The 40 Best Albums of 2022
The gallery on this page contains Metacritic's list of the 40 best-reviewed albums of 2022, ranked by Metascore. This list only includes new albums receiving at least 7 reviews from professional critics.
Otherwise, all full-length studio albums (or mixtapes) released between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 are eligible, though reissues, live albums, box sets and other compilations are excluded. (Those excluded titles are included in a separate list at the end of the gallery.) Albums are ranked by Metascore prior to rounding based on scores as of December 19, 2022.
(#19) The first of two jazz albums to crack our top 20, In These Times is a seven-years-in-the-making LP from Paris-born but Chicago-based bandleader/composer/drummer Makaya McCraven. But, like much of his work, his new release is not straight jazz but more of a modern crossover set that incorporates numerous samples and electronic elements while borrowing from hip-hop, funk, and other genres.
“In These Times accumulated an arresting abundance of ideas, sounds, textures, and styles. The album is its own jazz labyrinth, and as such is destined for repeated listening and startling discovery.” —AllMusic
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