Following my own tradition, I am releasing my top 25 albums for the current year. I have finally noticed that I am enjoying fewer and fewer new releases each year as I get older. Additionally, my choices are getting less cutting edge and becoming more passé. Since I am on the verge of celebrating my 63rd birthday, I should not be terribly surprised. I guess, for the most part, my tastes in music are becoming more and more conservative, or the current trends are finally leaving me behind.
Regardless, I still have identified 25 albums released in 2025 that I enjoyed. This marks the first time that I have written a year-end list without having at least 30 albums in the list, let alone the 50 I used to list since the Nineties or the 100 I would list from 1975-1989. Most people’s musical tastes begin to decline after age 23, yet mine remained somewhat current until age 60. So, I had a pretty good run with staying abreast with musical trends. Afterall, rock & roll has always been a young man’s game.
Even though my list has albums by little known artists to the masses, there will still be many artists’ names many my age will recognize. And, the newer artists found on my list probably got on this list for performance on some television show, most likely Saturday Night Live, or because I really loved their previous album. Others had good reviews across the board, so I checked out their album on my Amazon streaming service. So, let’s get this party started.
25. Aerosmith & Yungblud – One More Time. I honestly thought I’d never hear Steven Tyler would record again. Then, Aerosmith hooked up with musical chameleon Yungblud to record a couple of the more inspired Aerosmith songs in decades. Unfortunately, this was only an EP release. However, at least Aerosmith will go out on top.
24. Elton John & Brandi Carlile – Who Believes in Angels? Ms. Carlile has always idolized Sir Elton John and his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Finally, the three got together with Brandi’s band to create the finest Elton album since 2000’s Songs from the West Coast.
23. Yungblud – Idols. Yungblud is beginning to recognize his vocal strengths may be anchored in the metal realm, as he showed during Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell concert and every tribute performance he made subsequently. This album appears to finding his artistic footing in the hard rock world after a couple of albums of his schizophrenic trend-jumping.
22. Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl. Tay-Tay never sits still for long. By the close of 2024, Taylor Swift had put a bow on the package of her being the biggest pop/rock star on planet Earth. Personally, I think she rushed this album out in a manic-influenced thought of invincibility. Normally, Swift would have never put an album out so quickly. Still, even her weaker music is so much better than her peers that its not funny. This had to be what it was like following The Beatles’ growth throughout the Sixties.
21. Tame Impala – Deadbeat. Tame Impala has been riding a crest wave in the alternative pop/rock world for well over a decade. Then, he began collaborating with some of the current pop divas dominating the charts, so it seemed like a natural choice for him to move his sound toward the dance clubs. Unfortunately, this album is weaker for the musical shift.
20. Doja Cat – Vie. Doja Cat’s vision is beginning to come to fruition. This album, as good as it is, still seems like another stepping stone in her amalgamation of pop/dance/rap/rock. This album has this writer excited to see that vision blossom.
19. Lorde – Virgin. A decade ago, Lorde burst onto the scene as a teenage prodigy with literary lyrics beyond her age. Now, our favorite high school goth girl is blossoming into a twenty-first century hippie poet. It always the precocious teens who blossom into the most interesting adults.
18. Turnstile – Never Enough. I still feel like a punk rocker in attitude. I have kept my cynicism intact and have remained a radical in thought and philosophy. I want to buck the status quo, and my rage never seems to wane. That is why I am always searching for the next punk voice to which to listen. And Turnstile has discovered their voice and sound simultaneously. And thank God I found them!
17. Lola Young – I’m Only Fucking Myself. A punk mind in an alt-pop/rock clothing, that’s what Lola represents. Her music sounds normal but its bent and warped and everything. This is my kind of pop.
16. Geese – Getting Killed. The Gen Z rock critics love this album. It’s good, but it’s just more of that U2/Radiohead-influenced music mixed with some Americana music that seems to be loved by these people. But, it’s not really the great music they believe it is. I simply wish newer bands would rediscover the musical concept of a melody. The whole Sun Ra/Captain Beefheart/Radiohead take on rock is NOT as exciting as the younger generation believes.
15. Pulp – More. Are we going through some sort of Britpop revival moment? Last year, Oasis reformed to a huge US stadium tour, Blur released an album and, now, my favorite band of the Nineties UK musical movement, Pulp, has reformed and released an excellent album full of their characteristic rock sound combined with British-centric lyrics that made them so compelling across the pond. Much like Paul Weller’s music, I wish America would discover Jarvis Cocker and his more famous band.
14. Haim – I Quit. What is it about this band that makes the public reluctant to embrace them? Personally, I enjoy their updated version of the Seventies Fleetwood Mac sound. These women are so talented that its not funny. Yet, they continue to be underappreciated by radio and the record-buying public.
13. Wet Leg – Moisturizer. This duo of young women is are fire! Their sophomore album is another slice of punky new wave. I would describe their sophomore album as their Pretenders II album after their classic debut. Much like the Pretenders 45 years ago, Wet Leg’s debut was a breath of fresh air. And much like the Hall of Fame Pretenders’ sophomore album, Wet Leg follows a similar formula for their second album as the debut. It’s not as groundbreaking but it is solid.
12. Cheap Trick – All Washed Up. Cheap Trick remains one of my all-time favorite bands. Their career trajectory is much that of AC/DC’s. After a series of classic albums, the band dipped in popularity but rebounded to become as reliable touring and recording entity. And just like AC/DC of today, Cheap Trick will deliver the occasional solid album that proves the band still has everything that made them Hall of Famers. And the band has NEVER lost its self-effacing sense of humor with their album and song titles.
11. Say She She – Cut & Rewind. When an artist receives the endorsement of none other than Chic mastermind Nile Rodgers, then you gotta check them out. And when I played this album, I had a flashback to my high school days in 1977 or 1978. Isn’t it funny how disco was beat down in 1979 but never really died. And, in 2025, Say She She is keeping the mirrored ball alive.
10. Dijon – Baby. I need to admit that I was very distraught after the death of the artist D’Angelo was announced. I asked my wife, “Who is going to keep the rock/R&B fusion going now that D’Angelo, Sly Stone and Prince are gone, and Terence Trent D’Arby is MIA?” I sure as shit wasn’t ready for Dijon’s SNL performance and this album! What a breath of fresh air! His novel approach is just what is needed in this world right now.
9. Hayley Williams – Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party. Whenever Paramore releases an album, you know that Ms. Williams will deliver powerhouse vocals over some great pop punk music. And, when Hayley drops a solo album, you know her vocals are not going to take shit from anyone. And her music sticks to the muscular punky take on pop music. I truly cannot get enough of her stuff.
8. Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild. Ms. Carpenter’s brand of pop music has really grown into a true force. Her mature lyrics are set to sophisticated dance/pop, the kind which earworms its way into your brain. But unlike RFK Jr.’s brain worm, these songs will NOT cause you to lose your sense of science.
7. Lady Gaga – Mayhem. For the first time in her illustrious and groundbreaking career, Gaga seems just a step behind the dance trends of the day. Don’t get me wrong, because I love Mayhem. I just feel like Halsey made this album way back in 2021 on her Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross produced album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. Yet, she continues to dominate the charts even though she’s not quite ahead of the traffic as in the past.
6. Paul Weller – Find El Dorado. In my book, Paul Weller rarely makes a misstep. Even when he decides to release an album of covers, those songs sound like his own. This is a relaxed and fun affair for Weller as he collaborates with his usual studio players. Weller continues to make terrific music into his mid-Sixties.
5. Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving. What is it about people in the UK who love American soul music? Following in the grand tradition of producing fantastic soul singers from Dusty Springfield to Amy Winehouse to Duffy to Raye, Olivia Dean comes along with her Anita Baker and Sade influenced vocals and musical soundscapes to pick up the mantle in this never-ending soul parade. Although Dean’s music is of the moment, it still reminds of Eighties R&B.
4. Tamar Berk – OCD. One of my favorite people I have met and talked with in music today. But all of that aside, this album is Tamar’s best solo album so far. Tamar walks on the alternative side of pop/rock, just the kind that we all loved back in the Eighties. Although Tamar denies a this direct influence, I really find the guitar sound to have some Lindsey Buckingham flourishes to it. Plus, you gotta hear her epic “Indiesleaze 2005.” It is a pop/rock delight!
3. Bob Mould – Here We Go Crazy. Bob Mould came into my life screaming over his buzzsaw guitar across some of the fastest songs known to man in 1984 with Hüsker Dü. Today, he is the elder statesman of the punk/hardcore/alternative rock world not only for his work with HD and Sugar, but also for his incredible solo work. It seems as though he continues to raise his bar with every release. This album has everything you would want from a Bob Mould album.
2. Lily Allen – West End Girl. I hope I NEVER piss off my wife the way Ms. Allen was betrayed by her celebrity former husband. But, divorce albums, unfortunately, make for compelling music (case in point, Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks). Man, this album has got to be cathartic for Lily Allen. What a compelling album!
1. My Morning Jacket – Is. For my money, Louisville’s My Morning Jacket is the most underrated and underappreciated band going today. These guys are a mix of the Dead, Phish, Skynyrd, The Band and Prince, who all know how to play, play off each other, jam and create concise poppish rock songs. Yet, mainstream commercial success continues to elude them. This album is their strongest album since 2007’s Evil Urges. But they have been consistently great throughout the quarter century career. This album starts off melodic and remains melodic and heartfelt throughout the duration. What a great album by a great band!
And that’s a wrap on 2025. Here’s to the music we are about to begin hearing in 2026. Keep the flame going! Peace!
If My Records Could Talk 