Idolator's Favorite 10 Albums of 2011

When the British soul belter Adele began working on the follow-up to her 2008 debut *19*, she had a difficult time finding songwriting inspiration. Then, her relationship imploded—and within a day of her breakup, she and producer Paul Epworth had written the stormy, tearful \"Rolling in the Deep,\" which would go on to not only open her second album, *21*, but eventually become one of 2011\'s defining singles and set the tone for a vibrant portrait of young heartbreak that showcases Adele\'s fierce alto. On *19*, Adele established herself as a key part of the 2000s class of British R&B-inspired singers that included Amy Winehouse and Duffy. For *21*, however, she added new dimensions to her sound, bringing in ideas borrowed from country, rock, gospel, and modern pop—as well as a gently psychedelic take on the downcast \"Lovesong,\" originally by fellow Brit miserablists The Cure. Adele\'s powerful voice and unguarded feelings were *21*\'s main draw, but her savvy about using them—and only going all in when a song\'s emotional force required her to do so—made it one of the 21st century\'s biggest albums. While a few top-tier producers, including Rick Rubin, Ryan Tedder, and Dan Wilson, worked on *21*, its coherence comes from the woman at its center, whose voice channels the anguish of the stirring ballad \"One and Only,\" the weepy \"Don\'t You Remember,\" and the vengeful \"Rumour Has It.\" The stripped-down \"Someone Like You,\" meanwhile, is the natural bookend to \"Rolling,\" its bittersweet lyrics and quietly anguished vocal sounding like the aftermath of the argument that track began. “*21* isn\'t even my record—it belongs to the people,” Adele told Apple Music in 2015. That\'s true in a sense; *21* was one of the 2010s\' true pop successes, reaching listeners from all over the world. But Adele is its key ingredient, a modern soul singer whose range is only matched by her ability to conjure up deeply felt emotions.

For *The Best Imitation of Myself*, Ben Folds compiled his sneering work with Ben Folds Five and his poppier solo output up to 2011. Of course, there’s the early (and stirring) “Brick,” which tells the story of a high school girlfriend having an abortion; the unstoppably rollicking jam “One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces”; and old-school rock ‘n’ roller “Kate.” “Landed” makes an appearance with a sweeping string section, and the vibrant “From Above” zooms along on sparkling piano riffs.

Foster the People have touches of California sunbaked pop in their repertoire, but there’s also a dark Euro-disco groove lurking under the hooks of “Don’t Stop (Color On the Walls)” and the thick, goth-like wash of “Waste.” Singer Mark Foster plays and programs enough keyboards to give the songs a grand entrance, while other members contribute to the production to jazz up and space out tracks like “Miss You” and “Life On the Nickel.” “Warrant” works under an ambient haze. “Houdini” charges with an unforgiving groove, squeaky synths and a falsetto that reaches back to the ‘70s disco era.

The artful dance pop of Oh Land (full name Nanna Oland Fabricius) got its first blast of international exposure via “Sun of a Gun,” a throbbing techno kiss-off with a sweet aftertaste. The Danish singer’s self-titled album takes her music several steps further, shifting between erotic rapture and sober self-observation. Waking and dreaming is a recurring theme, reflected in the gauzy swoops and swirls of “Perfection” and the slow-jam rumination of “Wolf and I.” Oh Land and her studio collaborators (including notables Dave McCracken and Dan Carey) keep the production engagingly eclectic, veering from the La Roux–esque electropop of “Voodoo” to the finger-snapping simmer of “Rainbow” and the Chic-like marching rhythms of “We Turn It Up.” The darkly brooding rumble of “Lean” takes her into near-gothic realms. What unites these tracks is Oh Land’s intriguing persona: teasing one moment, disarmingly vulnerable the next. This is dance music for the mind as well as the body, smart and seductive with a touch of the mystical.