With 2017 behind us, critics are looking back at some of the most surprising, exciting, hard-hitting, and overall best records of the year. The year produced a ton of high-profile records from artists like Ed Sheeran, Kesha, Taylor Swift, and U2: but were any of their albums critical favourites? This list covers albums that critics could not stop raving about. From emerging artists like Khalid to some of the most legendary acts in music such as Jay Z, these are 10 albums that critics loved in 2017.
Lorde wearing a flower crown performing Loveless at the Riverstage in Brisbane Australia [23 November 2017], as part of the Melodrama World Tour. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons @DavidEye
After a lengthy break following her debut record, Lorde returned in 2017 with the surprise success of the year. Critics overwhelming named Melodrama the best record of 2017; it topped year-end lists at NME, Rolling Stone, Consequence of Sound, and Entertainment Weekly, among others, in addition to earning an Album of The Year Grammy nomination. With a narrative loosely based around a single night at a party, Lorde produced a record with emotional maturity well beyond her age. On Liability she laments that her eccentricities drive friends and lovers away; on Supercut she fondly remembers a love lost, replaying moments in her head and wishing that she had acted differently during moments of contention; on the album-ending Perfect Places she ponders the endless adolescent search for perfection, drenched in the imperfections of sex, drugs, and young love.
