1. Olivia Rodrigo, "Sour." Adele's and Kacey Musgraves' slow-burning divorce albums fizzled compared with this volcanic breakup record. The 18-year-old arriving star's sourness was as raw as punk rock — "Brutal" might even be the punk song of the year! — but the ultra-catchy songwriting and production sweetened the songs enough to be highly palatable for kids and adults alike.
2. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, "Raise the Roof." The unlikely collaboration between the golden rock god and ethereal bluegrass/folk queen works just as well the second time around, with well chosen gems by Calexico, the Everlys and Allen Toussaint elegantly reinvented with an A-team of neo-twang players.
3. Little Simz, "Sometimes I Might Be Introvert." The sly-tongued British rapper (Simbiatu Ajikawo) ambitiously mingled cool retro-soul samples and urgent string arrangements with gritty and gruff lines about classism, racism, licking wounds and loving yourself.
4. James McMurtry, "The Horses & the Hounds." While Nashville country stars shoveled tequila and whiskey down our throats in 2021, the Texas folk-rock vet served a richly blended cocktail of authentic rural American tales and gravel-road groove.
5. Arlo Parks, "Collapsed in Sunbeams." Somehow, a young West London woman's jazzy and poetic bedroom pop became the most universally soothing jams coming out of COVID.
6. Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, "Bloodstains & Teardrops." The octogenarian hero of New Orleans' Mardi Gras Indian scene tapped his city's reggae and blues roots to address its modern woes.
7. Lucy Dacus, "Home Video." Like a church-camp version of Craig Finn's Hold Steady tales, the Virginian millennial rocker revisited memories of untamed youth with an uncynical sweetness and heart-piercing acuity.
8. Japanese Breakfast, "Jubilee." Michelle Zauner followed up her bestselling memoir based on her mom's death by having some much-deserved fun with her weird but wistful electro-pop band, equal parts Abba and Flaming Lips.
9. Doja Cat, "Planet Her." The wild and repetitive hooks and thumping, eclectic grooves are fun enough to get around the adventurous Los Angeles rapper's questionable choice of co-producers (Dr. Luke) and sometimes inexplicable lyrics.
10. Dinosaur Jr., "Sweep It Into Space." Co-producer Kurt Vile helped the Boston rock trio keep their post-reunion second-wind momentum going without changing one single thing about their unmistakable melodic roar.
See Chris' list of the 10 best Minnesota albums of 2021 online at startribune.com/music.
Jon Bream's top albums
- Olivia Rodrigo, "Sour"
- Allison Russell, "Outside Child"
- Stokley, "Sankofa"
- Mdou Moctar, "Afrique Victime"
- Jazmine Sullivan, "Heaux Tales"
- Summer Walker, "Still Over It"
- Morgan Wade, "Reckless"
- Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall, "The Marfa Tapes"
- Mickey Guyton, "Remember Her Name"
- Carly Pearce, "29"
