It was the year Taylor Swift cemented her hold on our charts and hearts, Billie Eilish reached new peaks with Hit Me Hard And Soft, and country music became hip again.
Best was Beyoncé. Cowboy Carter. Texas Hold ’Em was a glorious hoe-down and this sprawling album was packed with gems. Queen Bee empowered Dolly Parson’s Jolene and her opening Ameriican [CORR] Requiem was a blissful gospel-tinged love letter to her Texan roots.
The most promising album of 2024 came from a less feted performer though – Lady Blackbird. Her ladyship, born Marley Munroe, delivered a stunning second album. Slang Spirituals ranged from old-school R&B to a red-hot seven-minute, mood-morphing cover of Bettye Swann’s When The Game Is Played On You.
Highs included the delicious groove of Like A Woman, the tender and almost spiritual Man On A Boat and The City’s strong Steve Wonder vibe. With gospel and jazz influences, this was superb set from a future superstar.
Roots
Waxahatchee. Tigers Blood. (no apostrophe)
Katie Crutchfield mixed sublime Southern roots music – part country, part folk, part indie – with brutally honest lyrics. Grown-up songs about staying sane when times are tough.
Rock
Jack White. No Name.
The ex-White Stripes star delivered a raw, thrilling album handsomely stuffed with hard-hitting riffs and garage rock wallop. What’s The Rumpus? could have been Zeppelin.
Heavy Metal
Judas Priest. Invincible Shield.
Their most electrifying outing since Painkiller had relentless riffs, power ballads and epic numbers like The Serpent & The King. A fine testimony to the music that never died.
Alt-pop
Charli XCX. BRAT
Club queen Charli tackled anxieties, ageing and loneliness on a triumphant 6th album powered by dance culture and self-doubt and the mindset of the morbidly online.
Hip Hop
Kendrick Lamar. GNX.
The world champion rapper took on Drake, Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg. Best tracks were his romantic duet with SZA, and Wacced Out Murals about fame-induced paranoia.
Indie Rock
The Last Dinner Party. Prelude To Ecstasy.
A magnificent debut of baroque pop and art rock anthems. Older listeners might hear echoes of Sparks but these well-written, daring and unpredictable songs are a joy.
Punk
Cock Sparrer. With My Hand On My Heart.
The East London OAPs do what they’ve always done best, merging power with melodies, hooks and terrace choruses. Songs like I Belong To You encapsulate what makes them great.
Country.
Jelly Roll. Beautifully Broken.
The Nashville rapper’s first country outing was infused with honesty and passion. Winning Streak – about alcoholism – and the award-winning I’m Not Okay sweep touch the soul.
Folk.
Steve Knightley. The Winter Yards.
The Show Of Hands frontman’s solo album varied from touching lockdown lament The Ride to bluesy If I Come Back. Most poignant is the Somme-inspired Requiem.
Pop
Sabrina Carpenter. Short N’ Sweet.
The US star broke big this year with a string of No 1s, including Espresso and Please Please Please. Her aptly named 6th album cemented her as the queen of upbeat pop.
Jazz
Charles Lloyd. The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow.
Memphis-born sax-player Lloyd, 86, delivers a bewitching set ranging from the sublime Defiant, Tender Warrior to The Ghost Of Lady Day, a mood-changing tribute to Billie Holliday.
Classical
Igor Levit. Brahms.
This gorgeous triple album coupled both of Brahms’s piano concertos with his later less well-known but just as wonderful piano works, ops 116-119. Levit, 37, is outstanding.
Reggae: Romain Virgo. The Gentle Man.
The Jamaican lovers’ rock exponent applied his sweet-as-molasses vocals to beautifully chilled songs like Been There Before and I Believe. His 6th album is his most personal.
Street Punk
The Chisel. What A F******* Nightmare.
This bolshy blend of streetpunk and hardcore exploded out the gate like Frankel on Red Bull. Brutal, belligerent numbers like You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet put them ahead of the pack.