An album that in some people's eyes succumbed to the sophomore slump. However, I believe that in more ways than one it brought a musicality to the table that debut album Telefone wasn't quite able to achieve. This has received a mixed bag of critique from fans and critics alike and I myself have gone back and forth in my mind about how I feel. All of that aside, in at number 19 is Room 25 from the amazing, Noname.

Since her debut album Telefone in my love for Noname has continued to grow, so much so that I recently decided that I may have been wrong in not giving it a Top 10 spot in my Albums of the Year list in 2016. The nostalgia and upbeat, melancholic reflection on that album was literally like lightning caught in a bottle. The more that I listened to it, the more I just wanted to hear more. When Noname announced that she'd be releasing Room 25 I was over the moon. Partly because I couldn't wait to hear some more witty and interesting lyrics, but mainly because I wanted an album to get me through the winter months and to open my eyes to things about myself that even I hadn't yet realised. In hindsight this was an incredibly unreasonable expectation for any album to reach. As you can imagine, after first listen I was disappointed.

I had a few stand-out tracks to begin with that I returned to often, however as a whole I knew that I wanted something different. It took me a couple of months to let this go and listen back to the album in full again. Listening to it with more of an open mind also opened my ears to the key things that I'd missed initially. The musicality first and foremost on this album is fantastic. Noname opting for a slightly more jazz-heavy, instrument based album here rather than her previous lo-fi beat flex has come at the perfect time where mainstream jazz is re-inventing itself in a beautiful way.

My favourites at the moment are "Self", "Blaxploitation", "Montego Bae (feat. Ravyn Lenae)", "Ace (feat. Smino & Saba)" and "Part Of Me (feat. Phoelix & Benjamin Earl Turner)". Most of these are the singles that I revisited initially however "Part Of Me" only really struck a chord with me on the second listen. Lyrically this album is just as sensational and entertaining as Telefone and I have to applaud Noname on taking a step in a different direction and doing so confidently and without remorse. This album was very intentional and directed, and I can happily say now that I love every minute of it.   

Here's a look at the album that took the number 19 slot in 2017.

Every year I end up going through a bit of a nostalgic phase with my albums where I'll wheel up an old favourite and get really stuck in it, sometimes for weeks on end. That's happened a number of times this year and more and more it's made me think of the albums that should've made my Album Of The Year lists but didn't. Hindsight's 20-20 and a few of the albums on this list very clearly scream Top 10 to me now.

Taking us into day four of my favourite albums of the year countdown we have Jamila Woods with her debut solo record - HEAVN - in at number 27.

I actually first stumbled on Jamila's work after somebody tweeted out a link to her video for "Holy" earlier this year. I remember thinking that the thumbnail looked cool and so I saved it to come back to later. I can't tell you how many times I've saved a tweet or a video to go back to and have just completely forgotten about it. Somehow with this track I remembered, and thank goodness I did. "Holy" is still one of my favourites on the record, not only because of how great her vocals sound over the simple melody, but mostly because of how good it makes me feel. A big part of why I liked this album so much is because just singing parts of it or putting it on when I was feeling despondent was such a mood lifter, it almost felt like a form of self-care.

A few words on some other tracks that stuck out to me were "VRY BLK (feat. Noname)", "HEAVN", "In My Name", and "Blk Girl Soldier". "VRY BLK" has the catchy kind of hook that you find yourself humming in the middle of the day, and the addition of Noname on the track only adds that extra sprinkling of carefree vibes. "HEAVN" is actually the track that I play to people to introduce them to Jamila - probably the one I'd most like to hear with a live band on it. "In My Name" was actually one of the more memorable tracks for me because of the skit that came before it speaking on the power in a name, really thought-provoking piece. Finally on "Blk Girl Soldier" that beat knocks out - it reminded me a little of some of the beats on New Amerykah Part One - which is never a bad thing.

I do feel like the length of the record was a little bit excessive. As good as each song was, I don't feel that all of them necessarily needed to make the cut, which meant that from time to time it disrupted the flow of the album. However, the overall concept of the album is fantastic, and speaking on topics that have affected the black/POC community in the past and today; the album ended up acting as a source of empowerment for me on more than a few occasions over these past few months.

Normally I put a list of my honourable mentions on the end of the review of my favourite album of the year but as I've already said - this has been one of the biggest years for music in the longest time. SO, this year I've put the list in a separate post to give everyone their due respects, in no particular order as always...

James Blake - The Colour In Anything
NAO - For All We Know
Noname - Telefone
Little Simz - Stillness In Wonderland
J Cole - 4 Your Eyez Only
Kendrick Lamar - untitled, unmastered
Ab-Soul - Do What Thou Wilt.
Anderson .Paak - Malibu
Savages - Adore Life
Christine and the Queens - Chaleur Humaine
Francis and the Lights - Farewell, Starlite!
Balance & Composure - Light We Made
De La Soul - and the Anonymous Nobody...
Isaiah Rashad - The Sun's Tirade
Blink-182 - California
Touche Amore - Stage Four
Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Getaway
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Skepta - Konnichiwa
David Bowie - Blackstar
NxWorries - Yes Lawd!
Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
Kid Cudi - Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin'
Travi$ Scott - Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight
Alicia Keys - HERE
Emeli Sande - Long Live The Angels
Frank Ocean - Endless | Frank Ocean - Blond
Kanye West - The Life Of Pablo
Rihanna - ANTI
Jack Garratt - Phase
Flume - Skin
Seaway - Colour Blind
Mick Jenkins - The Healing Component
Logic - Bobby Tarantino

There were so many other great albums that I listened to over the course of the year, these were just the ones that either managed to grab the most plays from me or came out too late for me to consider them for the top 10 (s/o Little Simz). Here's to an even more music filled 2017. Click HERE to listen to my Spotify playlist with some of the tracks that made my 2016 all that it was.