Going to present you my 3 favorite albums of this year!
1. “Unapologetic” by Rihanna
Best Album of 2012 for me is Rihannas new LP called Unapologetic.
With all my heart and soul I’m Rihanna Navy and this album makes sooo many things right.
Even though I can’t say that it’s her best, king Rated R isn’t her to get replaced, but it’s in the Top 3 out of 7 amazing Albums.
Unapologetic starts out loud, in every way, and has no intense in getting quite, at least not in meaning filled lyrics! There are these urban songs just like Phresh Out The Runway(check out her victoria Secret Performance), Pour It Up & Numb (featuring Eminem). Then we have these many beautiful ballads which are loud and with much beat (Diamonds, What Now, Half Of Me & Love Without Tragedy) & the ones who are much quieter but not less amazing (Stay & Get It Over With). With Loveeeeeee Song & Nobody’s Business 2 amazing R&B songs! And for sure the songs which Rihanna is known for, amazing uptempo songs(Jump, Right Now and Lost In Paradise). Last but not least we have a really, really amazing Reggae Song which is called No Love Allowed!
Check out my whole review about “Unapologetic“
So there we are 15 tracks – everyone special in it’s on way.
Dubstep, rap, pop, electro everything combined in this piece of art.
There are 2 things which can’t make this album my fav Rihanna Album:
1) Many songs have like only one verse and then the hook repeated many times. The album wash rush produced so there wasn’t much time to make 15 full tracks. That’s why I was here for an album release in spring 2013 but it’s none of my business to decide that. I’m just happy it wasn’t that rushed as Talk That Talk ( & it’s non-existing Era)!
2) For me it isn’t that much an album which is inherently consistent like LOUD & mainly Rated R are. Even though I’m more happy with the system than with TTT it still disturbs me.
Conclusion: Best Album of the year because it’s one of the best albums by my favorite artist in this world! *stans*
2. “Strange Clouds” – B.o.B.
If you would have asked me in the beginning of 2012 who I think will be in my list of my favorite albums 2012 I would never answered you B.o.B.
I liked Nothin’ On You & Airplanes but I wasn’t really into him. But Strange Clouds is toooo good! It’s a perfect rap album which shows what a genius B.o.B is.
He knows exactly how to mix Rap with Pop elements. His lyrics are honest, beautiful, well-thought and great written.
The album consists of 20 songs, every song is unique in its own way.
I would love to say something more about 1 song: “Where Are You”
This song is for all the haters & for all the people who said that he changed to much since his first mixtapes.
In the first verse he’s talking to Bobby Ray, to the old himself who he was before he became famous. In the second verse he’s talking to B.o.B the one who is famous, who sells out shows & who has money. In both he speaks badly about the persons he is.
The third verse is like a breaking free! This song transports you in his mind & you really feel him. You understand why he is tired of all the media, the haters & all the people who think they have the right to judge him.
Maybe after you have listened to Where Are You you can understand better why I started to stan so much for him! & this song is by far not the only good one on the album! You find the apocalyptical “Bombs Away” (featuring Morgan Freeman (!!!)), the feel-good dance song “Ray Bans”, the beautiful R&B Ballad “Castles” (featuring Trey Songz), the more-than-crazy “Out Of My Mind” (featuring Nicki Minaj) and the lead track of the album “Strange Clouds” (featuring Lil Wayne).
Conclusion: The best Rap album of the year by a genius called Bobby Ray aka B.o.B
3. “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (- The Re-Up)” – Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj’ sophomore album comes in at #3
I love Nicki since her Beam Me Up Scotty mixtape, much has changed since then with Nicki.
She released her debut album Pink Friday which is for me one maybe even the best debut album ever. For sure it’s her best work so far.
PF:RR isn’y by far Pink Friday & it isn’t even really Roman Reloaded.
The first half of the album we have these rap tracks just as I Am Your Leader, Roman Holiday (remember the amazing Grammy Performance?), HOV Lane, Beez In The Trap and some more. Then we have 3 R&B tunes featuring a lot of people (Chris Brown, Drake, Lil Wayne,etc) and after that “STARSHIPS WERE MEANT TO FLYYYYYY” lol You know how that continues. And then we have the 2nd half with these europop songs like Starships, Pound The Alarm, Whip It, Automatic & Beautiful Sinner. After that the electro beat goes away and we have 3 quite beautiful pop ballads: The one Marilyn Monroe, maybe her best ever written (pop-)song and then ” the most shameless Rihanna-wanna-be song ever recorded” (Quote: Rolling Stone Magazine), Young Forever. The third one is Fire Burns which is really honest and as Nicki said one of her most personal songs which she really relates a lot to.
After that this crazy Reggae-type of song “Gun Shot” (Featuring Beenie Man) and at the end of the standard edition we have the more then crazy Stupid Hoe, which got a lot of hate and which video is one of the most disliked on youtube.
After the there was a deluxe Edition with 3 additional songs: Turn Me On (everyone know that from David Guettas Album), Va Va Voom (was a single later and one of my fav pop Nicki songs) and Masquerade (Adidas Commercial Song)
I need to say that at the beginning I was quite disappointed by the concept of the album, I was here for a real rap album (I still AM) but right now I basically like every song on the album no matter rap, pop or something in between that. But it’S no competition to Pink Friday.
In addition to the album Nicki embarked her Pink Friday (Roman Reloaded) Tour(s). I have seen her in Berlin and it was amazing.
You’ll soon find an article about my experience there here on “Arthurs View”
Soon after the album has been released she already announced the Re-Release called PF:RR – The Re-Up!
Further 8 or better 7 songs have been released back in November. Unfortunately the re-release flopped hard.
Not even 1k copies have been sold in the UK (939 to have the exact number) & only around 30k in the US.
But the Re-Up is doing many things great: Besides VVV (which was already on the deluxe edition of the original album) we have 7 more or less great rap songs with pop elements but no pure pop songs. I like all 7 new songs some of them I even prefer over the rap songs on the original album.
Conclusion: 29 songs – & still no competition for Pink Friday but a more than solid Nicki Album
P.S. I hope Nicki will take some time for the next album & maybe will release a mix tape!
So these are my 3 favorite albums of the past year! Stay tuned for upcoming reviews!
Arthur
Arthurs View 