MUSIC REVIEW – MY TOP ALBUMS OF 2021

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2021 was quite a distracting year for me. I spent most of the year trying to survive personal financial losses, as such I wasn’t quite vested in exploring music.

For once, music wasn’t exactly a very good escape (that’s how bad the year was for me). Still, the below albums saw me through dark times, especially the album that occupies the top spot.

I won’t consider 2021 a ‘great’ year in music. There were a couple of good singles here and there, but the high point for me was seeing Nigerian artists break into the Western market, taking Afrobeats international. 2021 saw Nigerian artists peaking in the top 10s and 20s of the Billboard Hot100 (Essence by Wizkid ft Tems, Peru by Fireboy, and Ckay’s Love Nwantiti).

Locally, the underdogs were the female artists who held their own despite the obvious domination of the Nigerian music space by male artists. Quality afrobeat EPs were released by the likes of Tiwa Savage, Omawumii, Aramide, Ayra Starr, Tems, and Waje. Surprisingly, Niniola took a break from her usual juju music to give us an impressive ballad-filled EP (6th Heaven) that showcased her vocal range I never knew she had. Her younger sisters – Teni, released her debut album, though it might not have caught so much rave as the male artists’ album releases, it was an impressive album nonetheless boasting popular singles like ‘For you’ ft ‘Davido’, ‘Okocaha’, ‘Injure me’, ‘Hustle’. I think a major downer with the album was the lengthy tracklist. In contrast, her previously released EP was much stronger.

Without much further ado, here is a quick review of my Top 15 albums of 2021 –

15. Before we fall asleep – Johnny Drille

I’ll ignore the Billie Eilish wannabe album title and still give Johnny Drille his flowers. I mean, after couple of years with numerous singles released (which I dare say all had a somewhat similar sound), it’s quite impressive of him to release a full length album that cuts across different genres (Pop, RnB, Afrobeats) and worth highlighting is the Rock genre on ‘Lies (To whom it may concern)’ and the Reggae influenced ‘Sell my soul’.

A few years back I once tweeted his LP whenever he releases it, will be a bore. I’m happy I was proven wrong. The first half of the album is suited for regular Nigerian listeners, while the latter half is for those into alternative music.

I applaud the creativity and mostly, whatever trick he did with the transitioning between each track, such that each song easily flows on to the next without you even noticing a song has ended. Also, all fourteen tracks are new materials and none of the old singles were included, though I wouldn’t have minded having ‘Bad dancer’ on the album (still my favourite song of his).

Favourite Tracks – Loving is harder, Odo, Before I let go, Lies (To Whom It May Concern), Sister

14. 30 – Adele

I remember her saying in an old interview that 25 album was going to be the last one she will give a numeric title, but alas…

The lead single ‘Easy on me’ almost made me lose interest in the album when it was released. It was a safe single though still catchy, but it was your regular Adele sound and made ‘truthful’ critics weary of yet another bland album reminisce of 25 that had no risks or growth. Yet again, I’m happy to have been proven wrong.

30 is Adele’s most diverse album and is full of growth. Though it surrounds her usual theme of heartbreak, this time mostly centered on her divorce, still, she broke out from her usual sound to explore new grounds and did excellently well at it.

While I’m not sure of the opening track, the rest of the album gives a body of art I love playing at night while going through the events of the day. The album is one hell of a good companion that flows through various emotions as the album progresses, with her being her most vulnerable on the voice notes of the track – ‘My little love’.

Favourite Tracks – Easy on me, My little love, I drink wine, To be loved

13. In case you miss me – John K

John K is one of the new artists I discovered in 2021 thanks to Apple music. This is his sophomore album which has a theme centered around losing love. The songs are not your usual sappy heart-wrenching heartbreak songs, they are more mid-tempo songs though the message is not lost. On the album title track ‘in case you miss me’ he samples Akon’s ‘lonely’ which blends so well and delivers the standout song on the album.

The album makes for a good listen, especially on a lazy sunny afternoon…

Favourite Tracks – Everything, In case you miss me, Fool alone, Love you anyway

12. Be Still & Know – Jordan Smith

The last time I mentioned Jordan Smith in my year-end music review, he appeared under the underwhelming album category. This time around, the album doesn’t feel rushed, he took his time to write from a deeply personal place and came up with one of the albums I held on to through my pain. The album might be short, but each song delivered a message of courage, strength, and hope. This was one album I had on repeat times when I needed to hold on to an anchor to keep me going.

Favourite Tracks – Battles, Be still & know, Don’t quit

11. Music of the spheres – Coldplay

After the chaotic 2019 – ‘Everyday life’ album, Coldplay finally got it right with their sound experimentation on ‘Music of the Spheres’ LP. This is their most lively/happy album yet. I love how concise the track length is, with interludes that give soothing transitions intermittently. I also love the collaborations with younger artists. Generally, there’s this feeling of positive energy throughout the album, a very different direction for the band.

Favourite Tracks – Higher power, Humankind, Let somebody go, My Universe

10. = – Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran has been changing his sound to commercial pop with each LP release. Initially, I wasn’t a huge fan as I felt he was losing his unique alternative indie folk sound, especially with the heavily inclined pop No.6 Collaboration Project he released in 2019. The first single off his 2021 album – ‘Bad Habits’ didn’t resonate well with me. The second single – ‘Shivers’ sort of even pushed me further away. The songs were doing well on the charts and commercially but I felt he was a sellout.

Listening to the album in its entirety made me understand why Ed Sheeran pleaded that at least for the first listen, everyone should listen to it without shuffling, starting from the first track and not skipping any till the album closes. The previously released singles sounded a lot better within the context of the full album. From the loud/bold opening track – ‘Tides’ (which I believe is one of his best album openers), the album is electrifying and you are in for a new experience with Ed. This is a bolder, sharper, and more electrifying Ed Sheeran.

This album has a spark and gives a new side to him which I fell in love with.

Favourite Tracks – Tides, Shivers, Overpass Graffiti, Leave your life, Collide, Be right now, Afterglow (from the deluxe edition)

9. When Christmas comes around… – Kelly Clarkson

It’s rare to have a Christmas album on my year-end music list, but even rarer when it’s not a Christmas album covering classics. Still, the most striking thing about this album is that it’s not your regular happy holiday album, this is an excellent Christmas album with a theme around love and loss, her inspiration drawn from her post covid-19 divorce. Funny thing is, while it’s more of a breakup album, it doesn’t lose the holiday vibe.

Kelly Clarkson delivered one hell of a Christmas compilation comprising both classics and 5 original songs. This album comes a close second to Mariah Carey’s Christmas album which is still my favourite Christmas album of all time.

Favourite Tracks – Christmas Isn’t cancelled (just you), Glow, Santa can’t you hear me, Blessed

8. It’ll all make sense in the end – James Arthur

The album opens with dark lyrics – ‘I wanna smoke till I can’t wake up/Self-medicate when I light that paper’…This sets the tone for James’s most personal album. Recovering from an emergency surgery that had him pause his tour, and then having to deal with isolation during the covid-19 lockdown led him to a path of self-rediscovery and knowing what next he wants for his life.

I love it when artists produce their art from a place of sincerity and vulnerability. It makes them relatable/human and provides art that helps the listener hold on to and know they are not the only ones who have to deal with these life issues and emotions. One thing you’ll get from a James Arthur album, is a voice laden with emotions, carrying the weight of each lyric that pierces through your heart.

I know it’s not an easy task opening up about one internal wound to the world, for this I applaud James, and I hope to make this album brought him healing. It was difficult choosing my favourite tracks on this one, I loved almost all tracks on the first listen.

Favourite Tracks – Running away, Medicine, September, Always, Emily, Last of the Whiskey, Never let you go, Avalanche, SOS, Take it or leave it

7. Only pieces of the truth – Jordan Hart

This artist is one of my lucky finds of 2021. His sound was a refreshing break from the pop albums the year was saturated with. This album met me at times when I needed quiet music to help me float in space. I found myself running to it, not like I was going through a relationship crisis as such, but his voice was soothing. The album is quite short, with seven tracks in total, which had me wanting more every time I got to the last track.

Favourite Tracks – All seven tracks

6. Dangerous Levels of Introspection – JP Saxe

I remember one quiet night during the 2020 lockdown while I was exploring new music on YouTube, I came across some artists covering a song that was relatable to the world falling apart. I checked out the original singer – it was JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels and the song was ‘If the world was ending’.

This led me to his EP which made me want more from him. This debut album from Saxe was one of my most anticipated albums of the year and I’m glad he did not disappoint and thankfully, the album wasn’t filled with old tracks from the Ep.

The album feels like having a peek into JP’s journal. Like the title suggests, the album bothers around him navigating and dealing with different feelings surrounding his relationship as he finds his way through life.

Favourite Tracks – Like that, More of you, Dangerous Levels of Introspection, If the world was ending, Tension, Line by line, A little bit yours

5. Particles – A Great Big World

Best feel-good album of the year for me. To date, I don’t know why I kept playing this album on repeat, mostly in the mornings when preparing for work. I think maybe because the album felt easy, with nothing too deep and no heavy production. The songs are easy on the ears and also easy to sing along to.

Favourite Tracks – Glowing, Fall on me, Here without you, Mama

4. Justice – Justin Bieber

This album would have been perfect if not for the ‘misleading’ album title and use of Martin Luther king’s voiceover as the album opener and subsequent interlude. The theme of the album doesn’t follow the album title nor did it make sense to use the voiceovers. If he wanted to pass a message of justice, he should have focused more on socially conscious songs. Truth is, this is more of a love-themed album than an album advocating for equity.

Ignoring these major flaws, the rest of the album comes out pretty well as a fun album focused on love, personal growth, and loss. This is yet another mature album for him, skipping his 2020 Changes album, second only to his 2015 Purpose album.

Favourite Tracks – As I am, Holy, Die for you, Ghost, Peaches, Loved by you, Anyone, Lonely. Name (from the deluxe edition)

3. Sour – Olivia Rodrigo

Undeniably the breakout star of 2021(though this was almost marred with songwriting credit controversies).

I kept seeing ‘Drivers License’ at the top of the charts and also on music blog headlines. After reading the interview where Taylor Swift talked about the song and acknowledged her influence as previously stated by Olivia Rodrigo, I had to listen to the track. I got hooked instantly (definitely my song of the year) and heavily anticipated the album.

Though the album felt a bit PG-13, and reminiscent of the late 2010’s pop-rock female breakup albums, it was refreshingly different and one of the best albums of 2021. My fear is, I hope the curse of the great debut album doesn’t affect her.

Favourite Tracks – Traitor, Drivers License, Déjà vu, Good 4 u, Happier, Favourite crime,

2. Old church Basement – Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music

I found this album in moments of deep despair, in times when I wasn’t sure I could keep holding on to faith when sorrow became all so overwhelming and I needed words, music…something to remind me that God was walking me through the dark paths and it was all going to be alright.

The songs reminded me of how far God had brought me, they taught me how to be okay with the bad times, while being contended with not losing all and also being grateful for what I still had despite losses and hard hits from life. This album brought me peace and a bit of comfort through the stormy waters that tried to drown me in 2021.

Favourite Tracks – Jireh, Wait on you, Million little Miracles, Come again, Used to this, Mercy

1. In defense of my own happiness – Joy Oladokun

I can’t remember how I discovered Joy Oladokun’s music, but I’m quite confident it was on one of my apple music playlists. What drew me in was her surname, I was like who is this Nigerian artist on this list and what does she sound like?

The first song I heard from her was ‘Breathe again’. This song led me to check out her entire discography, which I fell madly in love with.

Her sophomore album – ‘In defense of my own happiness’ literally saved me in 2021. This album healed me. Her folk-influenced sound, songwriting prowess, lyrical depth, production, and how the quietness of her voice seeps deep into the consciousness of my reality and calm every worry and pain. I found myself going back to this album just to find peace in my pain.

Favourite Tracks – Jordan, Sunday, Lost, Breathe again, Bigger man (Deluxe edition), Let it be me (Deluxe edition), Mercy (Deluxe edition), Brick by Brick (Deluxe edition)

WORTHY MENTIONS

Fallen Embers – Illenium (Genre – Dance)
Some Days – Dennis Llyod (Genre – Pop)
Optimist – Finneas (Genre – Alternative)
19 & Dangerous – Ayra Starr (Genre – Afro pop)
Something to feel – Teek (Genre – R&B/Soul)

Underwhelming Albums

Human – One Republic

The album is not exactly bad, but it’s not great either. It’s disappointing that after pushing back the album for almost a year plus, they came up with an average typical One Republic album.

Mercury Act 1- Imagine Dragons

I don’t know what to write about this album. It’s crazy how my once favourite bands seem to lose steam album after album… I had this kind of relationship with Nickelback, Daughtry, The Script, and now Imagine Dragons. Quite sad.

Dancing with the Devil – Demi Lovato

Noise! Noise! Noise! I get she went through hell the previous year, but releasing a very lengthy album that feels like it’s all over the place, and lacking direction is a no-no. She should have taken her time, selected better songs that follow a theme, worked with better producers, and channeled her pain properly. Jeez!

TOP EPs of 2021

CHPTRS – Chapter Six

Each time I needed to run to music to find peace, this EP was my first call. Each time it elevated my senses to a sort of floating-in-space experience where gravity or the weight of living had nothing on me.

Haus Party, Pt. 3 – Todrick Hall

This was the last of the Haus Party trilogy EP released by Todrick and I dare say it was the best one. This was a toned-down version of him which we rarely get to experience and it was perfect. Even the accompanying music videos were void of his usual loud costumes, it was refreshing to see his diversity.