Last year was a big one for women in music. Pop divas ruled
the charts as the likes of Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé blazed their
way to the top. To celebrate what was a fantastic year in pop music, here are
the top five best albums of 2013 by female artists.
Lady Gaga, ARTPOP
Three years after the monster success with Born This Way, Lady Gaga released her
hotly anticipated follow-up ARTPOP in
the fall of 2013. An eclectic mix of flashy electropop numbers, this album
features all the trademarks of a Gaga album. Its lyrics are experimental and its
sound is dancefloor ready. Overall, it is stylish and fun yet 100% bizarre.
Would we expect anything less from Mother Monster?
Recommended
Listening: “Venus,” “Do What U Want,” “Donatella,” “Gypsy,” “Applause”
Demi Lovato, DEMI
Landing at #1 on the Canadian album charts, Demi Lovato’s
fourth record DEMI proved to be a
rousing success for the pop dynamo. With a radio-friendly sound, the album is
at once accessible yet vulnerable. Lovato’s vocals are flawless while her
lyrics are relatable. In a year that saw Disney alums vying for the pop diva
crown, Demi took it home with this personal and entertaining album.
Recommended
Listening: “Heart Attack,” “Made in the U.S.A.,” “Neon Lights,” “Really
Don’t Care,” “Shouldn’t Come Back”
Kelly Rowland, Talk a Good Game
Though former fellow bandmate Beyoncé may have surprised the world
with her self-titled album released in December, Kelly Rowland proved she
deserved to be in the spotlight with her fourth solo album titled Talk a Good Game. This record featured
an assortment of sensuous slow jams and painfully personal ballads. Rowland
bared her soul on the album and it stands as a truly beautiful piece of work
that merits being called the best R&B album of 2013.
Recommended
Listening: “Freak," "Talk a Good Game,” “Down on Love,” “Dirty Laundry,” “You
Changed"
Ariana Grande, Yours Truly
Ariana Grande’s debut album Yours Truly proved to be a sleeper hit last year as it took home
the #1 spot on the U.S. Billboard 200 in its opening week. A glorious
collection of throwback R&B tunes, Yours
Truly is timeless and elegant. Grande’s range is superb and her delivery
is impeccable. If anything, this album should be regarded as the greatest
Mariah Carey album that isn’t actually performed by Mariah Carey.
Recommended
Listening: “Honeymoon Avenue,” “Right There,” “Tattooed Heart,” “Piano,”
“Daydreamin’”
Namie Amuro, FEEL
With the likes of Cher and Britney Spears tossing their hats
in the ring, it was Namie Amuro who pulled out all the stops this year in the
genre of electronic dance music. The top selling album by a solo artist in 2013 in her
native country of Japan, FEEL is
Namie Amuro’s eleventh studio album. Sung primarily in English, this record is
a modern collection of slick dance hits that is sure to get anyone up and
moving. Amuro’s vocals are spot-on and the beats on this one are crazy. If
there’s one must-have album of 2013, it’s FEEL.
