With our recent countdown of Albumism’s overall 50 Best Albums of 2024 complete, it’s now time to celebrate the wonderful records that our writers’ have deemed their personal favorites of the year. Even the most cursory scan of our staff’s selections below reveals just how unique and varied our musical tastes are, which certainly shines through all of our articles throughout the year.

Check out our personal picks and let us know what your favorite albums of 2024 are in the comments below!

#1 | Rosie Lowe | Lover, Other

Just a month after I launched Albumism back in January 2016, I published a review of Rosie Lowe’s debut album Control, describing it in the final line as “a harbinger of many more wonderful things to come from the supremely talented, undeniably charming Rosie Lowe.” And as I had instinctually anticipated then, no other artist’s creative evolution has thrilled me as much as Lowe’s throughout the nearly nine years since that inaugural record formally introduced her songwriting gifts to the world. Her follow-up effort, 2019’s YU, captured the #1 spot in my top 10 that year, and now, five years later, her latest triumph has followed suit.

Written and recorded in various locales that served as wellsprings of inspiration including Florence, Berlin, Barcelona, Lowe’s native Devon, and Madremanya, a small village in the Catalonia region of Spain, Lover, Other is arguably her most kaleidoscopic and organically executed effort to date. A mélange of sonic textures, vocal stylings and intimate lyricism all meticulously orchestrated by Lowe and her crew of musical partners including producers Harvey Grant and D’Monk, Lover, Other immediately commands your rapt attention from the hymnal “Sundown” intro and sustains it, all the way through to its reprised counterpart that concludes the album.

Defying easy categorization, Lover, Other offers a treasure trove of sonic and vocal treats for our ears, while serving as convincing validation of Lowe’s irrepressible passion and purpose in propelling her vital, vibrant art forward.

#1 | Sy Smith | Until We Meet Again

Even in January, I could feel it.

With only a few listens to the robust R&B-jazz-samba hybrid of Sy Smith’s Until We Meet Again, I sensed it was going to be my #1 this year. That says a lot given new music from favorites Lalah Hathaway, Lenny Kravitz, Nicki Richards, Michael Mayo, and Beyoncé in 2024. Still, Smith’s project resonated deeply for me.

Until We Meet Again is a cohesive tome about love that survives time (“Summer of ‘93”), distance (“Why Do You Keep Calling Me”), and even death (“Always Pick Up for You”). Her stark truths pinged in me as if I’d lived her songstories in a former life. Aided by Phonte of The Foreign Exchange and primary producers Zo! and Tall Black Guy, her agile, Minnie Riperton-esque voice caramelizes away the bitterest parts. What remains is a winsome, 40-minute journey of the self through those she has loved.

During my interview with her, Smith got candid about herself, her music, and her mortality. Those words echoed back ominously when a hitch halted her tour this summer—breast cancer. Due to early detection, a decisive double mastectomy and reconstruction, she was in remission and back on stage in London by September 1st. She is simply Superwoman. When she sings “Remember How to Fly,” perhaps it’s not figurative at all.

#1 | Meshell Ndegeocello | No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin

I reviewed this album on release and was blown away. Months later the power the album has over me has only grown. As a white, middle aged man, I am on a journey to greater understanding of the world and this album has undoubtedly helped with that, but the music is so impeccably made, performed and sequenced that it satisfies all the other parts of my musical brain. With melodies that burrowed deep into my brain, Justin Hicks' exceptional vocals and the incandescent fire of Staceyann Chin's poetry, this is a magical piece of art.

#1 | Freddie Gibbs | You Only Die 1nce

Freddie Gibbs succeeds in making the best album of 2024 by doing what he does best. He keeps things simple and straightforward. There’s no grand shift in approach. There are no high-priced guest appearances. There’s no star-studded production roster. You Only Die 1nce features Gibbs, holding down the mic on his own, kicking raw rhymes and relating his worldview after more than two decades of releasing music.

Gibbs does sound a little more jaded and world weary. He’s also a bit haunted by his prison stint in Europe almost a decade ago. He’s somewhat disillusioned by the rap game. And he makes it clear he has a lot on his plate, namely a growing TV and movie career.

But as with many a great emcee, Gibbs puts his life experiences through the filter of what’s worked best for him as an artist: trying to find his way as he’s caught between two worlds. As he raps, he’s still a “broken soul, but I mastered turning pain into art.” It all comes together to create one of the best albums of his storied career.

#1 | Billie Eilish | Hit Me Hard and Soft

In a year of big albums that landed with a splash but quickly faded, Hit Me Hard and Soft had me circling in constantly since its release. It's the album Billie Ellish (and Finneas) had been moving towards where their maturity, songcraft, and honesty were honed and refined, played with and stretched, resulting in a captivating and cinematic journey.

#1 | The Cure | Songs Of A Lost World

The fragility of life took on irrevocably new meaning this year, with my dad passing into the unknowable unknown without warning. And while my days in this vastly diminished space sometimes swell with helpful distraction, my nights are a futile battle, an ongoing struggle to reconcile the finality of his existence with my steadfast need to never let him go.

All the music that had ever brought me comfort, including my decades-long favorite band The Cure, suddenly seemed irrelevant and distant. The intimate familiarity and feeling were no match for the silence and deadness inside.

So, in September, when The Cure began hinting that their first new album in 16 years would finally materialize, I almost took it as an insult. “Why this year of all years?!” I implored. But when I shared the release date with my mom, she offered a different view and replied without hesitation: “It’s your birthday gift.”

And, of course, she was right. From my first midnight immersion in Songs Of A Lost World to the four consecutive playthroughs that carried me from the first to second day of November—my birthday month—to the countless listens since, I have found endless refuge in this soulful, expansive wonderment of a record.

Although The Cure have long been heralded for their dark gothic ways, their latest studio album magnificently pays reverence to the ephemerality of life—and they sound agelessly perfect doing it.

#1 | Laurie Anderson | Amelia

In the middle of an incredibly brash and super fun Brat Summer, Laurie Anderson's tender Amelia album caught me by surprise. Backed by a Czech orchestra on the recording, Anderson softly unspools a narrative retelling of pilot Amelia Earhart's final flight before she disappeared forever.

Sometimes Anderson is narrator and sometimes she's Earhart as she elegantly pivots between singing and spoken word to assume the role of a reporter, read flight logs and journal entries, and present fictionalized thoughts from Earhart during her journey.

Throughout the album, guest vocalist Anohni's ethereal and haunting voice delicately weaves in and out of the storytelling just at the right times—conjuring up cloud cover, emotional shifts and a watercolor pastiche that gently leads you to Earhart's inevitable unhappy ending. Oh, but the journey on Amelia is worth it.

#1 | Common & Pete Rock | The Auditorium Vol. 1

Now that hip-hop has celebrated its 50th birthday and is showing no signs of stopping, we the listeners get to appreciate the perspective of long-term and seasoned practitioners. Perhaps the musical apex of 2024 was the intimate invitation to The Auditorium where hip-hop mainstays Common and Pete Rock lent their respective crafts for a cultural clinic on lyricism and soulful production collectively.

#1 | Kendrick Lamar | GNX

During his nearly year-long beef with Drake, Kendrick Lamar released what is arguably one of the greatest diss tracks of all time: “Not Like Us” Who knew he had another gear to shift into to end the year on such a high note? With its groundbreaking release on November 22nd, GNX’s powerful sound and unforgettable lyrics resonated deeply. Though his feud with Drake went unmentioned, its looming presence was clear. Only true artistry can achieve such perfection. He didn’t even need to mention their squabble to let the world know his shit was nice and he was operating on a level we cannot even begin to comprehend.

The album dropped less than a month ago, but its impact hasn’t fully registered yet; its significance is still unfolding. It will take multiple listens over the course of the next several months to discover all of the messages contained within this album that we may have missed. Make no mistake, as of right now, Kendrick Lamar has no equal.

#1 | The Bug Club | On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System

On their Sub Pop debut, this insanely fun and hyperactive Welsh indie-rock band pays tribute to finding suitable pubs on tour (“Quality Pints”), being the best-looking people in the cemetery (“We’re not dead / We’re just dead gorgeous”), and dancing in your favorite pair of Lonsdale slip-ons while high out of your mind.

Dubbed “the weirdest band in Wales,” The Bug Club’s weirdness is a winning element in a sound that combines earworm choruses, tastefully-placed guitar solos, a charming Talking Heads geekiness, call-and-response à la the B52s, and wildly infectious bass lines. There’s something defiantly joyful and innocent about On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System—even in its most jaded and blasé moments—which will undoubtedly make it a mainstay in my collection during the upcoming strain on the inner workings of the American system.