Each year in music, one album stands out from the crowd as the most critically acclaimed work of the year.
The best album of every year since 2000, according to critics
Work by Kanye West, Bob Dylan, and Kendrick Lamar is among that which has topped Metacritic's annual list of the most critically acclaimed albums.
Since the turn of the century, the review aggregator Metacritic has compiled an annual list of the year's best-received albums, assigning scores based on their composite critical reception.
We selected the top album from each year, starting with 2000 (and including the best album of 2017 so far). The resulting list includes appearances from artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Bob Dylan, and Kanye West as well as a few lesser-known LPs.
Check out the best album of each year in the new century so far:
2000: Outkast — "Stankonia"
Critic score: 95/100
User score: 8.9/10
What critics said: "Stankonia reeks of artful ambition rendered with impeccable skill — or as one song title so concisely has it, 'So Fresh, So Clean.'" — Entertainment Weekly
Notable songs:" target="_blank"So Fresh, So Clean,"" target="_blank"Ms. Jackson,""B.O.B." target="_blank"
2001: Bob Dylan — "Love and Theft"
Critic score: 93/100
User score: 8.8/10
What critics said: "" — Rolling Stone
Notable songs:"Mississippi," target="_blank"" target="_blank"Bye and Bye,"" target="_blank"High Water (For Charley Patton)"
2002: The Streets — "Original Pirate Material"
Critic score: 90/100
User score: 8.9/10
What critics said: "'" — Village Voice
Notable songs:" target="_blank"Has It Come To This?,"" target="_blank"Let's Push Things Forward,"" target="_blank"Weak Become Heros"
2003: The White Stripes — "Elephant"
Critic score: 92/100
User score: 8.6/10
What critics said: "" — Spin
Notable songs:" target="_blank"Seven Nation Army,"" target="_blank"I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself,"" target="_blank"Ball and Biscuit"
2004: Brian Wilson — "Smile"
Critic score: 97/100
User score: 8.0/10
What critics said: "" — Pitchfork
Notable songs:" target="_blank"Good Vibrations,""Wonderful," target="_blank"" target="_blank"Heros and Villains"
2005: Sufjan Stevens — "Illinois"
Critic score: 90/100
User score: 9.0/10
What critics said: "" — Billboard
Notable songs:"Chicago," target="_blank"" target="_blank"Casimir Pulaski Day,"" target="_blank"John Wayne Gacy, Jr."
2006: Ali Farka Toure — "Savane"
Critic score: 94/100
User score: 8.4/10
What critics said: "" — The Guardian
2007: The Field — "From Here We Go Sublime"
Critic score: 90/100
User score: 6.6/10
What critics said: "'" — BBC
Notable songs:" target="_blank"Over The Ice,""Everyday," target="_blank"" target="_blank"From Here We Go Sublime"
2008: The Bug — "London Zoo"
Critic score: 90/100
User score: 6.4/10
What critics said: "'" — The Observer
2009: Serge Gainsbourg — "Histoire de Melody Nelson"
Critic score: 96/100
User score: 8.7/10
What critics said: "" — Tiny Mix Tapes
Notable songs:"Melody," target="_blank"" target="_blank"Ballade de Melody Nelson,"" target="_blank"En Melody"
Note: "Histoire de Melody Nelson" was originally released in France in 1971. The album was released for the first time in North America in 2009.
2010: "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" — Kanye West
Critic score: 94/100
User score: 8.9/10
What critics said: "'" — Rolling Stone
2011: Ry Cooder — "Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down"
Critic score: 92/100
User score: 6.8/10
What critics said: "" — The Observer
Notable songs:" target="_blank"No Banker Left Behind,"" target="_blank"Quick Sand,""Dreamer" target="_blank"
2012: Wadada Leo Smith — "Ten Freedom Summers"
Critic score: 99/100
User score: 4.8/10
What critics said: "" — PopMatters
Notable songs:" target="_blank"Malik Al Shabazz and the People of the Shahada,"" target="_blank"September 11th, 2001: A Memorial,"" target="_blank"The Freedom Riders Ride"
2013: Deafheaven — "Sunbather"
Critic score: 92/100
User score: 8.3/10
What critics said: "" — Sputnik Music
Notable songs:" target="_blank"Dream House,""Sunbather," target="_blank""Irresistible" target="_blank"
2014: D'Angelo — "Black Messiah"
Critic score: 95/100
User score: 8.7/10
What critics said: "'" — The AV Club
Notable songs:" target="_blank"Sugah Daddy,"" target="_blank"Really Love,"" target="_blank"Back to the Future (Part 1)"
2015: Kendrick Lamar — "To Pimp A Butterfly"
Critic score: 96/100
User score: 9.0/10
What critics said: "" — The Telegraph
Notable songs:"Alright," target="_blank"" target="_blank"King Kunta,"" target="_blank"The Blacker The Berry"
2016: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds — "Skeleton Tree"
Critic score: 94/100
User score: 8.8/10
What critics said: "" — NME
Notable songs:" target="_blank"Jesus Alone,"" target="_blank"Rings of Saturn,"" target="_blank"Skeleton Tree"
2017: Kendrick Lamar — "DAMN."
Critic score: 95/100
User score: 8.8/10
What critics said: "
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng