Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 110 Best Albums of the 2010s, representing a varied cross-section of artists, genres, and styles. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & album index here.
ROSIE LOWE | YU
Wolf Tone/Caroline International (2019)
Selected by Justin Chadwick
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Though the Albumism team and I are another month or so away from officially revealing our respective favorite albums of 2019, I recognize that I may be telegraphing my personal #1 by including it here in this “best of the decade” roundup. Yes, indeed, the magnificent Ms. Lowe’s sublime second long player—the successor to her wonderful 2016 debut Woman—has left the most permanent impression upon my ears among the hundreds of albums I’ve explored this year. Never one to rest on her creative laurels, Lowe has upped her songwriting game and expanded her already-distinctive, refreshingly unorthodox sonic palette, due in large part to her continued partnership with her musical kindred spirit and co-producer Dave Okumu, who shines here once again, amongst the other featured collaborators. “Perfectionism is the killer of creative freedom,” Lowe opined during my interview with her earlier this year. And while I understand her point and respect her for embracing it within her ever-evolving approach to her songcraft, for me, YU sounds closer to perfection than any other album that I’ve heard in 2019.
LISTEN & WATCH: