After a year that brought us unique and impressive albums from the likes of Vampire Weekend, Kanye West, Daft Punk, Lorde, Arctic Monkeys and Drake, 2014 looks to be another great year of innovation and pushing the boundaries of music.
Here is a look at some of the most talked about albums of the new year, as well as buzz surrounding other projects that may or may not be in the works:
Beck: “Morning Phase”- Feb. 25
After releasing a collection of sheet music designed to be interpreted and played by his fans last year, Beck is set to release his first actual studio album since 2008’s Modern Guilt. Beck has said it will be a follow-up to his 2002 album, Sea Change, and with the release of its first single, “Blue Moon” Jan. 21, hype is building.
ScHoolboy Q: “Oxymoron”- Feb. 25
When Kendrick Lamar burst onto the scene with 2012’s critically acclaimed “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,” he set a new standard for modern rap. As a fellow member of the “Black Hippy” group and another of seven artists signed to Top Dawg Entertainment, ScHoolboy Q looks to follow in Lamar’s footsteps. Oxymoron is expected to contain the Lamar-featuring singles “Man of the Year” and “Collard Greens” as well as guest features from artists Raekwon, Danny Brown and A$AP Rocky.
Lana Del Rey: “Ultra-Violence”- date TBA
After breaking out with her viral internet hit “Video Games” in 2011, Del Rey released her second studio album, “Born to Die” to much critical acclaim. After the success of this summer’s dance remixes to “Summertime Sadness” from the album, Del Rey’s 2014 project is one of the hottest albums slated for release this year.
Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett: “Cheek to Cheek”- date TBA
In perhaps one of the most surprising collaborations, pop icon Lady Gaga and legendary jazz singer Tony Bennett are expected to be releasing an album together, due in late 2014. The duo collaborated in the past on the song “The Lady Is a Tramp” for Bennett’s Grammy Award-Winning album, Duets II, and it will be interesting to see what they come up with this time around.
Chance the Rapper—TBA
One of this year’s biggest artists is young rapper who doesn’t have a studio release to his name. Chicago native Chance the Rapper, who released his second free mixtape, Acid Rap, in April, has skyrocketed to internet fame. The mixtape has been downloaded over 250,000 times, received a score of 86 on Metacritic and even made the Billboard charts due to bootleg downloads on iTunes and Amazon. Chance hasn’t promised an album release this year, but whatever he does is sure to attract attention.
Other big-name artists expected to release albums in the upcoming year include Kendrick Lamar, Jack White, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne. There are also rumors of a new album from hip hop duo OutKast, a follow-up to Kanye West and Jay-Z’s 2011 Watch the Throne and the long-awaited release of Dr. Dre’s Detox.
