The 10 best albums of the year, critics review

10. David Bowie — "Blackstar"

Critic score: 87/10

What critics said: "There are more than enough narratives to follow down the rabbit hole here, and themes and imagery so dense they could probably be dissected for days or even weeks. Most of all, though, it's the kind of album that works beautifully as a physical experience." — Entertainment Weekly

9. Robbie Fulks — "Upland Stories"

Critic score: 87/100

What critics said: "A continuation of the warm folk, fiddle, and banjo style of 2013's 'Gone Away Backward,' here Fulks continues proving he's one of music's best song craftsmen." — Austin Chronicle

8. Common — "Black America Again"

Critic score: 87/100What critics said: "One of the year's most potent protest albums." — Chicago Tribune

7. Radiohead — "A Moon Shaped Pool"

Critic score: 88/100

What critics said: "Drawing on the embattled, hopeful possibilities of early Seventies soul, rock and folk, its chamber-classical and folk instrumentation allows for pleasure as well as despair. This is a Radiohead album to make you feel, better." — The Independent

6. Drive-By Truckers — "American Band"

Critic score: 88/100

What critics said: "Eloquently plainspoken as ever about the pressing issues we face as a nation, they've made an album multiple decades into their career that establishes them as more directly relevant than ever." — Slant Magazine

5. Solange — "A Seat at the Table"

Critic score: 89/100

What critics said: "The album radiates universal beauty and truth in the tradition of Stevie Wonder and Minnie Ripperton — and the whole world could simply use more of that." — Entertainment Weekly

4. A Tribe Called Quest — "We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service"

Critic score: 89/100

What critics said: "This is no nostalgia trip or callous comeback. It's a giant exclamation point on the end of a brilliant career." — AllMusic

3. Leonard Cohen — "You Want It Darker"

Critic score: 92/100

What critics said: "Following a string of records that have each felt like a swan song, 'You Want It Darker' may be Cohen's most haunting LP." — Rolling Stone

2. Beyoncé — "Lemonade"

Critic score: 92/100

What critics said: "Here, we see Beyoncé fully coming into her own: wise, accomplished, and in defense of herself." — Consequence of Sound

1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds — "Skeleton Tree"

Critic score: 95/100

What critics said: "No other record released this year will provoke such conflicting emotions in you. 'Skeleton Tree' is both beautiful and harrowing, hard to listen to but even harder to look away from." — NME