Jake’s Take’s Best of the 2010s: Top 50 Albums

Jake's Take Bitmoji
Here are the Top 50 Albums of the 2010s! (Bitmoji property of Jake’s Take)

By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com

Jake’s Take is continuing its End of the 2010s celebration. This time, I am turning my attention to the best albums that were released throughout this decade.  The 2010s saw a new generation of recording artists such as Adele, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, and Tom Walker conquer the charts.   

The 2010s also saw music legends such as Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Mavis Staples, and Tony Bennett rejuvenate their careers. These legends began exciting new chapters that included collaborations with some of this decade’s hottest artists. The 2010s showcased a rotating group of performance-based Reality TV alums launched their careers as Pentatonix and Peter Hollens redefined A cappella music, while Collabro showcased the power of musical theatre.  Meanwhile, several members of the American Idol family including Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, and Kelly Clarkson mentor the next generation of recording artists on The X Factor Australia, The Voice UK, and The Voice USA respectively.

Several top artists lost their way, but eventually, a few of them returned to the music industry stronger than ever! Sadly, we lost an incredible amount of music legends during the 2010s. From Leon Russell and Whitney Houston to Prince and Aretha Franklin, the 2010s saw many iconic performers leave their vast music library to inspire future generations of musicians.

Jake’s Take selected 50 albums that represent the 2010s. These albums represent multiple genres of music that range from pop and R&B to A cappella and musical theatre. Did your favorites make the cut?  Read on to find out!

Elton John & Leon Russell’s The Union kicked off the 2010s with a bang. (Photo property of Mercury Records)

2010:

  1. Bruno Mars: Doo-Wop & Hooligans

2. Elton John & Leon Russell: The Union

3. Katy Perry: Teenage Dream

4. Santana & Various Artists: Guitar Heaven-The Greatest Guitar Classics of All-Time

Adele shows off her Grammys that she earned during the 2012 Grammy Awards for the success of one of the best albums of the 2010s: 21. (Photo property of Getty Images)

2011:

5. Adele: 21

6. Britney Spears: Femme Fatale

7. David Guetta & Various Artists: Nothing But the Beat

8. Jay-Z & Kanye West: Watch the Throne

Lionel Richie Tuskegee album
Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee brought the Motown legend back to his roots as he collaborated with some of country music’s biggest stars to sing his classic hits, which was one of my favorite records in the 2010s. (Album cover property of Mercury Nashville Records)

2012:

9. The Beach Boys: That’s Why God Made The Radio

10. Carrie Underwood: Blown Away

11. Christina Aguilera: Lotus

12. Kylie Minogue: The Abbey Road Sessions

13. Lionel Richie & Various Artists: Tuskegee

Random Access Memories featured Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers’ “Get Lucky,” which received tons of praise as one of the best songs of the 2010s. (Photo property of The Recording Academy)

2013:

14. Celine Dion: Loved Me Back to Life

15. Daft Punk: Random Access Memories

16. Fall Out Boy: Save Rock & Roll

17. Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience

Barbra Streisand Partners
Barbra Streisand amassed a plethora of duets in the 2010s. (Album cover property of Sony Music Records)

2014:

18. Barbra Streisand & Various Artists: Partners

19. Dolly Parton: Blue Smoke

20. Maroon 5: V

21. Peter Hollens: Peter Hollens

22. Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek

Janet Jackson Unbreakable album review
Janet Jackson’s ‘Unbreakable’ was one of the best albums of the 2010s. (Album cover property of Black Doll Inc.)

2015:

23. Darlene Love: Introducing Darlene Love

24. Duran Duran: Paper Gods

25. Janet Jackson: Unbreakable

26. Pentatonix: Pentatonix

27. Various Artists: Finding Neverland-The Album (Songs from the Broadway Musical) 

28. The Weeknd: Beauty Beneath the Madness

One lesson that everyone learned from Beyonce’s Lemonade was the art of dropping surprise albums during the 2010s. (Album cover property of Parkwood Entertainment LLC & Columbia Records)

2016:

29. Beyonce: Lemonade

30. Charlie Puth: One Call Away

31. Gwen Stefani: This Is What The Truth Feels Like

32. High Valley: Dear Life

33. Sia: This Is Acting

34. Various Artists: The Hamilton Mixtape

Divide Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran’s Divide showcased why he is one of the 2010s’ best artists! (Album cover property of Asylum Records UK & Warner Bros. Records)

2017:

35. Ed Sheeran: Divide

36. Kelly Clarkson: Meaning of Life

37. Kendrick Lamar: DAMN

38. Little Big Town: The Breaker

39. P!nk: Beautiful Trauma

40. Sam Smith: The Thrill of It All

41. Shania Twain: Now

Angel City Chorale One World
The Angel City Chorale’s ‘One World’ showcased their incredible sound and set the standard for choirs for the 2010s. (Album cover property of Angel City Chorale)

2018:

42. Angel City Chorale: One World

43. Clean Bandit: What is Love?

44. Dan + Shay: Dan + Shay

45. Janelle Monae: Dirty Computer

46. Josh Groban: Bridges

Collabro celebrated its fifth anniversary and ending the 2010s with a new album: Love Like This. (Album property of BMG Rights Management)

2019:

47. Collabro, Love Like This

48. Mavis Staples, We Get By

49. Taylor Swift, Lover

50. Tom Walker, What a Time to Be Alive

Comments

  1. @Collabro Love Like This is a beautiful show case for the emotions they they bring to a song through their individual voices and blend of intricate harmonies.

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