It’s been another trying year for many of us, but as always, music has proven to offer much-needed inspiration and solace as we all navigate these crazy times. And with the promise of the new year upon us, we’re looking forward to all of the new music waiting to bless our eager ears in the days, weeks and months to come.
Below, we’ve identified the 30 albums we’re most excited to lay our ears upon in 2022, based on the information available to date, which is admittedly scarce for select titles. As the respective album details and as-yet-to-be-announced release dates emerge, we’ll provide additional coverage, streams and reviews.
In the meantime, explore the list and be sure to let us know which forthcoming albums are on your wishlist for the year ahead!
GHOSTFACE KILLAH | Supreme Clientele 2
Release Date: February
What We Know So Far: In the nearly 22 years since Ghostface Killah delivered his magnum-opus-to-date Supreme Clientele (2000), the Wu-Tang Clan vet has released no less than eighteen solo and collaborative albums. But alas, the highly coveted proper sequel to his second studio LP has yet to surface.
Recent signals, however, suggest that his loyal legion of fans may have their collective patience rewarded soon enough. During a recent Reddit “Ask Me Anything” exchange, Ghost let slip that Supreme Clientele 2 is earmarked for a February 2022 release. What’s more, the project is executive produced by Kanye West and Mike Dean, which only adds to the growing momentum and well-cemented mystique surrounding what augurs to be one of the more notable music “events” of 2022.
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GEMMA HAYES | Title TBD
Release Date: TBD
Photo: Roger Woolman | Wikimedia Commons | CC-BY-3.0 | Cropped from Original
What We Know So Far: Admittedly informed by reading the tea leaves present within Ms. Hayes’ recent Twitter posts (not to mention our wishful thinking), it appears that the gifted singer-songwriter-instrumentalist has been spending more time in the studio as of late. And she’s also set to embark upon a UK tour in May, accompanied by her fellow songsmiths Jamie Lawson, Richard Walters and Laura Zocca.
Fingers crossed that the new year brings her sixth studio album to fruition, concluding the seven-year recording hiatus since 2014’s stunning Bones + Longing and marking 20 years since we were formally introduced to her many musical charms via her debut record Night On My Side (2002).
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JANET JACKSON | Black Diamond
Release Date: TBD
What We Know So Far: Allow us to preface this writeup by reminding ourselves that—hypothetically speaking—even if Janet Jackson never released another album, her sweeping musical and cultural legacy would remain firmly intact in perpetuity. Fortunately for her millions of global fans, however, it doesn’t appear that this alternate reality will come to pass, as Ms. Jackson has recently affirmed that Black Diamond will indeed materialize in 2022.
As the follow-up to 2015’s Unbreakable, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s twelfth studio effort will see her team up once again with longtime collaborators and fellow musical visionaries Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. And if that’s not a surefire recipe for musical magic, we don’t know what is.
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KENDRICK LAMAR | Title TBD
Release Date: TBD
What We Know So Far: The follow-up to 2017’s DAMN. arriving in 2022 is largely speculative at this point, but you’ve gotta believe that these pressure-cooker times we’re living in have provided Lamar with even more inspiration for his cup of creativity that already runneth over. If there’s anyone who can give eloquent, incisive voice to the myriad anxieties so many of us are wrestling with in our changed world, it’s Kung Fu Kenny.
Earlier this year, Lamar teased forthcoming new music, explaining “As I produce my final (Top Dawg Entertainment) album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years. The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life’s calling.” A formal announcement (or more likely, surprise release) of a new album by the 21st century’s greatest emcee would make for exciting news, indeed.
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AMBER MARK | Three Dimensions Deep
Release Date: January 28th | Pre-Order
Photo: Nelson Huang
What We Know So Far: In what now seems like the blink of an eye in retrospect, nearly five years have swiftly passed since we discovered the wonder of Amber Mark’s music courtesy of her debut 3:33am EP unveiled back in the spring of 2017. In the ensuing years, the soulful songstress has released so many songs and imaginative cover tunes that we’ve admittedly lost count of her prolific output, though we’re well aware that her repertoire to date reinforces that quantity need not come at the expense of quality.
Conceptually comprised of three acts entitled “WITHOUT,” “WITHHELD” and “WITHIN,” her debut album Three Dimensions Deep is the distillation of her artistic growth to date. “Three Dimensions Deep is a musical journey of what questions you begin to ask yourself when you start looking to the universe for answers,” Mark reveals in an official statement. “I can only go as deep as the third dimension as that’s how we see the world, but what about when you start looking to the universe within for answers.”
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MAXWELL | blacksummers'NIGHT
Release Date: Spring
What We Know So Far: Nearly 13 years have elapsed since Maxwell initiated his BlackSummers’Night trilogy of albums with the release of his fourth studio LP BLACKsummers'night (2009). Five-plus years on from its sequel offering blackSUMMERS'night (2016), the singer-songwriter has revealed that the final installment, blacksummers’NIGHT, is slated for arrival this spring.
Recently released lead single “OFF” serves as a promising harbinger of the sophisticated, sensual soul we can expect from the project, which marks his first effort supported by BMG after a fruitful run with the Columbia label. “I couldn’t be more excited to share this new single with loved ones offering a glimpse into NIGHT,” he explains in an official statement. Maxwell will also hit the road in March for the 25-date NIGHT 2022 Tour, accompanied by Anthony Hamilton and Joe.
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MITSKI | Laurel Hell
Release Date: February 4th | Pre-Order
Photo: Ebru Yildiz
What We Know So Far: “Maybe it just boils down to: I’m a woman who’s really into her career, so I’m obsessed with the craft of my work. . . . There’s a romance in that for me,” Mitski confided to The New Yorker in 2019. “I obsess over one phrase of one line of music, over and over, and I switch out words. It ends up being my biggest relationship.” Mitski’s steadfast devotion to her craft was immediately palpable across her 2018 album Be the Cowboy, a triumph of confessional songwriting and her critical tipping point in a recording career that dates back to 2012.
For her forthcoming sixth studio album Laurel Hell, Mitski employs her introspective lyricism to dive even deeper into dissecting the complexities of human existence, which has been pushed to the limits in recent years. “I always knew the world moves on / I just didn't know it would go without me / I start the day high and it ends so low,” she sings in lead single “Working For The Knife,” eloquently capturing the emotional vicissitudes that so many of us can relate to all too well these days.
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DOLLY PARTON | Run, Rose, Run
Release Date: March
What We Know So Far: One of the most prolific songwriters and most beloved performers of all time, the legendary Dolly Parton has joined creative forces with novelist-extraordinaire James Patterson for their soon-to-be published novel Run, Rose, Run. Billed as “a thriller about a young singer-songwriter on the rise and on the run, and determined to do whatever it takes to survive,” the book will be accompanied by Parton’s new album of the same name, comprised of 12 songs inspired by the story’s characters.
“The mind-blowing thing about this project is that reading the novel is enhanced by listening to the album and vice versa,” Patterson explains in an official statement. “It’s a really unique experience that I know readers (and listeners) will love.”
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PHIFE DAWG | Forever
Release Date: March 22nd
What We Know So Far: One of the most adept—and arguably most underappreciated—lyricists of all time, Phife Dawg was integral to solidifying the critical and commercial ascendance of A Tribe Called Quest in the early 1990s. When the self-proclaimed “funky diabetic” passed away in early 2016 due to complications stemming from his long bout with the disorder, one couldn’t help but get the sense that the eloquent emcee left the world with a lot more left to say. Hence why the pending release of his posthumous album Forever—preceded by the teaser tracks “Nutshell Pt. 2” (featuring Busta Rhymes & Redman) and “French Kiss Trois” (featuring Redman & Illa J)—promises to be a most welcome revelation for hip-hop heads.
Longtime associate and former ATCQ manager Dion Liverpool, who has guided the project with endorsement from Phife’s estate, explains in an official statement that, “We faced a lot of ups and downs trying to get the album completed, and only by God’s grace and patience were we able to. I would like to thank his fans for being patient and understanding that nothing that is good and timeless will happen overnight. I took on the responsibility to help the family complete Forever and I’m honored that I was trusted to do so.”
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PLACEBO | Never Let Me Go
Release Date: March 25th | Pre-Order
Photo: Mads Perch
What We Know So Far: Though Placebo first came to prominence during the mid-‘90s height of the Britpop zeitgeist, the band seemingly operated just outside of the short-lived genre construct thanks in large part to frontman Brian Molko’s distinctive voice and darker lyrical themes. Formerly a trio and now the streamlined duo comprised of co-founders Molko and Stefan Olsdal following the departure of drummer Steve Forrest in 2015, the band have crafted seven studio albums to date, with their most recent (2013’s Loud Like Love) surfacing eight years ago.
Functioning as the band’s commentary on the fractured, disconnected state of humanity, their eighth album Never Let Me Go also contains glimmers of hope and resilience amidst the chaos. “For me, it’s about not existing in the problem and trying to live in the solution,” Molko reflects during a recent interview with The Guardian. “I wanted to express something visceral, something very human. I just hope that other people will understand it and that it will move them. I hope that I’ve been somewhat courageous with this record so that it might inspire courage in others. It might help them stand up for what they believe in. That’s all. That’s what music did for me.”
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