NPR Music's 50 Best Albums of 2017

Consensus wasn't easy to come by in 2017, but the best albums of the year were bolts of clarity, sonic companions for joy, grief and redemption, for battles hard won and for reckonings still to come.

Published: December 12, 2017 11:00 Source

# 1
Album • Apr 14 / 2017 West Coast Hip Hop Conscious Hip Hop
# 2
Ctrl by SZA
Album • Jun 09 / 2017 Alternative R&B Neo-Soul
# 3
Album • Jun 09 / 2017 Indie Rock Indie Folk
# 4
Album • Feb 03 / 2017 Alternative R&B
# 5
Album • Jun 16 / 2017 Synthpop Alt-Pop
# 6
Album • May 05 / 2017 Art Pop
# 7
Album • Jun 16 / 2017 Americana Alt-Country
# 8
Album • Aug 11 / 2017 Pop Soul Pop Rock
# 9
Album • Mar 10 / 2017 Folk Rock Singer-Songwriter Americana
# 10
Album • May 19 / 2017 Contemporary Folk Singer-Songwriter
# 11
4:44 by JAY-Z
Album • Jul 07 / 2017 East Coast Hip Hop
# 12
Far From Over by Vijay Iyer Sextet  +  Vijay Iyer
Album • Aug 25 / 2017 Post-Bop
# 13
Album • Feb 24 / 2017 American Folk Music
# 14
Album • Sep 22 / 2017 Art Pop Singer-Songwriter
# 15
Album • Sep 22 / 2017 Chamber Folk Chamber Music
# 16
Album • May 19 / 2017 Footwork IDM
# 17
Album • Jun 23 / 2017 West Coast Hip Hop Experimental Hip Hop Hardcore Hip Hop
# 18
Album • Mar 31 / 2017 Latin Electronic
# 19
Album • May 26 / 2017 Experimental Rock North African Music
# 20
Album • Aug 25 / 2017 Heartland Rock Indie Rock
# 21
Album • Mar 10 / 2017 Indie Rock Dream Pop
# 22
Album • Aug 25 / 2017 Trap Pop Rap
# 23
Album • Apr 28 / 2017 Electropop Indietronica
# 24
Album • Sep 08 / 2017 Indie Rock Art Rock
# 25
Album • Apr 28 / 2017
# 26
Album • Oct 27 / 2017 Country
# 27
Album • Oct 27 / 2017 Electropop Art Pop Post-Industrial
# 28
Album • Sep 29 / 2017 Art Pop
# 29
Album • Sep 15 / 2017 Abstract Hip Hop Conscious Hip Hop
# 30
Album • Nov 10 / 2017
# 31
Album • Mar 24 / 2017 Singer-Songwriter Indie Folk
# 32
Album • Sep 08 / 2017 Indie Pop Jangle Pop
# 33
Album • Apr 21 / 2017
# 34
Album • May 05 / 2017 Contemporary Folk Singer-Songwriter
# 35
Album • Feb 24 / 2017 Neo-Soul Psychedelic Soul
# 36
Album • Sep 22 / 2017 Conscious Hip Hop
# 37
Album • Oct 06 / 2017 Art Pop Neo-Psychedelia Progressive Electronic Ambient Pop
# 38
Album • Jan 27 / 2017 Trap Southern Hip Hop
# 39
Album • Aug 04 / 2017 Progressive Country
# 40
Album • Sep 22 / 2017 Contemporary Country Neo-Traditionalist Country
# 41
Album • Jul 14 / 2017 Indie Rock Singer-Songwriter
# 42
Album • Sep 15 / 2017 Mande Music Chamber Music
# 43
Album • Mar 03 / 2017 Latin Rap Latin Alternative
# 44
Album • Jan 27 / 2017 Post-Punk
# 45
Album • May 19 / 2017 Wassoulou
# 46
Album • Apr 21 / 2017 UK Bass Alternative R&B Weightless
# 47
Album • May 05 / 2017 Avant-Garde Jazz
# 48
Album • Feb 10 / 2017 Post-Bop Latin Jazz
# 50
Album • May 12 / 2017 New Wave Pop Rock Alternative Dance