Top six albums of 2022
By Lily Isakson-Bell, Reporter

In late July, Beyoncé released her seventh studio album, “RENAISSANCE”. “RENAISSANCE” is an ode to a queer relative of Beyoncé’s, ‘Uncle Jonny,’ her mother’s nephew, and a love letter to the black queer community. The influences on this album are everything from gospel to disco to the queer ballroom scene, all of which show up beautifully on this album. On songs like “PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA” and “VIRGO’S GROOVE”, Beyoncé sings about the love she’s got in her life and how grateful she is for the people that surround her. On songs like “I’M THAT GIRL” and “HEATED”, Beyoncé talks her sh*t. She reminds you exactly who she is and why that garners celebration. However, over all of these songs, “PURE/HONEY” reigns superior. “PURE/HONEY” samples several songs by ballroom icons including Kevin Aviance and DJ Mikeq. “PURE/HONEY” is by far my favorite.
Rating : 10.1/10
I discovered Kilo Kish in October when I heard the title song “American Gurl”, off of her album “American Gurl” for the first time. The song, said Kish, talks about trying to overcome her history and the need for achievement or a success story. How trying to outrun all of this with the weight of expectation but also the box of her work, race, womanhood, age, experience level, and looks. She wants to feel singular and free, to strip herself of these identities and to finally admit that she doesn’t know anything. Her vision of a new American dream, of the bridge between past and present scintillates perfectly across the whole album. Kish sings like she’s the princess of her own metropolis, the dictator of her feelings, or her mind, and of the life she wants to lead. Along with Ray Brady, the producer of the album, Kish sings pop anthems and electrical hits that convey how unbreakably strong her sense of self is, or could grow to be. Kish completely lets herself go, and bares herself naked in order to get to the place she wants to be. My favorite song off of the album is “NEW TRICKS: ART, AESTHETICS, AND MONEY” that she collaborates with Vince Staples on. This song is Kish’s interpretation of the business landscape for working artists.
Rating: 10/10

On “Portrait of a Lady”, Shilpa Ray’s latest album, Ray gets personal in every genre. Both songs “Straight Man’s Dream” and “Heteronormative Horsesh*t Blues” create a very dreamy soundscape. “Bootlickers of the Patriarchy” showcase how Ray’s voice can pack a punch over a fast-paced and very 80s backtrack. Similarly, “Lawsuits and Suicide” makes you want to get up and dance to the, again, very 80s beat as Ray sings about winning over her high-powered abuser. “Manic Pixie Dream C*nt” features wailing guitar and Ray exerting the full force of her vocals as she conveys her anger. My favorite song off of “Portrait of a Lady”, however, is “Charm School for Damaged Boys”. Everything from the backing vocals to the lyrics to the heavy-hearted swing is perfect.
Rating: 9.5/10

“Caprisog”, coming out in January, the album was Twig’s sixth overall project, but first mixtape. While the meticulousness of her production remained the same, the album took twigs in a new direction. “Caprisongs” has more hip hop elements and certainly more features from friends and collaborators than her previous works have had, even with recorded conversations by her inner circle of loved ones. “Caprisongs” feels like a rebirth. A reemergence for twigs; a new way to present herself to the world. She sings about her struggles with wanting to evolve on “meta angel” and “which way”, but isn’t still isn’t afraid to let herself be free and have fun on songs like “honda” and “papi bones”. P“papi bones” is definitely my favorite song off the album, from the pure dance-y -ness to the Shygirl feature, it’s perfect.
Rating: 9/10
Shygirl’s debut album “Nymph” does not disappoint. Shygirl is an artist that never misses, from her first single “Want More” to this first album, I can’t think of one piece of music that she’s put out that I haven’t liked. On “Nymph”, Shygirl collaborates with people she has been friends with since the beginning of her music career which is probably why the album is so good. The album is written and produced by her and her longtime collaborator Sega Bodega. On songs like “Little Bit” and “Nike” she talks about her feelings for people in a daring and more flirtatious way. On songs like “Honey”, Shygirl gets more personal and down-to-earth. My favorite song on the album, though, is the first song “Woe”. The beatswitch half-way through the song is my favorite musical point on the album by far.
Rating: 8/10
Every album of Tove Lo’s feels like the next step in her evolutionary process, and “Dirt Femme” is no different. On this album, Tove Lo feels more mature. Her lyrics and the topics of her songs feel more grown up; very different from the young adult who sang “Queen of the Clouds”, and even the woman who expressed the playful side of her femininity on “Sunshine Kitty”. “Dirt Femme”, by all means, is not a bad album, but I would say it’s Tove Lo’s most boring. Her voice traverses its landscape beautifully though, delivering a tear-jerking belt on “True Romance” and more flirty, pop-y vocals on “Pineapple Slice”. My favorite song is “Attention Whore”, a song about jealousy.
Rating: 6.5/10