Derek Please's Best Albums of 2020
2020 is a year we’ll remember forever, for better or worse.
Masks, shutdowns, and tragic losses. This is the music that got a lot of us through it, ranked by yours truly, Derek Please.
Future Nostalgia — Dua Lipa
No artist quite gave us an “era” like Dua Lipa has with the ongoing Future Nostalgia journey. The album marks an epic leap forward in maturity and quality from her debut, which wasn’t bad to begin with. To have an album this good, beating both the 2020 curse and the sophomore slump — what will she achieve next? With promise of new material being added to the album in 2021, she isn’t letting up now.DISCO — Kylie Minogue
What is there to say another than the impossible: the one and only Aussie queen of pop Kylie Minogue topped herself. DISCO was pure fun when we needed it, with some deep lyrics at times as well.Plastic Hearts — Miley Cyrus
While Cyrus’ rock reinvention may not surprise anyone, the quality of Plastic Hearts might leave her haters scratching their heads. Its sheer quality is something to behold, a 12-track pop rock opus that doesn’t let up until its very end.Dark Hearts — Annie
After an 11-year hiatus, Annie came back with her very best work yet, the retrospective, introspective Dark Hearts. It represents a further maturation of her Swedish-pop sound.Chromatica — Lady Gaga
Perhaps Lady Gaga’s most healing and epic record in scope, the artist brought her A-game when 2020 needed it badly.Have U Seen Her? — ALMA
The Finnish singer teamed up with the likes of American pop writers Justin Tranter, Andrew Wyatt and Sarah Hudson to create a gem of an album that has sadly been overlooked.Black Country Disco — Tom Aspaul
The UK singer takes us back to his happy place as he finds himself once more. Read my full review here.Club Future Nostalgia — Dua Lipa & The Blessed Madonna
Though the standard edition is superior, both that and the DJ Mix edition were as forward-thinking and ballsy as the artists themselves.Rare — Selena Gomez
Gomez took her time on this introspective album, her best.Heaven & Hell — Ava Max
A good, old-fashioned debut pop album with bangers and not much else to offer, in the best way.
