose To Win" and followed-up by her Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliott assisted single "Without You," I have to be honest that I almost forgot that Side Effects Of You was released in 2012 as her team hasn't been promoting her sublime LP as well as the source material warrants. A great listen all the way through, other standouts from the set include the Emeli Sandé co-written titled track "Side Effects Of You," "In Deep," "Get It Right," "Ain't All Bad" and the bonus track "Haunted." With several GRAMMY nominations for the 2014 ceremony, hopefully a potential win and the visibility that that will offer can garner Side Effects Of You further commercial success as it truly is Fantasia's best body of work to date and one of the best albums of the year.

4. Love & War - Tamar Braxton

For the last few years, Tamar has been building her fanbase on her hit We TV reality show Braxton Family Values and her own spinoff Tamar & Vince and while the drama and catchphrases spewed from Tamar, her musical abilities were left rather ambiguous until late last year when her now platinum certified single "Love & War" bursted onto the scene. While her sophomore album Love & War wasn't released until September of this year, followup singles "The One" and "All the Way Home" also proved to be winners from the set, in addition to my personal favorites "Stay and Fight," "White Candle" and hopefully her next single "Pieces." Nominated for several GRAMMYs, I am sure Tamar will soon become a GRAMMY winner with her powerful sophomore effort and hopefully a solo headlining tour will follow after the GRAMMYs so that we can all get a chance to see her sing a full set, instead of the thirty minutes she received as the featured guest on John Legend's tour this year.

5. Rebellious Soul - K. Michelle

Laura Mvula's Sing To The Moon was my favorite debut album of 2013, but K. Michelle's Rebellious Soul was a close second, not only for K. Michelle's powerful vocals, but also the lyrical content that she offers. Influenced by the country records that K. Michelle grew up on, the songwriting on Rebellious Soul offers stories with each cut offered and while it was overlooked this year for a much deserved GRAMMY nomination, K. Michelle's lead single "V.S.O.P." is still burning up radio months later and her forthcoming second single "Can't Raise A Man" is sure to do the same. In addition to her two standout singles, "Pay My Bills" is a personal favorite in addition to "My Life," "Sometimes," "Damn" and all three bonus tracks "Better Than Nothing," "The Right One" and "Same Man." Already working on a followup to her critically acclaimed and commercially successful debut album, K, Michelle will next be seen co-headlining a tour with Robin Thicke, where I am sure she will steal the show.

6. The Electric Lady - Janelle Monáe

Janelle Monáe has been putting out solid material since her 2008 Bad Boy debut, but her latest offering The Electric Lady in my opinion is her best offer to date. Featuring her phenomenal lead single and collaboration with Erykah Badu on "Q.U.E.E.N.," her third single "PrimeTime," which features Miguel, is honestly the best duet I've heard in years, since at least Luther Vandross and Beyoncé's take on "The Closer I Get To You," if not since Luther and Cheryl Lynn's "If This World Were Mine." Either way, the album as a whole works as a body of work with empowering and powerful messages within every track that warrant a deep listen not only to her vocals and the instrumentation, but also the lyrical content. As Janelle Monáe continues to evolve as an artist, I am sure The Electric Lady will standout as one of her discography's best LP.



Honorable Mentions:

Black Radio 2 - Robert Glasper Experiment

A Love Surreal - Bilal

A Place Called Love Land - Raheem DeVaughn

Settle - Disclosure

She - Alice Smith
Yours Truly - Ariana Grande

Love In The Future - John Legend

Better - Chrisette Michele

Body Music - AlunaGeorge

"Call Me Crazy, But..." - Sevyn Streeter