Beyoncé, Charli XCX, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Mk.gee and more

NEW YORK (AP) — Ten of the top albums of the year, as chosen by Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman.

“Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé

She rode in on a white horse, in patriotic chaps and wielding an American flag. She declared, this “ain’t a Country album” but “a ‘Beyoncé’ album” — positioning herself in opposition to the genre’s rigid power structures. And yet, she made the year’s best country (and then some) release: Beyoncé’s “Act ll: Cowboy Carter,” a 78-minute, 27-track masterclass in inherited and uncelebrated histories, pulling from the Black and brown performers at the core of country’s canon, and providing visibility to oft-overlooked progenitors. It’s heard in the inclusion of Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry. And it’s heard in Beyoncé’s natural twang, a return to form for the Texas native — at times, a vibrato that pulls directly from the earth. It may only be 2024, but it’s hard to imagine this record not being considered one of the decade’s best.

“BRAT,” Charli XCX

It wasn’t just brat summer, babes, but a brat movement: English singer-songwriter Charli XCX’s sixth album altered the language of 2024. The music oscillates between hedonism and anxiety — “the euphoria of a late night on the dancefloor and the creeping disquietude of the morning after,” as the AP reviewed it — but also manages to bring the underground’s pop queen into the mainstream without compromising her vision. There was a period where Charli XCX’s collaborations with the future-seeking PC Music collective and producer A .G. Cook seemed too progressive for everyday ears. But “Brat,” and its vomit-chartreuse iconography, resonated. Listeners were ready to return to the rave — or attend for the very first time — and dance-pop music is far more interesting for it.

“Alligator Bites Never Heal,” Doechii

When alligators kill, they do what is known as a “death roll”: They sink their teeth into their prey and spin rapidly, flipping their bodies in and out of the water, drowning, disorienting and dismembering whatever was unlucky enough to get in its way. Florida rapper Doechii’s breakout mixtape, “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” embodies that kind of intensity — not in aggression, per se, but in acuity — for a versatile album that teeters from the romance of her smooth R&B and the particularity of her flows. Single “Boom Bap” made her greatness known. Tracks like “Catfish” confirm it.

“Manning Fireworks,” MJ Lenderman

Last year, AP named “Rat Saw God,” the album from Asheville alt-country indie rockers Wednesday, as one of 2023’s best. The band features MJ Lenderman, whose “Manning Fireworks” is almost frustratingly addictive. It’s a record of hilariously evocative moments from pathetic people (or is it pathetic moments from hilariously evocative people?) atop purposeful, easy slacker rock melodies. From there, it’s a kaleidoscope of brilliant lyrical short stories. (An oft-quoted favorite of his cult following? “Kahlúa shooter / DUI scooter” from “Joker Lips.”) For fans of alternative music, it is an immediate classic. We’d suggest placing “Manning Fireworks” next to Pavement on your record shelf, but it’s unlikely to leave your turntable.

“Orquídeas,” Kali Uchis

When Amy Winehouse first emerged, she was celebrated for being a once-in-a-generation voice, an old soul in a modern world — not overly sentimental or stuck, but an artist willing to communicate with the past to make art in the future. In many ways, the same can be said about Kali Uchis and her 2024 album, “Orquídeas.” Her superpower is her syrupy voice, which feels in time and out of it — classically and effortlessly smoothing over and disrupting her lush sonic worlds. If 2024 is about fluidity — of genre, language, love, loss and divination — Uchis provides a roadmap from restrained reggaeton to alt-R&B.

“GNX,” Kendrick Lamar

The holidays arrived early this year when Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar surprise released “GNX” in late November. It is his first album since 2022’s “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” — and perhaps more tellingly, his first since his victory lap over Drake in their recently reignited beef that inspired one of the year’s best songs, “Not Like Us.” In full, “GNX” builds off the promise of his blockbuster single — West Coast hip-hop showboating from one of the greatest living rappers anywhere. But it’s Lamar’s performance that makes this one of the year’s best. As the AP reviewed, it is his effortless ability to “switch cadences and lyrical perspectives mid-song” and seemingly limitless breath control that stand out.

“Hit Me Hard and Soft,” Billie Eilish

It often seems like there is no record Billie Eilish can’t break, no accomplishment she cannot summit. So where was she to go, at just 22, with her third studio album? Up, as it turns out. “Hit Me Hard and Soft” is a 10-track testament to her own ambition. It fuses insights pulled from her first two records — the gothic humor and unusual production of her first record and the classist detours of her second — but wizened. There are the fan favorites of “Lunch” and “Birds of a Feather,” but also standouts like “Chihiro,” with its delicate promise and techno-house crescendo at its coda. No one is doing it like her.

“Two Star & The Dream Police,” Mk.gee

Upon first listen, if New Jersey guitar virtuoso Mk.gee confounds, do not worry. He is a 2024 success story who emerged fully formed and completely unusual, only to make fans of everyone from Justin Bieber to Eric Clapton — and their influence is heard throughout “Two Star & The Dream Police.” The record is gauzy, ripe for a “lo-fi music to study to” playlist, but also commands attention for its spaced-out production and sparkling pop, all reliant on the malleability of his guitar compositions. Those range from sticky staccato to a kind of soulful ’80s melodicism.

“The Past Is Still Alive,” Hurray for the Riff Raff

Hurray for the Riff Raff, the musical moniker of Alynda Segarra, has long studied Americana, blues, and folk punk, perfecting their craft with each new release. On the narrative “The Past Is Still Alive,” their eighth studio album, Segarra pulls from their background as a hitchhiker, train hopper and outsider artist to document the kind of life-altering adventures — ugly and rejuvenating — that can only happen far from home. It’s a beautiful portrayal of the U.S. — all big skies, starry nights and idiosyncratic people — as well as dumpster diving, shoplifting, addiction, politics, queer bars and poetry. In a word: America.

“Phasor,” Helado Negro

Nearly a decade ago, Helado Negro — the bilingual musical project of Roberto Carlos Lange — released the single “Young, Latin and Proud,” a celebratory exploration of Latino identity that became a rallying cry for indie kids with similar heritage. It doubles as a kind of framework in which to think about all of his art, in particular, the inventive, breezy, slow synths of “Phasor.” The album, recorded in English and Spanish, uses electronic sounds to express inspirations pulled from nature. It’s a wide-ranging release, effervescent and ambitious, easy to listen to and joy to dissect.

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press