1. Sheppard - Bombs Away
2. Steps – Tears On The Dancefloor
3. The Corrs - White Light
4. The Common Linnets - The Common Linnets
5. Delta Goodrem – Wings Of The Wild
6. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales
7. Delta Goodrem - Child Of The Universe
8. Ed Sheeran – x
9. Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite
10. Adele – 21
11. Rihanna – Loud
12. Kate Miller-Heidke - The Best Of Kate Miller-Heidke: Act One
13. Ed Sheeran - +
14. Take That – Progress/Progressed
15. Ed Sheeran - ÷
16. Avicii – True
17. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born OST
18. Sia – This Is Acting
19. Robyn - Body Talk
20. Sara Bareilles - The Blessed Unrest
21. Lady Gaga - Born This Way
22. Steps - The Ultimate Collection
23. The Veronicas - The Veronicas
24. Emeli Sandé - Our Version Of Events
25. Taylor Swift – 1989
26. Carly Rae Jepsen – Emotion
27. Ellie Goulding - Halcyon Days
28. Rae Morris – Unguarded
29. Kylie Minogue – Golden
30. Freya Ridings – Freya Ridings
31. Ellie Goulding - Bright Lights
32. Sheppard – Watching The Sky
33. The Corrs – Jupiter Calling
34. Rae Morris – Someone Out There
35. The Rua – Essence
36. The Kelly Family – We Got Love
37. Little Mix - Glory Days
38. Le Kid - Oh Alright!
39. Jess Glynne – I Cry When I Laugh
40. The Kelly Family - 25 Years Later
41. All Saints - Red Flag
42. Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
43. Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials
44. Freya Ridings – Live At Omeara
45. Take That – Odyssey
46. Noah & The Whale - Last Night On Earth
47. Ed Sheeran - No.6 Collaborations Project
48. Lady Gaga – ARTPOP
49. Disclosure – Settle
50. Boyzone – Brother
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What I said about the top 10 in their year of release:
1. Sheppard - Bombs Away (2014)
Australian band Sheppard's debut album Bombs Away is the most consistently strong album I've heard since Lady Gaga's 2009 project The Fame Monster. Every song on it is really fantastic. The four singles - Let Me Down Easy, Geronimo, Something's Missing and Smile - are all really different sounding but fundamentally pop-influenced tracks while some of the album tracks are even better; A Grade Playa is pop perfection while Lingering is a gorgeous ballad with lush harmonies.
I saw the band live in Camden in August and it was easily the best gig I've seen in years, they have so much energy and passion for what they do and it's incredible how accomplished the show was for a band with just one album under their belt. Bombs Away is quite easily my favourite album of the decade so far and I couldn't recommend it any more highly, there's something on it for every pop fan.
2. Steps – Tears On The Dancefloor (2017)
Everything about this campaign was perfect - Scared In The Dark was a monster lead single up there with their all-time best while the album was packed with songs just as good, including the other singles Neon Blue and Story Of A Heart. But it was far from filler beyond that - Happy and Firefly are both triumphant modern pop while I Will Love Again is a soaring cover of the Lara Fabian song. Glitter and Gold and No More Tears On The Dancefloor were amongst the other highlights.
Later in the year Faye, Claire, H, Lisa and Lee released a deluxe edition, and made the best even better by covering a Delta Goodrem track, Dancing With A Broken Heart, to lead the re-release with. This was joined by a beautiful Xmas song, Dear Santa, and the excellent September Sun, along with a couple of other nice new tracks. The supporting arena tour was an absolute moment, perhaps the best concert I've seen in years with great polished new versions of the classics plus many of the aforementioned tracks from this album, stellar live vocals from the entire band and incredible staging.
3. The Corrs - White Light (2015)
By far my favourite ever band, I've been waiting for this album since 2004's incredible Borrowed Heaven and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Andrea, Sharon, Caroline and Jim stepped back out with this release after apparently not aging a day in the past ten years and delivered something spectacular.
I really hadn't imagined this album would be so great, but one listen through reminded me of exactly why they remain my favourite band. From the traditional Irish songs - Gerry's Reel, Stay, Harmony and Ellis Island - to the gorgeous lead single Bring On The Night, the drama of White Light and the dance effort I Do What I Like, nearly everything on here is perfect. Another surprise is Unconditional, which is close to the new wave sound of Taylor Swift's Style and One Direction's Perfect, keeping the band very current sounding and up to date. This album has been well worth the wait.
4. The Common Linnets - The Common Linnets (2014)
Dutch country act The Common Linnets, who represented their country at Eurovision this year with the subtle ballad Calm After The Storm, delivered a brilliant debut album; my favourite country album since Carrie Underwood's 2005 debut Some Hearts.
Packed with instant hooks, lush harmonies and care and raw emotion throughout, nearly all of the songs on here are so beautifully constructed that they already sound like timeless country classics.
5. Delta Goodrem – Wings Of The Wild (2016)
Immediately my favourite album of Delta's since 2004's dark opus Mistaken Identity, Wings Of The Wild had a few familiar tracks on it before release, with the career revitalising Aussie #1 Wings, the lovely piano ballad Only Human and gorgeous string-laden ballad Dear Life.
Enough is my favourite track on the album other than Wings, very much in the template of the 2007 epic Believe Again, but with verses from female rapper Gizzle, so a very different prospect for Delta indeed. Elsehwere it's probably easier to list what I don't love than what I do. I suppose I could live without I'm Not Giving Up, In The Name Of Love and Encore, though all three are good. But the rest of the album is stunning.
Feline and Hold On are in the sublime vein of Wings, her cover of I Believe In A Thing Called Love by The Darkness is seriously beautiful, Heavy is a classic Delta ballad, The River is thumping power pop reminiscent of the Mistaken Identity era and Just Call is really uplifitng and joyful. Overall this album just further confirms why Delta will likely forever remain my favourite artist, her quality just never dips.
6. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (2009 - but it was one of my 2010 faves)
A distinctive and quirky, but gorgeous voice, Leddra's collection of piano ballads and mid-tempo acoustic strummers really warmed up a cold winter for me during Jan and Feb 2010 and carried on winning me over right into the summer, right until I grew to LOVE every song on here.
Leddra has proved to me once again how hard I can fall in love with the singer/songwriter genre if it's 'just right', so roll on album number two! Highlights though are Story, Summer Song, Edie and Fooling Myself.
7. Delta Goodrem - Child Of The Universe (2012)
After a huge five years away my favourite artist returned with Child Of The Universe. I fell in love instantly with the jolly comeback single Sitting On Top Of The World, the dancy Sophie B Hawkins soundalike Dancing With A Broken Heart, the gorgeous and emotional Wish You Were Here and the Tori Amos-esque stormer Hunters And The Wolves - Delta was back on top form.
Add to this the jaunty country-tinged pop of Knocked Out, the Motown of When My Stars Come Out, the frantic drama of War Of Love and Child Of The Universe, and the Mariah warbling of Safe To Believe and it made for a stunning comeback.
8. Ed Sheeran – x (2014)
I loved Ed Sheeran's debut album + but many found it underwhelming and called it too safe and MOR considering the variation and quality of his many independently released EPs from the years before he became popular in the mainstream. x is in a completely different league altogether to +, Ed's craft has come on in leaps and bounds in the three years between albums and it's a stunning listen from start to finish.
There's plenty to choose from for fans of MOR balladry but his unique edge still shines through in songs like The Man and Afire Love while the three singles have all been perfect choices, and all incredibly varied in style. Ed just seems to get better and better.
9. Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite (2010)
As something of a Kylie loon, I was hugely anticipating Aphrodite. And safe to say that All The Lovers suggested that it could be very special indeed. And that it was! First listen I was instantly won over by the glorious melodies, polished disco-pop and slick vocals. This was Kylie back at her solid best, with a full great album.
The only minor niggle would be that the glorious Heartstrings was shunned - I would personally have replaced Everything Is Beautiful with it, but I know that the latter is something of a fan favourite so maybe it wouldn't have been a popular choice. Highlights for me are All The Lovers, Get Outta My Way, Aphrodite and Better Than Today but I would rank everything on the album (save for Everything Is Beautiful) as an 8.5/10 and above - a seriously great collection.
10. Adele – 21 (2011)
To say that this is a second album, I think it's fair to say that Adele avoided the 'sophomore slump'! So much more mature and well produced than 19 and the songwriting is sublime from start to finish, as are her gorgeous vocals from start to finish. Unlike many of the big female stars, Adele has a powerful voice when necessary but can also show restraint when necessary.
The power of Set Fire To The Rain contrasts nicely with the more mellow Cure cover Lovesong for example. Rolling In The Deep was so different to everything else out there and an incredibly gutsy lead single and Someone Like You is one of the best new ballads of recent times, and a deserved biggest selling single of the year in the UK.
It feels like an 11 track 'hits' album, and any studio album where every track could have been a huge hit single if released as the lead deserves all of the praise thrown at it. Rumour Has It and Turning Tables would have been worldwide #1s if released in place of Someone Like You for example. A stunning body of work then, back in 2008 I could have never predicted that Adele would live up to the hype in such a way, but consider me convinced. She's broken just about every chart record going worldwide and it's easy to see why.
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