Attitude’s Top 10 albums of 2015

From the return of Queen divas like Madge and Janet to a new generation of pop classics from the likes of Jess Glynne and Carly Rae, 2015 has seen some stonking pop albums. After hefty deliberation, we present you with Attitude’s very own top ten…

10) KWABS – LOVE AND WAR

This South London musical maestro produced one of the best British debuts of the year, feted within the music industry for its slick production and Kwabs’ sultry, silky vocals.

9) JANET JACKSON – UNBREAKABLE

Seven long years after her last album, Janet returned with a silky smooth collection of pop-R&B. Crucially, she’d waited until she had something to say.

8) BRANDON FLOWERS – THE DESIRED EFFECT

Flowers’ second solo album harked back to the electronic pop of the 1980s, even sampling Smalltown Boy, but its vast audio landscapes and Americana lyrics are pure Springsteen.

7) JUSTIN BIEBER – PURPOSE

Bieber has done a lot of growing up in recent years, and now he finally has the music to match it. Purpose is a strong urban pop effort with collaborations from Diplo and Rick Rubin.

6) MADONNA – REBEL HEART

Many criticised it for being too long, and lacking coherence, but within the Queen of Pop’s 13th album were many golden moments, including ballad Ghosttown.

5) CARLY RAE JEPSEN – E•MO•TION

This collection of fizzy 80s power pop acts as a perfect companion piece to Tay-Tay’s 1989. And in Run Away With Me, Jeppo might just have delivered the best album opener of 2015.

4) ADELE – 25  

After the colossal success of ’21’ and a few aborted recording attempts, it’s fair to say Adele was feeling the pressure when it came to her hotly-awaited third studio album. Considering the record’s already sold almost 20 million copies worldwide in just over a month on sale however, we’d say Tottenham’s finest really didn’t have anything to worry about.

3) JESS GLYNNE – I CRY WHEN I LAUGH

This North Londoner’s debut album was full of accessible number one hits celebrating what it means to be young and living life in 2015.

2) JOHN GRANT GREY TICKLES – BLACK PRESSURE

He’s one of the most important gay voices in music, and in his follow up to Pale Green Ghosts, John got a little more experimental as he explored familiarly deep territory.

1) YEARS AND YEARS – COMMUNION

Olly Alexander and co. truly delivered with their cool pop debut, and it’s been the soundtrack to the Attitude office for most of the year. Standouts include King and Shine.

Check out Attitude’s top 10 singles of the year here.

Remember you can still get your hands on the latest issue of Attitude, featuring our in-depth review of 2015 and an exclusive 10-page shoot and interview with Olly Alexander, as a digital download from pocketmags.com/attitude.

It’s also in shops now and print copies are available to order directly from newsstand.co.uk.

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