Top Favorite Albums of 2014 Continues
Happy New Years Eve! My Top Favorite Albums of 2014 continues with the year’s biggest divas. 2014 had more than its fair share of diva female artists cropping up. The media had a field day all year in particular with articles yelling, “Iggy Azalea’s a straight up racist” and “Ariana Grande wants her fans to die.” However, despite their less than stellar public personas, I was not immune to just how catchy Iggy Azalea’s Reclassified album and Ariana Grande’s My Everything were.
Top Favorite Albums of 2014 - Reclassified by Iggy Azalea
Favorite Tracks
“Iggy SZN”
“Rolex”
“We In This B****”
Miss Azalea’s reissue of her Grammy nominated debut album, features a brand track listing with new songs. The new line up of songs trump that of The New Classic with Azalea pulls out some smoother tracks like “Rolex,” an ultimate testament to her production team. The electronic and ambient feeling in the instrumentation completely overshadows Azalea’s rapping and would make for an incredible instrumental track. Then, grimy and arrogant anthems like “Iggy SZN” and “Beg For It” essentially sum up Azalea in 6 minutes; they’re pompous and ratchet, but I can’t help but get into it somehow. Azalea’s hilariously ridiculous raps combine with excellent beats produced by UK production duo, The Invisible Men, for an undeniably sassy feel. Those 808 drums and clean arrangement never fail to get me wound up. Hands down, the best thing about Azalea’s work is the production behind it, both on Reclassified and The New Classic. Does Iggy Azalea deserve a Grammy for her first album? No, not particularly, but her team does because those songs are just too addictive.
Top Favorite Albums of 2014 - My Everything by Ariana Grande
Favorite Tracks
“Love Me Harder”
“Be My Baby”
“Break Your Heart Right Back”
Ariana Grande more or less ruled 2014 with My Everything and for good reason because the sophomore release for the ex-nickelodeon star was polished yet still sweet and fun. Collaborating on seven of the album’s twelve songs with the rising artists of R&B, EDM and hip hop, Grande defines her sound with these songs. Electronic producers Zedd and Cashmere Cat both lend their contrasting styles to songs on My Everything and each craft unique soundscapes that support Grande’s signature vocals effortlessly. Grande then juxtaposes her sweet and soaring range with solid rapping skills from the likes of Childish Gambino, Big Sean, A$AP Ferg, and Iggy Azalea. Finally, Grande fully explores her R&B style with contemporary R&B heavyweight, The Weeknd, on “Love Me Harder.” Arguably the best song on the entire album, the two match each other so well in terms of vocal ability and come together for some good old fashioned baby making music. I’ve lost count of how many times I put that song on repeat in addition to her collaborations with Cashmere Cat and Childish Gambino. I’ve also lost count of how many times I unsuccessfully attempted to hit all those high notes in said collaborations, but that’s probably for the best.
Stay tuned for more of my list today and tomorrow!