As 2014 draws slowly to a close , its time to look back and reflect on some of the musical highs of the year. Next week , I'll be publishing
The Playlist's 101 Greatest Songs of 2014.
But for now , we count down our 20 favourite albums of the years. It's been a vintage year for albums and this list celebrates everything from an elusive chanteuse to an Irish troubabdour , from a globe conquering pop queen to a Leicester rock band.
Here as follows are
The Playlist's Top 20 Albums of 2014
20. Mariah Carey -ME..I AM MARIAH. THE EUSIVE CHANTEUSE
2014 hasn't been the year Mariah Carey had been anticipating. She separated from husband Nick Cannon amid rumours he had cheated on her , then there was last week's much mocked performance of her festive classic All I Want For Christmas Is You. Not to mention that the album listed here was a commercial flop.
Indeed , the only elusive thing about Mimi in 2014 was album sales. Putting all that aside , this was easily Mariah's best album in over a decade. In fact , if it had been released 10 years ago , it would have been huge. This is not to say that the album sounds dated. Quite the opposite. Tracks such as Money , Meteorite , You Don't Know What To Do and Faded should have seen her compete with Ariana et al.
Alas it was not to be. Mariah's lack of promotion didn't help either. But Mariah sounded as current as any diva on an album that should have churned out more hits than the one unequivocal miss its become.
Key Track: Meteorite
19. Kylie Minogue -KISS ME ONCE
Like Mariah , Kylie found it hard to compete with the younger pop pack even with a solid offering. This was Kylie's first album in 4 years and she could still turn up the sass on tracks like Feels So Good and the mighty Sexercize.
The album misfired and fell short of usual expectations for a Kylie album. But people were to quick to look past the many gems within the album. The Enrique duet aside , it was a classy pop album that on repeated listen was better than the sum of its parts.
Key Track: Kiss Me Once
18. Kasabian - 48:13
The Leicester rock giants fifth album was a swaggering rock behemoth that more than merited their triumphant Glastonbury headliner status.
It was hedonistic and in your face , as wildly thrilling as Kasabian have always been.
Key Track: Eez-Eh
17/ Lykke Li -I NEVER LEARN
The Swedish singer delivered a heartbreak album in stunning fashion this year. It was honest , raw and vulnerable and binded by Li's superb vocals.
Heartbreak in 2014 had never sounded so compelling or life affirming
Key Track: Never Gonna Love Again
16. Foxes - GLORIOUS
Having made her name on Zedd's huge track Clarity , expectations were high for Foxes debut effort. But the Southampton singer/songwriter more than held her won with a record that was somewhere between Florence and the Machine and Ellie Goulding. It might not have hit those highs commercially , but the album lived up to its title. No more on the ever brilliant Youth and the ebullient Let Go For Tonight
Key Track: Youth
15. Sia - 10,000 FORMS OF FEAR
Having penned some of the biggest tracks of the past few years for the likes of Rihanna , Aussie songwriter of choice Sia Furler finally got round to releasing her sixth studio album. Helmed by the spectacular Chandelier , all signs were of one of the pop albums of the year.
Dark in places , it was as accessible as Sia had ever sounded. She soared on tracks like Hostage , Big Girls Cry and the anthemic Fire Meet Gasoline.
It was good to know that despite giving away some modern classics to other artists , Sia had held a few back for herself
Key Track: Chandelier
14. Ella Henderson -CHAPTER ONE
She ay have finshed sixth on The X Factor in 2012, but Henderson had the last laugh with a debut album that belied her young years. In fact , it may well be the best album ever released from an X Factor finalist.
Ghost was one of the soaring sounds of the summer , one of the definitive pop songs of the year. Ella mixed mature pop such as Mirror Man with bouncy pop like Pieces and Giants.
The ballads too were sublime , with Yours and Lay Down , as frail and tender as someone much older than her could hope to produce. America now looks set to fall under her spell in 2015
Key Track: Empire
13. Jessie Ware -TOUGH LOVE
The Brit songstress delivered a more accessible and melodic follow up to 2011's Devotion. Ware's blend of late night pop and soul was irresistible. There was the acoustic beauty of Say You Love Me and the sensual flair of Cruel. A stunning record that showcased a new breed of British songstress
Key Track: Cruel
12. Lana Del Rey -ULTRAVIOLENCE
Produced by The Black Keys ' Dan Auserbach , UltaViolence was a superb mix of sexuality and melancholy. Of the sort , that only Del Rey can really pull off. Her voice was more confident than ever and the album more cohesive than Born To Die.
Key Track: Brooklyn Baby
11, Pharrell Williams -GIRL
Happy was the biggest and most ubiquitous song of 2014. so much so , that it felt like it overshadowed everything else on Williams vibrant second solo album. Justin Timberlake and Miley Cyrus were among the guests on an album that was more than just 'that song '
Key track: Gust Of Wind
10. Katy B -LITTLE RED
Katy B scored a Number 1 album with Little Red in March. And deservedly so. The confidence and progression from her debut On A Mission was massive. The synth covered ballad Crying For no Reason showcasing her often underrated vocal abilities. It also showed that club heavy tracks and nightlife ballads could pack an emotional punch
Key Track: Aaliyah
9. Coldplay -GHOST STORIES
Chris Martin and co.'s sixth studio album harked back to their debut Parahutes in places. It was a low key record , a comedown from the neon pop that made up most of 2011's Mylo Xyloto.
Dealing with Martin's split from Gwyneth Paltrow , the 9 track set was as emotionally wwriught and raw as Coldplay have ever been. Aside from A Sky Full Of Stars , there are no big anthemics this time around. Yet Ghost Stories remained a satisfying if melancholic gem
Key Track: Midnight
8. Hozier -HOZIER
Irish singer.songwriter Andrew Hozier-Byrne went global in 2014 as he took us all to church, Channelling the soul of Van Morrison and the folky tenderness of Jeff Buckley , Hozier's star went stellar this year
Key Track: Take Me To Church
7. Paloma Faith -A PERFECT CONTRADICTION
Faith's third studio album finally put the flamboyant Cockney soul singer into the pop ascendancy. A Perfect Contradiction was the prefect blend of Motown swag , heartbreak soul and enough pop nuance , to see her hit new heights musically and commercially.
Key Track: Only Love Can Hurt Like This
6. George Ezra -WANTED ON VOYAGE
Ezra's breezy , everyman folk pop was hard to miss this year. Budapest was one of the sounds of the summer. His Voyage is a glorious , giddy , sometimes brooding journey that made him stand out as one of the best new artists of the year
Key Track: Leaving It Up To You
5. Sam Smith -IN THE LONELY HOUR
Smith's tales of unrequited love went truly global in 2014. His voice and songwriting soared and translated to millions of album sales.
Stay With Me was one of the tracks of the year. Smiths voice as irresistible as it was vulnerable on the likes of Leave Your Lover and Lay Me Down.
Key Track: Stay With Me
4, You+Me -ROSE AVE
What was little more than a side project for global pop icon Pink and friend City and Colour's Dallas Green, was a beautifully crafted folk record.
Pink , using her real name of Alecia Moore , took the reins off vocally. That raspy , soaring vocal as glorious as ever on an album that was one of the years quiet gems
Key Track: Break the Cycle
3. Ed Sheeran -X
As huge as Sheeran's 2011 debut + was , it was on this sophomore record , that Sheeran truly became an unlikely if deserving global superstar. Lyrically as honest as ever on the beautiful Affire Love and the biting Don't , Sheeran connected to millions,
Veering from urban pop like Sing to lighters aloft , heart on your sleeve anthems like Thinking Out Loud , X was a triumph.
Key Track: Thinking Out Loud
2. Beyoncé -BEYONCE
It may have been a clever gimmick for Beyoncé to drop a surprise album on an unsuspecting world, But there was no denying that 10 years into her solo career , Mrs Carter had delivered her magnum opus.
It was darker , more ambitious , more ferocious , more sensual and more honest than the superstar had ever been.
From surfboards to the pain of vanity and waking up like this , Beyoncé had never sounded better.
Key Track: Flawless
1. Taylor Swift -1989
On her first official pop album , Swift redefined the genre and made a bold stride to becoming the new Princess of Pop. The album is an embarrassment of riches with contagious hooks and choruses designed to stay in your head for days. Pop had never sounded more glorious and was never bettered this year.
Key Track: Style
