A Year in Review: The 10 Best Albums of 2018

More than the past few years, 2018 proved to be a year of consensus when it comes to music. There were a handful of artists who released must-hear albums, many of which were lauded. Ariana Grande, Troye Sivan, Drake, Beyonce and Jay Z, Kanye West and many more dropped albums we all had to stop and listen to. Some of those records appear on the list below, some don't. Nevertheless, all 10 albums on this list are exceptional, whether they topped the Billboard charts or went unnoticed by the general audience.

10. Cat Power – "Wanderer"

Six years after her last album, singer-songwriter Chan Marshall a.k.a. Cat Power returned this year with the stripped down, raw and politically charged album "Wanderer." It's an effortless album that finds Marshall at her most minimal while she makes some of her biggest swings. The whispery "Woman," which features cooing from Lana Del Rey, is a hauntingly confidant song where their two voices create powerful layered sound. Marshall also adds Rihanna's ballad "Stay" to her lineup of covers and her take on the track is one Marshall's best takes on a pop song she's ever done.

09. Yumi Zouma – "EP III"

Although their newest EP only has four songs, Yumi Zouma's latest effort, aptly titled "EP III," is one of the year's best collection of songs. The New Zealand band have put a steady stream of their brand of shimmering dream pop. Single "In Camera" is a dazzling disco thumper that finds Yumi Zouma at the top of their craft. "Powder Blue / Cascine Park" is another highlight, a cool and slinky jam that comes with a soaring chorus. Yumi Zouma have two LPs under their belt but they seem to function best with EPs, offering small bursts of blissful musical sunshine.

08. Troye Sivan – "Bloom"

Troye Sivan's sophomore album "Bloom" is a radical shift for the out singer. It signaled a more mature and sophisticated sound, which fans noticed with his first single, the George Michael inspired "My My My!" a confidant explosion of love. The album's title track is radical queer expression – one not really heard in pop music before. Bluntly put, it's about bottoming, so says Sivan. More than that, it's a catchy bop. The same goes for the electrifying "Lucky Strike" and "Dance to This," which features Ariana Grande. "Bloom" also tender moments like the stellar "The Good Side" and the moving ballad "Postcard," featuring Gordi.

07. Ariana Grande – "Sweetener"

No doubt that Ariana Grande ruled 2018, easily one of the most talked about celebs thanks to her whirlwind engagement and breakup with "Saturday Night Live" star Pete Davidson, the tragic death of her ex-boyfriend rapper Mac Miller and, of course, "Sweetener," her fourth album. Though her most successful song of the year, "Thank U, Next," is from her upcoming fifth album, "Sweetener" is a powerful and emotional journey. It finds Grande working through her emotions about the Manchester Arena Bombing, her relationship with Miller and the highs of her romance with Davidson. With top-line producers (Pharrell, Max Martin, Hit-Boy and more), "Sweetener" has the confessionalism of a Taylor Swift album but the soul of Grande.

06. Sophie – "Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides"

Sophie's debut album "Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides" is a departure of sorts. The producer and musician previously released amped up pop songs – so sugary it would instantly give you a toothache. That glossy pop sound that sounds like music processed through a whacky funhouse mirror is found rarely found on Sophie's album. Instead, it's a deeply personal experimental effort that finds Sophie at her most venerable, like the raw balled "It's Okay to Cry," a queer anthem about self-acceptance. "Is It Cold in the Water?" is an atmospheric and painful ballad that flows and erupts with anger. "Ponyboy" is Sophie's sexiest song and the intense "Faceshopping" is another powerful song about identity. "Oil..." is an album that defies expectations and is incredibly rewarding.

05. Let's Eat Grandma – "I'm All Ears"

The British duo Jenny Hollingworth and Rosa Walton made one of the most vibrant and impressive albums of the year. Under the name Let's Eat Grandma, "I'm All Ears" is a fantastical experimental record, that's both playful and fascinating. Skewering pop music with electrifying songs like "Hot Pink," "Falling into Me" and LP highlight "It's Not Just Me." Closing the album is the stirring ambient ballad "Ava" and the 11-minute "Donnie Darko," bonkers and epic synthy ride that solidifies Let's Eat Grandma as the future of pop music.

04. Mariah Carey – "Caution"

Mariah Carey's 15th album "Caution" may be her worst-selling albums since "Glitter," but it happens to be one of her best efforts in years. The compact 10-track album (a departure for most pop stars who usually offer an exhausting 15-20 tracks) is solid from front-to-back. Working with fresh producers, ranging from Poo Bear, DJ Mustard, Ninteen85, Blood Orange and even Skrillex, and veterans (Timbaland!), "Caution" is a sexy R&B album that finds Carey, who gets writing and producing credits on every track, figuring out the latest phase of her career. She never strains her vocals or even bothers for those iconic high-range Mimi notes: "GTFO" is a hilarious and sultry breakup song, "A No No" is another sexy and funny standout as is "The Distance," featuring Ty Dolla $ign.

03. The 1975 – "A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships"

The British band the 1975's third album "A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships" is their most ambitious and sprawling offering yet. Though it takes on a number of heavy topics, like lead singer Matty Healy's rehab and addiction as well as global issues like Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, the death of Lil Peep and so much more, "A Brief Inquiry" is beautifully positive; a glowing piece of music that offers hope in a chaotic and messed up world. The band does this while drawing on some of the best music ever made ranging from Radiohead's "acoustic" album "The Bends," the sophistipop U.K. band the Blue Nile, Kanye West, electro dubstep musician Burial, the Talking Heads, Justin Bieber, Michael Bolton and so much more. "I Love it if We Made it" is a hopeful anthem for a generation and the thesis of "A Brief Inquiry," an album that tells us the world is shit but there's still light at the end of the tunnel.

02. Robyn – "Honey"

Robyn's last album "Body Talk" from 2010 contained some of the best music of the 21st century, namely "Dancing On My Own." There were plenty of other highlights ("Hang with Me," "Call Your Girlfriend") but looking back eight years later, it's a flawed album. "Honey" is the inverse of "Body Talk." From start to finish there isn't one skippable song. The highs are higher on "Body Talk" and Robyn doesn't even bother trying to top "DONMO." Instead, the Swedish pop star unleashed a beautiful dance album that's sexy and emotional. On "Body Talk," she told fans she was a femmebot. On "Honey," she's a "Human Being" – a stunning and hypnotic song finding Robyn at her most personal. Elsewhere, "Because it's in the Music" is a shimmering nu-disco banger about a broken romance, "Beach 2k20" is a novelty song that sounds like it's the theme for a TV show about a cruise ship that sails across the universe. Closer "Ever Again" is a pulsating and glittery jazzercize-like jam where Robyn is at her most venerable and confessional: "Never gonna be brokenhearted / Ever again / (That shit's out the door) / I'm only gonna sing about love / Ever again."

01. Kacey Musgraves – "Golden Hour"

Kacey Musgraves' third album "Golden Hour" finds the country singer at her peak. Always a clever songwriter, Musgraves outdid herself here, penning some of the best songs of her career, including the breakup ballad "Space Cowboy" and the disco-country bop "High Horse." "Golden Hour" is a record, that sounds like it was inspired by Beck's iconic breakup album "Sea Change," that finds Musgraves going big and small, contemplating life, love and her relationships. The melancholy "Lonely Weekend" strums along until she hits you with the lyric: "I got a million things to do, but I haven't done a single one, no / And if my sister lived in town, I know that we'd be doin' something fun." The interlude "Mother," is a small devastating song that packs the biggest punch on "Golden Hour." "I'm just sitting here thinking 'bout the time that's slipping / And missing my mother, mother / And she's probably sitting there / Thinking 'bout the time that's slipping / And missing her mother, mother." Still, she makes room on the album to sing about drinking, doing drugs but infuses every second on "Golden Hour" with humanity that's earth-shatteringly touching.