10. STAMPEDE: VOL. 1 [EP] by Orville Peck - This is the EP that features half the songs that will appear on the full album, being released in August. His lead single is "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other," a cover of the 1981 song by Latin musician Ned Sublette, which satirized cowboy culture with gay culture. Willie Nelson first covered the song in 2006, making it the first gay-themed country song to go mainstream. The South African artist mostly wears a mask when performing and has been a consistent nominee at the GLAAD Media Awards, as he brings a queer perspective to country and punk music.
9. ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS by Zayn - The fourth studio album from the former boy band member from One Direction has a more country soul vibe. Several of the One Direction members have shown up on my favorite lists. Harry Styles showed up on my Top Ten Music of 2017. Niall Horan showed up on my Top Ten of 2023. Clearly, this is a boy band whose post boy-band status I enjoy. It's also rare to have a Muslim pop star in the United States.
8. MOOD SWINGS by Marcus King - the 28-year-old blues guitarist from South Carolina was nominated for Best Americana Album three years ago. His 2020 album was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, which should give you an idea of the kind of music here. He's mainly flown under the radar, but he's one of those few unforgettable voices.
7. THE GLORIFICATION OF SADNESS by Paloma Faith - the 42-year-old is an English blue-eyed soul singer. She doesn't seem to have picked up any traction here in the United States, even though this is her sixth studio album. She has been recognized mostly in the UK. Her record is more of her expressing a breakup and how she rebounded from the situation.
6. JPEG RAW by Gary Clark Jr. - He's won four Grammy Awards, including Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song and Best Contemporary Blues Album. He's one of the few African American artists with some success in the rock music space. He's particularly skilled with the electric guitar. With his fourth studio album, many critics are complimenting him on his fusion of various genres and sounds into a beautiful hybrid.
5. THIS IS ME... NOW by Jennifer Lopez - She needs no introduction as she's been a global superstar since the 90's. She's probably now more known for all the movies she's done, even her most recent on Netflix. Earlier this year, she did release a musical film that was essentially a visual album for this record that's now streaming on Amazon Prime. In 2002, she reportedly had a relationship with Oscar-winner Ben Affleck. They broke up, but it was reported that they got back together 20 years later. This is her ninth album that's basically about her reunion with Affleck. It's the opposite of Paloma Faith's record.
4. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish - She's the second artist to win all four of the top Grammy Awards, Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Album of the Year, all in the same ceremony. At age 22, she's also the youngest person to win two Academy Awards. She won two Oscars in the category of Best Original Song for her work on 'No Time To Die' (2021) and 'Barbie' (2023). Her third album continues in her soft-spoken but devastatingly beautiful style.
3. WHAT NOW by Brittany Howard - the 35-year-old lesbian songwriter used to be a part of the Alabama Shakes music group. She won four Grammy Awards while with the Alabama Shakes. This is her second solo record. Her debut garnered five nominations and one Grammy win for Best Rock Song. She's biracial and queer, which makes her standout in the rock industry as well. She injects a lot of funk into her sound.
2. GOD SAID NO by Omar Apollo - He was nominated for Best New Artist last year after his debut album, which also made my top ten list in 2022. His second album certainly isn't suffering from a sophomore slump. The New York Times compares Omar Apollo to Frank Ocean. Others talk about how he's gone from bedroom-pop to more experimentation, as well as fusion of genres that a lot of artists have embraced.
1. COWBOY CARTER by Beyoncé - It's her eighth studio album, since she went solo from Destiny's Child. It's her second concept album following her Grammy-winning 'Renaissance' (2022). It's described roughly as her country record. It's more of a tribute to Black pioneers in the field of Americana music. It topped the overall charts, but it became the first album by a Black woman to be number-one among country albums.
To see my full list, which includes a total of 27 albums and additional songs, go to my personal blog.
https://themreporter.blogspot.com/2024/07/best-music-of-2024-so-far.html