The Best Music of 2016

Best 50 Albums of 2016

Our favorite albums of the year draw from all of the genres we cover at NPR Music, from rock, pop and hip-hop, to classical, jazz, electronic and international artists.

Listen to highlights from this playlist on Spotify

1.

Solange
A Seat At The Table

2.

Beyoncé
Lemonade

3.

David Bowie
Blackstar

4.

Frank Ocean
Blonde

5.

Bon Iver
22, A Million

6.

Barbara Hannigan/Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Andris Nelsons
let me tell you (Abrahamsen)

7.

Anderson .Paak
Malibu

8.

Car Seat Headrest
Teens Of Denial

9.

Miranda Lambert
The Weight Of These Wings

10.

Chance the Rapper
Coloring Book

11.

Xenia Rubinos
Black Terry Cat

12.

Rihanna
Anti

13.

Kaytranada
99.9%

14.

Drive-By Truckers
American Band

15.

Radiohead
A Moon Shaped Pool

16.

Carrie Rodriguez
Lola

17.

A Tribe Called Quest
We got it from Here...Thank You 4 Your service

18.

Laura Mvula
The Dreaming Room

19.

David T. Little
Dog Days

20.

Margo Price
Midwest Farmer's Daughter

21.

The 1975
I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it

22.

Noname
Telefone

23.

A-WA
Habib Galbi

24.

Young Thug
JEFFERY

25.

Angel Olsen
MY WOMAN

26.

Noura Mint Seymali
Arbina

27.

Jamila Woods
HEAVN

28.

Esperanza Spalding
Emily's D+Evolution

29.

Mitski
Puberty 2

30.

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
EARS

31.

Big Thief
Masterpiece

32.

ANOHNI
HOPELESSNESS

33.

Logan Richardson
Shift

34.

Lori McKenna
The Bird & The Rifle

35.

Pavel Kolesnikov
Chopin Mazurkas

36.

Maren Morris
Hero

37.

René Marie
Sound Of Red

38.

Pinegrove
Cardinal

39.

Tweet
Charlene

40.

Aaron Lee Tasjan
Silver Tears

41.

Carl Gari & Abdullah Miniawy
Darraje

42.

Pure Disgust
Pure Disgust

43.

Parker Millsap
The Very Last Day

44.

New York Philharmonic/Alan Gilbert
Rouse: Symphonic Works

45.

Mal Devisa
Kiid

46.

Steven Julien
Fallen

47.

Y La Bamba
Ojos del Sol

48.

Domo Genesis
Genesis

49.

Sturgill Simpson
A Sailor's Guide To Earth

50.

Catherine Russell
Harlem On My Mind