Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 110 Best Albums of the 2010s, representing a varied cross-section of artists, genres, and styles. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & album index here.

BRITNEY SPEARS | Glory
RCA (2016)
Selected by Mark J. Marraccini

BUY ON AMAZON

  
    [As an Amazon affiliate partner, Albumism earns commissions from qualifying purchases.]

Glory is, by far, Britney Spears’ most adventurous album. After several career missteps (including 2013’s lackluster Britney Jean), Glory opened a new chapter for Spears where she exerted more control over her sound and unlatched herself from solely trafficking in predictably high BPMs and syrupy ballads for possible hits. Instead, she delivered a wickedly diverse set of songs that stretched her vocal abilities and showed her finally having fun on an album as Burlesque Britney (“Private Show”), Ballsy Britney (“Liar”) and even Buenos Aires Britney (“No Seas Cortes”) characters. Glory challenged whom we thought Britney Spears, the singer and performer, should be and proved that, thankfully, she’s still artistically curious and determined not to let her best days fall behind her.

NEXT ALBUM >

LISTEN & WATCH:

Angie Stone’s ‘Mahogany Soul’ Turns 25 | Album Anniversary

An organic, polished and sophisticated work, Stone’s second studio affair helped to define the maturing neo-soul movement of the early 2000s.

Xzibit’s Debut Album ‘At the Speed of Life’ Turns 30 | Album Anniversary

Xzibit formally launched his hip-hop career as a battle-tested warrior fighting for respect on his debut album, and thankfully, this same mentality continues to influence his music 30 years on.

The UMC’s’ Debut Album ‘Fruits of Nature’ Turns 35 | Album Anniversary

When the duo released their exuberant debut album, the hip-hop genre that they loved was becoming super serious and the project never received the widespread props that it deserved.