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The 20 Best Albums of 2024 (So Far)

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The 20 Best Albums of 2024 (So Far)

The erstwhile Year of the Woman keeps looking like it’s turning out to be the Century of the Woman, as popular music goes … and there’ll be no complaints about that when we have a surfeit of superstar divas who just happen to be delivering the goods with superior new albums. The by-now utterly reliable Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX and Shakira did not let down, with the likes of Kali Uchis and Tyla proving they’re ready to join those ranks. (Obviously there’s a nation that’s all ready to place Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter in this company, too, but Roan’s still-cresting album was a late-blooming 2023 release, and we’ll be waiting till August for Carpenter to tack a full meal onto our “Espresso” order.)

But we come also to praise those who are just starting their very first “era,” like Jessica Pratt, or those who may will likely never have a TikTok moment, like Hermanos Gutierrez, who also touch us deep in our musical souls. Here’s a wide-ranging list of 20 knockout albums selected by Variety‘s music staff — executive editor Jem Aswad, senior writer Steven J. Horowitz, associate editor Thania Garcia and senior writer/chief music critic Chris Willman — to playlist your summer and beyond.

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