Rob Sheffield’s Top 20 Albums of 2017
From Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift to Kelela and Japanese Breakfast

Rob Sheffield weighs in on his top 20 albums of 2017, including Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and Kendrick Lamar.
What a glorious year for music – as opposed to, well, a few other things. In a rancid year, these albums were something to celebrate, music worth passing along and making noise about. These were my 20 favorites – too many greats to cut it down to a mere top 10. Musically, they’re all over the map: pop thrills, rock & roll animals, hip-hop ragers, soul survivors. But these albums kept me connected to the world, kept me excited for tomorrow, kept me feeling fascination, kept me moving on up.