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It’s been an amazing year of music, with the likes of Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish flying high in the charts.
Raye won big at the Brit Awards, taking home a record six trophies, while Miley Cyrus won the record of the year at the Grammy Awards for ‘Flowers’.
In the UK it was all about Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour, although Oasis stole some of her thunder when they announced they were to reform for a series of huge gigs that immediately sold out.
Meanwhile, the critics had their own ideas about the artists of the year.
Here are their top 13 albums, according to ratings aggregator site Album of the Year.
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9. Knocked Loose - You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To
The Guardian, The Skinny and Kerrang! were among the publications to give American hardcore punk band Knocked Loose full marks for their third studio album 'You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To'. Overall it received an 88 per cent positive critical rating. | Contributed
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10. Mdou Moctar - Funeral for Justice
Nigerian desert blues isn't a genre with which many of us are familiar, but Mdou Moctar's 'Funeral for Justice' is an essential listen - exploring the African country's complex political landscape and the ongoing replacement of indigenous languages with colonial ones. It scored a positive critical rating of 88 per cent. | Contributed
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11. Kendrick Lamar - GNX
Rap superstar Kendrick Lamar surprised everybody when he released his sixth studio album 'GNX' back in November with no advance publicity. The title of the album refers to a model of Buick car and earned an 87 per cent positive critical rating. | Contributed
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12. English Teacher - This Could Be Texas
It's been an amazing year for English indie band English Teacher - their debut album 'This Could Be Texas' won them the Mercury Prize and a positive critical rating of 87 per cent. | Contributed