The Freshman 15: 2021's Best Debut Albums
Next week, we'll release our final overall list of this year's best overall albums. But our ongoing best of 2021 coverage continues right now with a look at this year's top newcomers in music.
Above is our list of the 15 best-reviewed debut albums of 2021, ranked by Metascore. Note that albums must have at least 7 reviews—and be a full-length LP (or mixtape) rather than an EP—to be eligible for inclusion. Albums are ranked by Metascore prior to rounding based on scores as of December 14, 2021.
(#11) Silk Sonic is the four-year-old supergroup—well, "superduo"—consisting of solo stars Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars. After brief collaborations on tour and on other artists' work, the pair finally got around to recording their debut album this year. Narrated by the legendary Bootsy Collins, An Evening With blends R&B, funk, soul, pop, and other sounds of the 1970s into a joyful 30-minute record.
“An Evening With Silk Sonic lives up to its billing as a true experience: it’s sexy, ever-so-smooth, and radiates confidence and charisma. ... An Evening With Silk Sonic marks the pinnacle of Bruno Mars’ and Anderson .Paak’s respective musical careers.” —Sputnikmusic
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