A bit late for the second quarter but in time for the halfway mark, I compiled the albums most likely to make a year-end list in chronological order. I’m not sold on Ashley Monroe yet; at times it sounds like Lee Ann Womack with weaker tunes. The singles are in no order; I’ll leave that nonsense for December.
ALBUMS
Jazmine Sullivan – Reality Show
Dawn Richard – Blackheart
Speedy Ortiz – Foil Deer
Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
Young Thug – Barter 6
The Mountain Goats – Beat the Champ
Heems – Eat Pray Thug
Dwight Yoakam – Second Hand Heart
Earl Sweatshirt – I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside
Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think
The Mavericks – Mono
Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Ba – Ba Power
Florence + the Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Jason Derulo – Everything is 4
A$AP Rocky – At Long Last ASAP
Dead Sara – Pleased to Meet You Over
Brandon Flowers – The Desired Effect
Miguel – Wildheart
Vince Staples – Summertime ’06
Ashley Monroe – The Blade
Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment – Surf
Carly Rae Jepsen – Emotion
Angel Haze – Back to the Woods
Destroyer – Poison Season
Future – DS2
Robert Forster – Songs to Play
SINGLES
Gesu no Kiwami Otome – Watashi Igai Watashi Ja Nai no
BTS – I Need You
Young Thug ft. Birdman – Constantly Hating
Róisín Murphy – Gone Fishing
Young Thug – Check
Dierks Bentley – Say You Do
Taylor Swift – Style
Miranda Lambert – Little Red Wagon
Keith Urban – John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16
Janet Jackson – No Sleeep
Gwenno – Fratolish Hiang Perpeshki
Honey Cocaine ft. DJ Carisma – Sundae
Sam Hunt – Take Your Time
Lil Mama – Sausage
The Weeknd – Can’t Feel My Face
Tamia – Sandwich and a Soda
Titica – Você Manda Fogo
EXID – Ah Yeah
Romeo Santos – Hilito
Thomas Rhett – Crash and Burn
Lianne La Havas – Unstoppable
Exo – Call me Baby
Maliibu N Helene – Figure 8
MNEK – The Rhythm
Amber ft. Taeyeon – Shake That Brass
Carly Rae Jepsen – I Really Like You
Burial – Temple Sleeper
Brantley Gilbert – One Hell of an Amen
Romeo Santos and Marc Anthony – Yo Tambien
Natalia Jiménez – Quédate Con Ella
Little Big Town – Girl Crush
Tanya Tagaq – Uja
Wa$$up – Shut Up U
Fetty Wap – Trap Queen
TI ft. Young Thug – About the Money
Ciara – I Bet
Sleater Kinney – No Cities to Love
Giorgio Moroder ft. Kylie Minogue – Right Here, Right Now
Natalie La Rose ft. Jeremih – Somebody
Thomas Rhett – Make Me Wanna
T.I. ft. Young Thug – About the Money
Johnny Gill – Behind Closed Doors
Humanizing The Vacuum 