2022 Best Albums Lists

My last podcast episode discussed the top 10 albums of 2022, and this is a corresponding post.  I include every album I gave 5 stars, several that just missed, the best in several genres or conditions, and the worst of the year.

All images are from Wikipedia with the exception of Bob Vylan's album cover, which is from Bandcamp. 


Top-100 Albums

  1. Motomami, Rosalia
  2. Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life, Bob Vylan
  3. Dawn FM, The Weeknd
  4. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar
  5. Who Cares?, Rex Orange County
  6. Love Sux, Avril Lavigne
  7. The End, So Far, Slipknot
  8. It’s Almost Dry, Pusha T
  9. And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, Weyes Blood
  10. Sometimes, Forever, Soccer Mommy
  11. Hold on Baby, King Princess
  12. Wet Leg, Wet Leg
  13. Cheat Codes, Danger Mouse & Black Thought
  14. Pain Remains, Lorna Shore
  15. Mr. Saturday Night, Jon Pardi
  16. Special, Lizzo
  17. Mata, M.I.A.
  18. Homesick, Sea Girls
  19. Entergalactic, Kid Cudi
  20. Melt My Eyez See Your Future, Denzel Curry
  21. The Hum Goes on Forever, The Wonder Years
  22. Heart on My Sleeve, Ella Mai
  23. Everything I Know About Love, Laufey
  24. Gemini Rights, Steve Lacy
  25. Harry’s House, Harry Styles
  26. Requiem, Korn
  27. Blue Water Road, Kehlani
  28. King’s Disease III, Nas
  29. Pompeii, Cate Le Bon
  30. Love, Damini, Burna Boy
  31. Beautiful Distortion, The Gathering
  32. Serpentia, Banks
  33. The Last Goodbye, Odesza
  34. The Line Is a Curve, Kae Tempest
  35. Tilt, Confidence Man
  36. Hold the Girl, Rina Sawayama
  37. Ivory, Omar Apollo
  38. Eyeye, Lykke Li
  39. From a Bird Eye View, Cordae
  40. Renaissance, Beyonce
  41. Heavy Pendulum, Cave In
  42. Classic Objects, Jenny Hval
  43. Big Time, Angel Olsen
  44. SOS, SZA
  45. Diaspora Problems, Soul Glo
  46. This World is Going to Ruin You, Vein.fm
  47. Give or Take, Giveon
  48. If I Never Know You Like This Again, SOAK
  49. Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny
  50. Preacher’s Daughter, Ethel Cain
  51. This Is a Photograph, Kevin Morby
  52. W, Boris
  53. A Light for Attracting Attention, The Smile
  54. Bronco, Orville Peck
  55. Redcar les adorables étoiles (prologue), Christine and the Queens
  56. Innate Passage, Elder
  57. Midnights, Taylor Swift
  58. The Storm Before the Calm, Alanis Morissette
  59. Profound Mysteries II, Röyksopp
  60. Premonition, White Lung
  61. Tresor, Gwenno
  62. Two Ribbons, Let’s Eat Grandma
  63. Black Radio III, Robert Glasper
  64. Panorama, Hayley Kiyoko
  65. (Un)commentary, Alec Benjamin
  66. No Thank You, Little Simz
  67. I Love You Jennifer B, Jockstrap
  68. Ugly Season, Perfume Genius
  69. Dirt Femme, Tove Lo
  70. The Unraveling of PUPTheBand, Pup
  71. MEMO, Kota the Friend
  72. An Hour Before It’s Dark, Marillion
  73. Resist, Midnight Oil
  74. Things Are Great, Band of Horses
  75. Ribbon Around the Bomb, Blossoms
  76. Versions of Modern Performance, Horsegirl
  77. Fear of Programming, Marcel Dettman
  78. Humble Quest, Maren Morris
  79. Everything Was Beautiful, Spiritualized
  80. Palomino, Miranda Lambert
  81. Vaxis – Act II:  A Window of the Waking Mind, Coheed and Cambria
  82. Palaces, Flume
  83. Electricity, Ibibio Sound Machine
  84. Help!, Brandon Lake
  85. Crooked Tree, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
  86. Seize the Fate, Nemophila
  87. Reaching Hypercritical, Palisades
  88. Life on Earth, Hurray for the Riff Raff
  89. Fossora, Björk
  90. Where Myth Becomes Memory, Rolo Tomassi
  91. Skinty Fia, Fontaines D.C.
  92. The Tipping Point, Tears for Fears
  93. Die Bout It, Lil Gnar
  94. Subject to Change, Kelsea Ballerini
  95. Zeit, Rammstein
  96. Flood, Stella Donnelly
  97. How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars, The Weather Station
  98. Prey//IV, Alice Glass
  99. Hello, Hi, Ty Segall
  100. Rouge Carpet Disaster, Static Dress

 

Rock

  1. Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life, Bob Vylan
  2. Who Cares?, Rex Orange County
  3. Love Sux, Avril Lavigne
  4. The End, So Far, Slipknot
  5. And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, Weyes Blood
  6. Sometimes, Forever, Soccer Mommy
  7. Hold on Baby, King Princess
  8. Wet Leg, Wet Leg
  9. Pain Remains, Lorna Shore
  10. Homesick, Sea Girls

 

Pop

  1. Motomami, Rosalia
  2. Dawn FM, The Weeknd
  3. Hold on Baby, King Princess
  4. Special, Lizzo
  5. Everything I Know About Love, Laufey
  6. Blue Water Road, Kehlani
  7. Love, Damini, Burna Boy
  8. Serpentia, Banks
  9. Tilt, Confidence Man
  10. Hold the Girl, Rina Sawayama

 

Rap/Hip-Hop

  1. Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life, Bob Vylan
  2. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar
  3. It’s Almost Dry, Pusha T
  4. Cheat Codes, Danger Mouse & Black Thought
  5. Special, Lizzo
  6. Mata, M.I.A.
  7. Melt My Eyez See Your Future, Denzel Curry
  8. King’s Disease III, Nas
  9. The Line Is a Curve, Kae Tempest
  10. From a Bird Eye View, Cordae

 

R&B/Soul

  1. Special, Lizzo
  2. Entergalactic, Kid Cudi
  3. Heart on My Sleeve, Ella Mai
  4. Gemini Rights, Steve Lacy
  5. Blue Water Road, Kehlani
  6. Love, Damini, Burna Boy
  7. Ivory, Omar Apollo
  8. Renaissance, Beyonce
  9. SOS, SZA
  10. Give or Take, Giveon

 

Country

This includes country, country pop, bluegrass, Americana, etc.

  1. Mr. Saturday Night, Jon Pardi
  2. Bronco, Orville Peck
  3. Humble Quest, Maren Morris
  4. Palomino, Miranda Lambert
  5. Crooked Tree, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
  6. Life on Earth, Hurray for the Riff Raff
  7. Subject to Change, Kelsea Ballerini
  8. Run, Rose, Run, Dolly Parton
  9. The Hardest Part, Noah Cyrus
  10. A Beautiful Time, Willie Nelson

 

Electronic

  1. Mata, M.I.A.
  2. The Last Goodbye, Odesza
  3. Tilt, Confidence Man
  4. Renaissance, Beyonce
  5. The Storm Before the Calm, Alanis Morissette
  6. Profound Mysteries II, Röyksopp
  7. Fear of Programming, Marcel Dettman
  8. Palaces, Flume
  9. Electricity, Ibibio Sound Machine
  10. Fossora, Björk

 

Heavy

This includes metal, hard rock, hardcore punk, etc.

  1. The End, So Far, Slipknot
  2. Pain Remains, Lorna Shore
  3. Requiem, Korn
  4. Heavy Pendulum, Cave In
  5. Diaspora Problems, Soul Glo
  6. This World is Going to Ruin You, Vein.fm
  7. Innate Passage, Elder
  8. Vaxis – Act II:  A Window of the Waking Mind, Coheed and Cambria
  9. Seize the Fate, Nemophila
  10. Reaching Hypercritical, Palisades

 

Warped Tour Style

This includes artists who perform a style of music similar to that found at a Warped Tour, including emo, punk, pop punk, and metalcore.

  1. Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life, Bob Vylan
  2. Love Sux, Avril Lavigne
  3. The Hum Goes on Forever, The Wonder Years
  4. Diaspora Problems, Soul Glo
  5. This World is Going to Ruin You, Vein.fm
  6. Premonition, White Lung
  7. The Unraveling of PUPTheBand, Pup
  8. Reaching Hypercritical, Palisades
  9. Where Myth Becomes Memory, Rolo Tomassi
  10. Skinty Fia, Fontaines D.C.

 

Albums by “Foreign Language” Artists

This one is loosely defined, and I don’t love the fact that I have this as one category.  There are two ways an album could be included here:  if it is in a foreign language or if it is in a style that is often in a different language (i.e. Latin, K-Pop/J-Pop/C-Pop/P-Pop, Afro-Pop).  I did this because I wanted to include some genres that didn’t have enough albums to break into a separate category.

  1. Motomami, Rosalia
  2. Love, Damini, Burna Boy
  3. Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny
  4. W, Boris
  5. Redcar les adorables étoiles (prologue), Christine and the Queens
  6. Electricity, Ibibio Sound Machine
  7. Seize the Fate, Nemophila
  8. Zeit, Rammstein
  9. Born Pink, Blackpink
  10. Forever 1, Girls’ Generation

 

Eclectic

These albums are those which are either weird musically or are genres that are considered by many (not necessarily me) to be unusual or strange.

  1. Pompeii, Cate Le Bon
  2. Beautiful Distortion, The Gathering
  3. Classic Objects, Jenny Hval
  4. Big Time, Angel Olsen
  5. A Light for Attracting Attention, The Smile
  6. Tresor, Gwenno
  7. I Love You Jennifer B, Jockstrap
  8. An Hour Before It’s Dark, Marillion
  9. Versions of Modern Performance, Horsegirl
  10. Everything Was Beautiful, Spiritualized

 

Debut

These are the best debut studio albums.  I considered any artist who released their first studio album, even if they released prior mixtapes or EPs.  I also included debuts for artists involved in other projects previously.

  1. Wet Leg, Wet Leg
  2. Everything I Know About Love, Laufey
  3. Ivory, Omar Apollo
  4. Give or Take, Giveon
  5. Preacher’s Daughter, Ethel Cain
  6. A Light for Attracting Attention, The Smile
  7. I Love You Jennifer B, Jockstrap
  8. Versions of Modern Performance, Horsegirl
  9. Die Bout It, Lil Gnar
  10. Prey//IV, Alice Glass

 

Number 1 Albums

These are the top albums that hit number one on the Billboard 200 in the U.S.

  1. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar
  2. It’s Almost Dry, Pusha T
  3. Harry’s House, Harry Styles
  4. Renaissance, Beyonce
  5. SOS, SZA
  6. Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny
  7. Midnights, Taylor Swift
  8. Born Pink, Blackpink
  9. Honestly, Nevermind, Drake
  10. I Never Liked You, Future

 

Albums that Didn’t Chart

None of these albums charted on the Billboard 200 in the U.S.

  1. Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life, Bob Vylan
  2. Mata, M.I.A.
  3. Homesick, Sea Girls
  4. The Hum Goes on Forever, The Wonder Years
  5. Everything I Know About Love, Laufey
  6. Pompeii, Cate Le Bon
  7. Beautiful Distortion, The Gathering
  8. Serpentia, Banks
  9. The Line Is a Curve, Kae Tempest
  10. Tilt, Confidence Man

 

Grammy Nominated

Due to the cutoff, only albums released prior to October were considered.  Only albums that were nominated were considered; albums that weren’t nominated but contain nominated songs were not.

  1. Motomami, Rosalia
  2. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar
  3. It’s Almost Dry, Pusha T
  4. Wet Leg, Wet Leg
  5. Special, Lizzo
  6. Gemini Rights, Steve Lacy
  7. Harry’s House, Harry Styles
  8. Love, Damini, Burna Boy
  9. The Last Goodbye, Odesza
  10. Renaissance, Beyonce

 

Most Surprising

These were albums I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did.  In some cases, it was an artist who doesn’t usually release good music, artists who I don’t like, or artists who I didn’t enjoy some of their recent albums, though in some cases the album just blew me away.

  1. I Never Liked You, Future
  2. Mr. Saturday Night, Jon Pardi
  3. Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2, Calvin Harris
  4. Help!, Brandon Lake
  5. Honestly, Nevermind, Drake
  6. Mainstream Sellout, Machine Gun Kelly
  7. Born Pink, Blackpink
  8. Charlie, Charlie Puth
  9. Yungblud, Yungblud
  10. Love, Damini, Burna Boy

 

Most Disappointing

These were albums that I thought would be better and was surprised by how let down I felt.

  1. Unlimited Love, Red Hot Chili Peppers
  2. Matriarchy Now, Pussy Riot
  3. Vinyl Days, Logic
  4. Brightside, The Lumineers
  5. Twelve Carat Toothache, Post Malone
  6. Her Loss, Drake & 21 Savage
  7. Hyëna, KMFDM
  8. Back from the Dead, Halestorm
  9. Gold Rush Kid, George Ezra
  10. Patient Number 9, Ozzy Osbourne

 

Worst Albums

These are ranked where number 1 is the worst and number 10 is…I guess least bad.

  1. Twelve Carat Toothache, Post Malone
  2. For the Sake of Bethel Woods, Midlake
  3. Back in Black, Cypress Hill
  4. Baby on Baby 2, DaBaby
  5. AfterLife, Five Finger Death Punch
  6. God Did, DJ Khaled
  7. The Lost Tapes, Sugababes
  8. SoundCloud Daze, PnB Rock
  9. Takin’ It Back, Meghan Trainor
  10. Unlimited Love, Red Hot Chili Peppers

 

 

What were some of your favorite albums of the year?  Any you disagree with my grade on?  Let me know in the comments!

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