10.

True Romance by Charli XcX (2013)

This dropped the end of my 9th grade year, she toured with Marina for Lonely Hearts right before and I’m very grateful for Marina introducing her fanbase to Charli’s work! True Romance is my personal favorite in Charli’s discography & it’s very cohesive while still remaining eclectic. Ariel Rechtshaod’s tracks are fucking amazing especially & his production is still fresh 6 years later.

Top 3:

1. Stay Away- An icy breakup mid tempo with the most chill muted production, lots and lots of memories! 

2. Grins- I was OBSESSED with this track when it initially dropped on her Heartbreaks and Earthquakes EP! I was bummed when it was originally announced on the track list in place of different new song since we already had 8 of the 13 tracks by the time the record was released BUT it got its rightful place it deserved on her debut. Amazing next level experimental ecstasy induced hazy confection. The chorus is brilliant & I’m still so bummed this one didn’t get a visual. Jezus Million was on a different planet when he was producing this one. I’d love to see what him & Charli would come up in the studio these days😸(he also has a hidden gem on the “Double Denim” records compilation he recorded with her called “Illusions Of” it’s so ill🔥

3. You (Ha Ha Ha)- It was so hard not choosing “Set Me Free”, but “You” has to take the cake! The fact that Charli scored a Spike Stent production on her debut album is WILD. Amazing single choice & it deserved way more exposure. Again, flawless production vocally and instrumentation wise, best intro on the album next to Take My Hand✨

9.

Ciara by Ciara (2013)

Originally titled “One Woman Army” Ciara’s self titled LP was her 5th record ironically. This was a huge Phoenix moment for her, her last record“Basic Instinct” underperformed (even though it was a FANTASTIC blend of Urban sounds & pop gems) & after multiple promo singles after that the era finally took off with Body Party when it smashed. Insane album 🔥

Top 3:

1. Read My Lips- WHEW. A double entendre for the books😂Brilliant track, amazing production. I was 16 when this record dropped & I listened to this one so much during that time is takes me back. Deserved a visual!

2. DUI- My GAWD. This was what I’d been wanting from Ci since her Fantasy Ride album. Pure rnb track, mid tempos in general are my favorite and this is gold. The single vocal throughout most of the track with minimal BGV gives the song a very vulnerable/intimate vibe which suits it perfectly. Flawless song.

3. Backseat Love- this one was the iTunes pre-order. For whatever reason it’s been a favorite since the record dropped, you connect the dots😉

8.

Night Time// My Time (2013)

As If! Would’ve been mentioned instead if it were a full record! I’ve literally felt like I’ve grown up with Sky... Bloodshy and Avant (Britney’s TOXIC, Showdown, Freakshow) were initially producing her debut and when the EP dropped I was over the moon, the full album never happened until ages later in 2013 and it was a completely different soundspace (which was so ironic because it was what I’d grown to love in those 2 years being an angsty teenager). I was so pumped to finally see Sky live after her record dropped, I’d never heard a Vampire Weekend track in my life but I bought tickets for their show in my home-state because Sky was opening... literally THE WEEK before the show she got arrested!She’s been a self proclaimed victim of record label purgatory and I really hope 2020 is the year we finally get her sophomore record “Maschosim” 

Top 3:

1. 24 Hours- Best song on the album, insanely heartbreaking, modern love song. The old school ticking alarm is genius. Amazing track.

2. Heavy Metal Heart- Best bridge/middle 8 on the record!!!! Amazing song, eternally devastated we never got the shelved music video, heavy pop at its finest😉

3. You’re Not the One- Amazing single choice. I was freaking out when this track dropped, pop-rock perfection. 

7.

Don’t Look Down by Skylar Grey (2013):

My friend was OBSESSED with Fort Minor/ Mike Shinoda and he suggested this record to me! This came out the same week as Ciara’s album & this was immediately in constant rotation in my stereo (even more than Ciara ironically) and I started getting into her other bodies of work (“Like Blood, Like Honey” & “O’Dark Thirty) which are also amazing!

Top 3:

1. Beautiful Nightmare- the absolute BEST. When I was dealing with the first actual life of my life this spoke to me more than you could imagine. Amazing devastating lyrics, gorgeous track in general it’s a damn shame it was neglected to a Target bonus track

2. Tower (Don’t Look Down)- For the longest time the bridge of this track made me sob. When I found out the actual meaning it made it hurt a little less but this song is amazing. So vulnerable & raw

3. Back from the Dead- This was my actual favorite when the record first dropped & it still has a dear place in my heart. Amazing song, the Halloween-Y synths in the chorus are beyond fucking brilliant, even though Big Sean’s verse is a little whack Skylar really made an amazing track & I’m so thankful we got a visual for it. I stanned Blink 182 so hard when I was a baby and the fact that Travis Barker plays drums on this track makes me love it even more!! (He also played on Britney’s “Don’t Keep Me Waiting!!!)

6.

Kiss Me Once by Kylie Minogue (2013)

Kylie’s previous record “Aphrodite” was beyond phenomenal and Stuart Price did an AMAZING job mastering the record. Kiss Me Once gets a lot of flack but I’ve been in love with it since it dropped. Insanely eclectic & her most western influenced record “There you GO, you’re like fireworks and it’s the 4th of July.....” (bi-continental queen)- & her most eclectic (Play “If Only” & “Mr. President” back to back). Massive album that deserved so much better.

Top 3:

1. Feels So Good- Kylie’s best record last decade!!! I’ve been a huge fan since it was Tom Aspauls’s “Indiana” & I’m beyond giddy this tracks ended up in the hands of her A&R. Crucial piece of the record, PHENOMENAL track. I’m not the hugest MNEK fan, but this track is GOLD. 

2. Sleeping With the Enemy- I personally wasn’t able to vibe with this track on a personal level, I’m not sure if it’s the energy the track exuded or the vocal and production but this has been an absolute favorite since the album dropped

3. I Was Gonna Cancel- My godmother’s FAV. “I Was Gonna Cancel” has been a recurring joke the last half of the decade. Huge disco influence, insanely inspirational/optimistic record, PHARRELL production. (All I gotta say)

5.

Creation by The Pierces (2014)

This album will forever have an enormous chunk of my heart. It was such an amazing time for the fans, we were all anticipating it and it didn’t disappoint at all. It’s a flawless blend of all their previous material with a fresh retro 80s pop sheen glossed on top💃🏼I remember ordering the signed deluxe edition from the UK we store & being SO excited. I went to six flags in TX that Summer & the day I got back to AR it finally arrived from overseas & I was just peaking😂

Top 3:

1. Honest Man- My absolute favorite from this record, massive chorus, huge cruising through the desert soundscape, killer harmonies

2. Must Be Something- From the minute the clip for this one dropped on SoundCloud I knew it was gonna be amazing. Amazing, devastating, honest song. 🥺Again insane harmonies, captivating haunting opening verse & an insanely melodic hook 💜

3. Hold- This should’ve been serviced to radio😩All of Benton Arkansas knows this track because of me😂So many great memories & drives to this song. Second verse is the BEST & the production suits the track perfectly.

4:

Trouble by Natalia Kills

This record was released in the perfect time of my life. I had a majorly unorthodox home life, I’d just discovered opiates, & I was writing my little heart out. I hate to say I spent more than than I should admit defending her when all the talent show shit went down,this absolutely fantastic record got lost in the shuffle and I hope we finally get it pressed on vinyl soon!

1. Devils Don’t Fly- I’m shed SO MANY tears to this one. Chardonnay & Oxy will eternally be the remedy- this track is basically about loving someone much you don’t know if you can give them what they deserve or live up to their infatuation because of your dark side. We all have demons, we all have vices, this song still tugs at my heartstrings more than you could imagine.

2. Saturday Night- Another track I really connected with.The song speaks for itself 

3. Boys Don’t Cry- the most FUN song on the record (besides Problem which would’ve been mentioned if it didn’t say GD 40 times) the bridge is my absolute FAV. Great satire on fragile masculinity, insanely relatable  

3.

The Family Jewels by Marina & the Diamonds (2010):

My GAWD. Finding this record really introduced me to the music I would listen to in my teens and really brought me a lot of joy. This was an amazing debut and it feels offensive not mentioning Mowgli’s Road or I Am Not a Robot! Liam Howe really fuckin killed the bulk of the production on this album and Greg Kurstin fed my pop heart immensely with his contributions(he also worked on her sophomore record “Electra Heart” & it was the BEST material on the album)

1. Are You Satisfied?- I feel like the bulk of aspiring musicians can relate to this one. Who the actual fuck is happy with an average life!?

2. The Outsider- VOCALS FOR DAYS. The amount of bgv & harmonies is insane even almost 10 years later.... perfect record. 

3. Obsessions- The track that introduced us all to this amazing woman. I remember the second verse me tear up the first few times I heard it, insanely raw and vulnerable

2.

Born To Die by Lana Del Rey (2012)

It feels like yesterday Video Games dropped... when the Born to Die video came out a few months later in all its high budget glory I immediately knew Lana was gonna be one of my favorite artists ever. When it first dropped I was beyond obsessed with Diet MTN Dew & Lolita. There’s not a skip-worthy track on this album. Amazing start to an amazing career.

1. Without You- I cry Everytime. My best friend has “Gold & Silver line my heart” tattooed on her, 10/10 heart wrenching song. The demos are amazing too

2. Million Dollar Man- Her vocal on this track calls back to a lot of her multitude of unreleased gems, major lounge singer vibes

3. 3. Off to the Races- a cinematic experience of a song complete with vocal acrobatics & opulent imagery. The 2nd pre-chorus til the end is pure gold.

1.

Glory by Britney Spears (2016):

FAVORITE ALBUM RELEASED THIS DECADE. For whatever reason my girl Ms. Myah Marie sang the bulk of Britney’s previous record “Britney Jean”(sorry if u didn’t already know but anyone with ears can tell that wasn’t Brit lmao)and I was honestly terrified whatever record came next would be a rehash.. Boy was I WRONG. The record surfaced early whenever a Mexican store put it on shelves early, the only track I said I was gonna listen to was “Slumber Party” (a rumored Julia Michaels demo we’d known the title of for AGES) & lemme tell u I made a mistake because I was immediately so giddy when I heard it I had to listen to the full thing😂Such a genuinely amazing record & although there’s a lot of material that got left on the cutting room floor(Mathew Koma, Coco Morier, Roccstar, Alex Da Kid collabs) that I’m sure are fuckin fantastic- it’s a gem of an album & Britney’s best since Circus.

Top 3:

1. Slumber Party- B-A-N-A-N-A-S!!!!!!!!!! Insane vocals, her ad-libs on the last chorus are the best part of the entire album, flawless production & flawless lyrics. Mattman and Robin served Britney a masterpiece- the Tinashe remix and video were amazing as well.

2. Change Your Mind (No Seas Cortes)- Another amazing vocal on the album, we hadn’t heard Britney’s voice non digitized to the sky & back in so long it was amazing hearing her actual voice again. Brilliant blend of cultures, whoever is talking in the bridge killed their delivery, Britney choreographed a routine to this one herself and added it to her “Piece of Me Show” when she took it on the road. So blessed and grateful I was album to see this one live at her last show before her current hiatus in Austin, TX at the Grand Prix race!

3. Better- Britney wrote this one obviously, the second verse in particular is so classic Brit lyrically. Amazing track, I always wanted Bieber on a Radio Mix of this because it would’ve fit his Purpose album production wise and it would’ve smashed on radio.... but what we have is still untouchable. Amazing track. I pray Britney gets the freedom to be her own person and live her own life this year & she can make the music she wants and say what she wants to say.