The Top 33 Albums Of 2013

We still reckon The Saturdays should sack off ‘releasing albums’ and stick to singles, but ‘Living For The Weekend’ was one of their better long-playing efforts. Top track: Darkchild-produced ‘Lease My Love’.

To say ‘Body Music’ lacked a sense of light and shade is a bit like saying a packet of Jaffa Cakes is a bit pre­dict­able, ie you wouldn’t say that because the whole point is that they’re the same and you want to eat an entire box in one go.

A bit serious in parts but generally a job well done.

The sort of album you forget exists for about five years then one day, when you’re minding your own business, it pops up on iTunes and reminds you that Rebecca Ferguson did indeed exist and was very good at the old pop game.

When it comes to whacking a donk on songs, not crediting the vocalist properly then fronting the whole thing with impress­ive cheekbones, Avicii is the leader of the pack.

If you can see and hear past the indignant posturing there’s a lot to love in these tracks. She’s currently planning to release a revised version in the US, which might throw up a few more belters.

An impress­ive, atmo­spheric album from an under­val­ued pop chameleon.

The best-selling UK album of 2013. Ludicrous in parts, fantastic in others.

In its best moments, ‘The Electric Lady’ pulls off the trick of homaging multiple sources while sounding like nothing else out there. Also, it’s got Prince on it.

Imagine what would have happened if Future Bible Heroes and One Direction had swapped songs.

Listening to this as we write these notes we wonder if in some ways ‘Secondhand Rapture’ is, at least in part, the Mutya Keisha Siobhan album 2013 didn’t manage to produce.

The best Basically An Indie Album album of the year.