Let’s face it, rock is essentially on life support, hip hop is becoming bland, the pop punk bands of the turn of the century are now legacy acts and the 2024 album list is dominated by women. From Beyoncé to Taylor, from independents such as Tamar Berk to Charly Bliss, and from Waxahatchee to St, Vincent, women were taking chances with their art to create some of the most compelling music of the 2020s if not the 21st century.
For the men, it was predominantly the bands who have members all pushing 60 years-old that dropped on the public some credible semblances of rock music. But outside of The Cure, Paul Weller, Nick Cave, Pearl Jam, The Black Crowes, Redd Kross, and, with a re-imaging of a 20-year-old album with songs that didn’t make the original album, U2 (plus a few others), men had one bummer of a year. So, thank God for the women, as they were the creative forces behind popular music this year.
With that said, let’s take a look the 40 albums that I feel were the best of 2024.
40. Norah Jones – Visions
39. Lake Street Dive – Good Together
38. Lady Gaga – Harlequin
37. The Black Keys – Ohio Players
36. Kim Deal – Nobody Loves You More
35. Tears for Fears – Songs for a Nervous Planet
34. U2 – How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb
33. Kylie Minogue – Tensions II
32. Kim Gordon – The Collective
31. Daryl Hall – D
30. X – Smoke & Fiction
29. Gracie Abrams – The Secret of Us
28. The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards
27. Sheryl Crow – Evolution
26. Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism
25. The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy
24. Pearl Jam – Dark Matter
23. Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
22. The Lemon Twigs – A Dream Is All We Know
21. Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
20. Michael Kiwanuka – Small Change
19. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Wild God
18. Redd Kross – Redd Kross
17. Paul Weller – 66
16. The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
15. Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me
14. Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well
13. Leon Bridges – Leon
12. Kendrick Lamar – GNX
11. Halsey – The Great Impersonator
10. Brittany Howard – What Now. Brittany Howard burst onto the scene a little over a decade ago with her huge soulful vocals soaring over that greasy Southern rock soul of her former band Alabama Shakes. Of course, the voice remains, it’s just now that Ms. Howard is pushing the boundaries of that Southern-fried rock into acid-dripped soundscape and dancefloor boogie that has not been embraced since My Morning Jacket ventured briefly into that area back on their Evil Urges album. This is such a great artistic statement of purpose that I cannot wait for Howard’s next album.
9. Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood. Ever since I got tired of Phish’s music to listen to at night when my pain levels soar, Waxahatchee has taken the Vermont band’s place on my Amazon account for those sleepless. The music is real and soothing. This artist seems poised to have a big commercial breakthrough in their near future.
8. St. Vincent – All Born Screaming. Annie Clark, the stunning talent behind St. Vincent is my current substitute fix for Talking Heads music. Before her arrival, it was LCD Soundsystem. Yet, they are all different but seem to take the same chances with their music. I have an inkling that St. Vincent is just about to throw a timeless classic down in the next couple of years. She just seems to be building toward a music takeover. Fingers crossed that I am correct.
7. Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department. I AM NOT A Swiftie! But, I do respect her talent. Plus, what other artist can I use their music to bond with my six-year-old granddaughter? By the way, this is not anywhere near Taylor’s best album, but it is awfully good. That’s how good Tay-Tay is – a throwaway album for her is a classic for nearly any other artist, past, present or future.
6. Ariana Grande – Eternal Sunshine. Is it weird or creepy that this 60-something year-old man listens to Ariana Grande? I don’t care! The ears like what the ears like. And Ariana creates some fine ear candy.
5. Charly Bliss – Forever. Yet another of my Bandcamp favorites, Charly Bliss is everything that I have loved since I was an elementary school pest rocking out to the sounds of the Raspberries, Badfinger and Alice Cooper on my cheap-ass plastic Sixties-era record player. Eventually, I grew into Cheap Trick, The Cars and The Knack by high school. Charly Bliss is the latest in a long line of artists who fall into the post-emo category of power pop and/or pop punk. Whatever it is, I like it!
4. Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft. Seriously, Billie and Finneas Eilish have created a whole new language of rock by updating the singer-songwriter stereotype with today’s language and sounds. These youngsters are talented beyond their years.
3. Tamar Berk – Good Times for a Change. For my money, Taylor Swift is NOT currently the best songwriter going anymore. Nope! That honor belongs to Tamar Berk. Who is this lady, you may ask? For some reason, she is an independent artist who you can find on Bandcamp, Amazon, etc., plying her take on Liz Phair without the poetic nods to Kate Bush. Tamar is able to create a pristine pop atmosphere for her lyrics that often reflect the present angst felt by millions all the while pushing rock music into this new century. Give Ms. Berk a chance! You will NOT regret it!
2. Charli XCX – Brat. Along with Chappel Roan, whose 2023 album blew up this year, Charli XCX was 2024’s “It” girl. Charli’s brand of glam dance music finally matured into an artistic statement all the while pushing the boundaries of both dance and electronic music in several new directions.
1. Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter. Arguably, the most important album released in 2020s, if not the whole century thus far. At least it holds its own alongside Kanye’s 808’s and Heartbreaks as far as it is a milestone in music in that it pays homage to the past all the while predicting the future. It’s more than a 21st century version of Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country & Western, yet that very album is the great grandfather of this one. This is an artist who is redefining the boundaries surrounding country music all the while reclaiming the genre to the black influence it has always had (and rarely acknowledged).
If My Records Could Talk 