10. Jess Glynne, I Cry When I Laugh
The British singer broke out this year when her single “Hold My Hand” was used in a Coca-Cola commerical sync—but her debut album packs more fizz than a 12 fl. oz. can of the stuff. No record this year packed so many Eurodisco thrills, and for fans who’ve already overplayed Adele’s 25, Glynne showed she can do anthemic power ballads, too, on rousing cuts like “Take Me Home.” –Kevin O’Donnell
9. Selena Gomez, Revival
Toto, I don’t think we’re on Nickelodeon anymore. Gomez’s second solo release announced the former tween-TV wizard’s arrival as a fresh ambassador of grown-and-sexy bedroom balladry, delivering a surprisingly cohesive set of slinky, let-me-show-you-how-to-get-to-third-base jams. Less a record that comes at you head-on than one that sidles up and somehow sneaks into your high-rotation queue before you know it, Revival delivered some of the best underplayed pop moments of the year. —Leah Greenblatt
8. Ellie Goulding, Delirium
There’s a reason you heard Ellie’s tunes bumping from whatever niche fitness class you took in 2015—and not just because she’s an exercise buff herself. The British siren worked with just about every in-demand producer—Klas Ahlund, Calvin Harris, Greg Kurstin, Major Lazer, Max Martin—to craft an hour of hip-swiveling, sweat-inducing pop, all of it unified by her featherweight vocals, which are more soulful and dyanmic than ever. —K.O.
7. Justin Bieber, Purpose
Forget the SATs; pop’s homecoming king faced a much tougher test when it came time to graduate from teen idol-dom. And he just about aced it with Purpose, a collection of killer R&B anthems stacked with high-altitude vocals and synth lines so perfectly chilled they pretty much came with their own platinum ice bucket. Could it be shorter? Sure, but that’s what playlist edits are for; go ahead and make your own personal-best JB EP. —L.G.
6. Roisin Murphy, Hairless Toys
Is it possible to craft a compelling pop song that stretches beyond the five minute mark? What about an album full of them? The Irish artist showed she could do it with style and ease on Hairless Toys—the kind of quirky, arty record Radiohead’s Thom Yorke might cook up with, say, Lady Gaga. Where Murphy’s last record, 2007’s Overpowered, explored the thrills of the discotheque, the new mother digs in deep here. Murphy pairs her fluttery contralto with avant-garde textures on gripping songs inspired by everything from the 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning (“Gone Fishing”) to the banality of domesticity (“Uninvited Guest”). Hairless Toys is hardly overblown, though—hooks and melodies abound. And “Evil Eyes” is one of the sexiest, most understated funk jams this year. —K.O.
5. Troye Sivan, Blue Neighborhood
The 20-year-old Aussie is probably still best known to American audiences for playing Junior Hugh Jackman in 2008’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but his move to full-blown pop stardom may be his most impressive metamorphosis so far. (Just swap the half man-half wolf thing for something that looks and sounds more like a Justin Timberlake-Sam Smith hybrid.) Blue Neighborhood brims with insidiously hooky electro-pop—and its broody lyrical meditations on the vagaries of youth and young romance flash their own kind of claws.—L.G.
4. Marina and the Diamonds, Froot
A criminally overlooked collection from a quirky pop star in a year when we had an abundance of them, from Bjork to Florence. —K.O.
3. Janet Jackson, Unbreakable
It’s been over six years since the world lost Michael Jackson and in that time, his little sister has barely spoken out about his loss. So on her first album since his death, she let’s the music speak to his legacy—and not just literally on “Broken Hearts Heal,” a fond and funky remembrance of their time growing up in one of the world’s most scrutinized families. You can also hear Michael’s spirit in those little vocal hiccups on “The Great Forever,” the high-pitched falsetto of the atmospheric “Night,” the feel-good calls for world peace (“Gon’ B Alright”). But this is a Janet record, after all, and with the help of her trusted producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Miss Jackson serves up what could very well be the best survey of her three-decades-long career, from Velvet Rope-esque boudoir jams (“No Sleeep”) to Rhythm Nation-style calls to the dance floor (“BURNITUP!”). —K.O.
2. Adele, 25
Officially, the Queen of England is that little old lady with all the Corgis. Unofficially, it’s Adele Adkins—and unlike Elizabeth, the sun never really sets on her empire. It’s true that the songs on 25 might never reach the highest highs of 21 (though “Hello,” “Water Under the Bridge” and “River Lea” come close). But it’s almost unfair to grade her on that kind of curve anyway, when she’s so clearly in her own class. —L.G.
1. Carly Rae Jepsen, E•MO•TION
It’s baffling how most of the world slept on this record, which spawned no hit singles and peaked at No. 16 on the charts. But the “Call Me Maybe” singer proved she’s so much more than a viral sensation with her second album. From the blazing sax melody that kicks off “Runaway With Me” to Jepsen’s “Hey!”s that close out the album on “When I Needed You,” every moment of this glossy mall-pop record is pure pop pleasure. And even the after-thoughts that are featured on the deluxe edition (“Black Heart,” “I Didn’t Just Come Here to Dance,” and “Favourite Colour”) have it going on. —K.O.ew
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