Throughout 2024, listeners’ ears have been blessed by countless albums with releases from almost every mainstream artist. As the last few albums hit the charts, the dust settles, leaving some new artists with hit records — and other mainstream artists with their lowest charting albums. Here are some of the most successful albums this year along with Lakesiders’ opinions.
Alligator Bites Never Heal
Whether the track is upbeat, menacing, or slow, Doechii’s “Alligator Bites Never Heal” makes for vulnerable artwork, launching Doechii into the top 10 on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts. The success made this record Doechii’s most popular album and earned her best rap album of the year, making her the third woman to win the honor. “I think this album is just so big for this year. It’s so big for her. I know that she’s been semi-known for a while, and after winning a Grammy a lot of people know about her,” explained Sophie Wic. ’27, one of the leaders of Lakeside’s Record Club.
The Tortured Poets Department
After Taylor Swift’s 2023 Grammy speech alluded to her new album, fans began to count down the days until April 19, when Taylor Swift dropped “The Tortured Poets Department” along with a deluxe “The Anthology.” Naturally, the album immediately hit number one on the Billboard 200 and remained there for numerous weeks. However, debate still remains on how good the album actually was. Despite the deep lyricism throughout the album, many of the songs kept to a similar tune and beat. With 31 songs on the album, the songs started to blend together — likely why I could only locate my favorite songs nine months after its release.
Hit Me Hard And Soft
“Hit Me Hard And Soft” could easily be one of the top albums of 2024. It was released with no singles, yet it managed to soar to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Though the song “Lunch” first received numerous attention and a music video from Billie, “Birds of a Feather” had considerable traction, reaching the Top 10 in the Hot 100. “It’s a beautiful album and I can’t believe only two people made it,” explains Sophie, “‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’ is just pure art.” Despite the positive reviews and considerable traction the album gained, it didn’t receive any Grammys, to the dismay of many fans.
Short n’ Sweet
Sabrina Carpenter has released numerous albums, but none have received as much attention as “Short n’ Sweet.” After her single “Espresso” smashed the charts, and her second single “Please Please Please” became her first number one on the Hot 100, it was no surprise that this album managed to reach massive success. “Short N Sweet” is an album for the girls and the girlies. The music in it is so compelling because it follows a simple one-two drumbeat, which makes it really easy to dance to,” explained Devon S. ’28, a student drummer.
Cowboy Carter
Beyonce has had an interesting year, from people crediting her for their accomplishments to her 2008 song “Diva” becoming one of the most popular songs on TikTok. Despite it all, she released “Cowboy Carter,” a controversial country album with undeniable success. While its status as a country album remained uncertain (and the reviews, mixed), “Cowboy Carter” galloped away from the Grammys with not one but two Grammys — album of the year and country album of the year. The album’s success also paved the way for Shaboozey, a country artist included in two tracks of the album, to receive his first Billboard number one with his own album. Though I don’t listen to country, I live with a few country fanatics to know Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” doesn’t match with the older country that I’ve been exposed to. I enjoyed the album as a whole and there were a few songs I enjoyed, but unlike her previous albums, no songs stood out to me.
