NPR Music's 50 Best Albums of 2020

2020 was so stuffed with urgent voices it could be hard to discern the melody from the noise. Here's our guide to the greatest albums that emerged from a year of cacophony.

Published: December 02, 2020 12:08 Source

# 1
Album • Jun 19 / 2020 Neo-Soul
# 2
Album • Apr 17 / 2020 Art Pop Singer-Songwriter Progressive Pop
# 3
Album • Apr 17 / 2020 Latin Electronic Art Pop
# 4
Album • Jun 18 / 2020 Singer-Songwriter Indie Folk
# 5
Album • Sep 25 / 2020 Contemporary R&B Southern Hip Hop
# 6
Album • Feb 28 / 2020
# 7
Album • Feb 29 / 2020
# 8
Album • Aug 21 / 2020 Spiritual Jazz Afro-Jazz
# 9
Album • Mar 06 / 2020 Trap Pop Rap
# 10
Album • Sep 11 / 2020 Americana Progressive Country
# 11
Album • Feb 19 / 2021 Indie Pop Soft Rock
# 12
Album • Jul 17 / 2020 Neo-Soul Singer-Songwriter
# 13
Album • Jul 24 / 2020
# 14
Album • Mar 27 / 2020 Dance-Pop Nu-Disco
# 15
Album • Jun 03 / 2020 Hardcore Hip Hop Political Hip Hop
# 16
Album • Feb 21 / 2020 Singer-Songwriter Contemporary Country
# 17
Data Lords by Maria Schneider
Album • Jul 24 / 2020 Progressive Big Band
# 18
Album • Mar 13 / 2020 Metalcore Industrial Metal
# 19
Album • Jun 12 / 2020 Post-Bop
# 20
Album • Aug 07 / 2020 Contemporary R&B
# 21
Album • May 08 / 2020 Latin Electronic Synthpop Chillwave
# 23
Album • Jun 12 / 2020 Contemporary R&B
# 24
Album • Feb 14 / 2020 Psychedelic Pop Neo-Psychedelia Synthpop
# 25
Album • May 01 / 2020 Singer-Songwriter Indie Folk
# 26
Album • Aug 14 / 2020 Country
# 27
Album • Aug 28 / 2020 Nu Jazz Psychedelic Soul Avant-Garde Jazz
# 28
Album • Jun 05 / 2020 Taarab
# 29
Album • Oct 23 / 2020 Singer-Songwriter Contemporary Folk
# 30
Album • Feb 28 / 2020 Trap Southern Hip Hop
# 31
Album • Apr 03 / 2020 Psychedelic Soul Neo-Soul Jazz-Funk
# 32
Album • Oct 02 / 2020 Indie Rock
# 33
Album • May 29 / 2020 Bluegrass
# 34
Album • Oct 09 / 2020 Ambient New Age
# 35
Album • May 15 / 2020 Art Pop
# 36
EP • Feb 07 / 2020 Contemporary R&B Alternative R&B
# 37
Album • Mar 27 / 2020 Baroque Music Impressionism
# 38
Album • Aug 28 / 2020 Trap Southern Hip Hop Hardcore Hip Hop
# 39
Album • Apr 17 / 2020 Dance-Pop Contemporary R&B
# 40
Album • Aug 21 / 2020 Tex-Mex
# 41
Album • Jun 05 / 2020 Gangsta Rap West Coast Hip Hop Nervous Music
# 42
Album • Apr 03 / 2020 Drone Modern Classical
# 43
Album • May 22 / 2020
# 44
Album • Aug 14 / 2020 Singer-Songwriter Heartland Rock Americana
# 45
Album • Oct 02 / 2020 Trap Gangsta Rap Southern Hip Hop
# 46
Album • Nov 06 / 2020 Ambient Modern Classical
# 47
Album • Mar 27 / 2020 Singer-Songwriter Alt-Country
# 48
Album • Sep 18 / 2020 Indie Folk Chamber Folk
# 49
Album • Oct 16 / 2020 Conscious Hip Hop East Coast Hip Hop
# 50
Album • May 15 / 2020 Hyperpop Electropop Bubblegum Bass