Top 5 Album Releases January 2022

Top 5 album releases - january 2022

By Philippe Martin 31/01/2022

Here are the best releases of the first month of 2022. We got a lot of great music to start off the year, with major artists like The Weeknd releasing new albums and smaller rappers like Kota the Friend making quality art to push their brand further. If this sets the tone for what is to come later this year, music lovers are in for a treat. Let me know in the comments what you think about these projects and if any other albums deserved to make this list.

The Weeknd - Dawn FM

Two years after releasing “After Hours”, The Weeknd is back with another album to cement himself as the modern king of pop. Only limiting us to label his music with has pop would be a mistake as he explores synth wave sounds with electronic beats with influences of hip-hop. Abel Tesfaye creates something unique with this concept album and it’s very hard to stay indifferent in front of an artist that evolves so much with every album release. He literally takes us on a ride with a radio station formula that enlists the Canadian actor Jim Carrey as its host, a very nice touch for any fan of the actor.

The first half of the album is sure to make your knees move without you noticing it. It’s up tempo and full of energy. « Take My Breath » was released last year as a great single, but he made the wise decision to include the extended version of the song on the album. The build up is stronger and it fits perfectly in the tracklist. « How Do I Make You Love Me? » finds the Canadian singer flying over a Max Martin & Swedish House Mafia produced banger. It’s hypnotic, beautiful and sure to make you dance on a cold January night.

The second half of the album is more diverse with slower ballads like « Is There Someone Else? » and « Starry Eyes », which makes a nice change of pace in the 52 minutes runtime. The last song before the spoken outro is « Less Than Zero », a pop anthem that will surely get stuck in your head for days to come. A couple days after the official release, The Weeknd released another version named « Alternate World » with 2 remixes and the very good Swedish House Mafia collaboration « Moth To A Flame » that was released back in October 2021.

Released 07/01/2022

Cordae - From A Birds Eye View

After the commercial success and the Grammy nomination of his first album « The Lost Boy », the Maryland artist is back with a second offering: « From A Birds Eye View ». The LP finds Cordae pretty much where he left off in 2019. He has newfound fame at a young age and he wants to be respected among the best of his generation when it comes to lyricism. Songs like « Super » and « Sinister (ft. Lil Wayne) » are good examples of the quality of his rhymes and overall rapping abilities.

He switches to a different groove on the song « Want From Me », where he explores a funkier sound and delivers a catchy melodic hook about the heavy expectations that people can lay upon us. Production is handled by a group of very talented people, including Jake One, Kid Culture, Hit-Boy and Boi-1da. Even with all this talent from the featured artists and producers, Cordae never gets outshined by his peers, maintaining his altitude gracefully.

Released 14/01/2022

Earl Sweatshirt - SICK!

This new album by the former Odd Future rapper is quite impressive. Earl makes a shift in mood with a project that showcases his growth and his willingness to experiment with different sounds. It’s fun to see him rap on the trap-influenced banger « Titanic » or on the gloomy and simplistic beat of the title track « Sick! ». Production is handled by The Alchemist, Black Noi$e, Navy Blue and Earl Sweatshirt himself.

He feels at the top of his game on the song « Vision (ft Zelooperz) » and on the outro « Fire in the Hole », where he delivers some of the best rhymes of his discography. My personal favourite moment of the record is the team-up with Armand Hammer on the song « Tabula Rasa ». The piano loop and the background vocal set the tone for an epic collaboration. The duo includes E L U C I D and billy woods, bringing heavyweight bars that make the song one of the best of the year 2022 so far. With a 24-minute runtime, the album goes by quickly without any mistakes and you’ll want to play it again to find the hidden gems in the poetry.

Released 14/01/2022

Kota the Friend - Lyrics to GO, Vol. 3

It’s the third release of this easy listening series created by Kota the Friend back in 2020. Like the 2 previous entries, the format is simple and straight forward with around 22 minutes of very good music. The beats are laid back and many songs only have a long verse before going to the next. Highlights for me include the songs « Twenty-Nine », « Breathe » and « Dear Fear ». The Brooklyn native covers the same subjects, going from mental health to the simple joys of life, but he does so with more maturity and focus.

As we all evolve through life, Kota the Friend shows us that the pain we continually feel will eventually give us the perspective and growth that we crave as complex human beings. He touches on a delicate issue in society in the song « Bitter », where he gives his side of the story of a violent situation that happened in a past relationship. It’s vulnerable and heartfelt. Whether he’s speaking the truth or not is not important, as he opens the dialogue about something important often treated as a taboo in society: violence against men.

Released 14/01/2022

Token - Pink is Better

Nothing in life is just black or white. Or red and white in this case. Token is back with his second major label album to tell us that balance is key in maintaining our sanity. While it’s been a little over 2 years since the release of his 2018 effort « Between Somewhere », everything that makes the Boston rapper shines is present in « Pink is Better », from his rapid flow to his storytelling abilities, he takes the listeners into his life with vivid imageries and honest truths about his mistakes as a young man.

On the production side, we find Ronny J, Nox Beatz, Digital Nas and many others. They blend in well together, even if the mood can swing from one extreme to another. Highlights for me include the bangers « HOT! » and «Boom (ft. JID) » while the more complex intro « A Little Different » does the job of setting the stage for the upcoming themes of the album.

Released 14/01/2022