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.

MADONNA | Madame X
Interscope (2019)
Selected by Mark J. Marraccini

BUY ON AMAZON

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

Madonna’s radically adventurous and globally-inspired Madame X polarized fans and critics for good reason. It’s her least accessible album, but it’s also up there with the best she’s ever made. Including language barriers (“Medellín,” “Faz Gostoso”), disparate musical genres (“Crave” vs. “Batuka”), and lyrics that ignite controversy (“God Control,” “Killers Who Are Partying”), Madame X was not for the casual Madonna fan that rolled their eyes at the Hebrew vibes of “Isaac” on 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor. Years from now, we’ll look back on Madame X as the Madonna album that’s most closely aligned with the real Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, and one of her most artistically audacious and authentic offerings.

NEXT ALBUM >

LISTEN & WATCH:

Biz Markie’s ‘I Need A Haircut’ Turns 35 | Album Anniversary

The hip-hop legend’s third studio affair features some of his most entertaining and inspired lyrical performances, with heavy doses of Biz’s signature goofiness side by side with serious-minded narratives.

Björk’s ‘Vespertine’ Turns 25 | Album Anniversary

On her fourth studio affair, Björk relinquishes the big beats that dominated her previous work, opting instead for hushed, whispered snatches of vocals with electronic bleeps, whirs and pulses.

Her New World Of Funk: 30 Years On, Aaliyah’s ‘One In A Million’ Is Still Hot Like Fire

A masterwork of its era, ‘One In A Million’ was a beam supporting the bridge between the joyful excesses of early ‘90s R&B and the burgeoning cool of neo soul.