Rounding out a truly excellent year in pop, it’s finally time to look back on the past 12 months and name our Album Of The Year!

Revising a wealth of superb releases and taking into account not only our initial reactions but also their sustained appeal over time, it’s a task not for the faint of heart – particularly when the standard is this high! But after much deliberation and sleepless nights (no, really!), the rankings are finally in.

So, here goes – RETROPOP’s Top 10 Albums Of 2023 (you can find the full Top 20 in Issue 23 of RETROPOP, available here)…

10. Kylie Minogue – Tension (BMG)

Three years since the release of her record-breaking 15th album, ‘DISCO’, Kylie Minogue broke the tension by unleashing its long-awaited follow-up. Spearheaded by the global phenomenon that is lead single Padam Padam, the 11-track LP is an unashamed celebration of pop that transcends genre boundaries and chart trends and sees the Aussie icon let loose like never before. It’s a great pop record and a testament to Kylie’s continued relevance and indisputable legacy as an all-time great.

9. Corinne Bailey Rae – Black Rainbows (Thirty Tigers)

Veering away from R&B and soul in favour of a bold new direction, Corinne Bailey Rae made a statement with her epic fourth album. ‘Black Rainbows’ is inspired by the objects and artworks collected by Theaster Gates at the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago, with the work including a collection of songs, the book ‘Refraction/Reflection Of The Arts Bank’ as photographed by Koto Bolofo, live performances, visuals, lectures and exhibitions. Heavy hitting themes are woven into the narrative of each track and, much like the artworks that backdrop the LP, unravel within a wider context, for a project that speaks of a musician connecting with her culture and heritage on a deeper level.

8. Beverley Knight – The Fifth Chapter (BMG)

As she embraced a new era in her personal life, British soul sensation Beverley Knight made a bold career move and returned to pop with a spectacular new sound. Launching with its lead single, Last One On My Mind is a fierce disco anthem that brings the singer-turned-stage star back to the fore and proves that, more than 25 years since her chart debut, she remains hot property. Across 11 tracks, Beverley proves she can absolutely hold her own for what is, on all accounts, a superb return.

7. Tina Arena – Love Saves (Positive Dream)

Eight years after releasing her most recent English-language record, Tina Arena returned in fine form on ‘Love Saves’ – her most personal body of work to date. Journeying through the 11 song tracklist – 10 in English and the French-language version of Dancing On Thin Ice that closes the record – the singer-songwriter sets free her emotions, from desperation (Cry Me A Miracle) and frustration (Can’t Say Anything), to pure rage (Devil In Me), this is Tina Arena like we’ve never seen her before. A yearning for happiness and strive towards the future makes for what, in years to come, will be regarded as a seminal moment in her repertoire.

6. Rick Astley – Are We There Yet? (BMG)

Back after five years with a new album and a new sound, ‘Are We There Yet?’ saw Rick Astley revitalised and renewed. Inspired by a massive US tour, the resulting LP takes a direction that perfectly compliments Astley’s distinctive vocals, be it on mid-tempo guitar-led numbers like Letting Go and Golden Hour, or more R&B-leaning tunes in the vein of Never Gonna Stop and Waterfall. For a singer so renowned for classic pop moments, ‘Are We There Yet?’ sees Astley steer his own ship and take his career down an avenue that’s most fulfilling to him.

5. Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade (Ninja Tune)

Delivering her most diverse and captivating work to date, Róisín Murphy’s ‘Hit Parade’ conjured a sonic wonderland of creative possibilities. Played front-to-back, ‘Hit Parade’ journeys from laid back ambience through electronic euphoria before arriving at avant garde experimentation, offering nods towards her most commercial releases while veering distinctly away from the realms of chart fodder and into a kaleidoscopic world of play. Overwhelming for some, therein lies the brilliance of ‘Hit Parade’ – that even in its wildest moments, it speaks to the artist at its core, showcasing her command over her work and instantly becoming an essential Róisín Murphy album.

4. Jake Shears – Last Man Dancing (Mute)

On his second solo album and first in five years, Jake Shears brought the party with a non-stop run of disco and house-influenced dance smashes. Opening song and lead single, Too Much Music, is a strong indicator of the material across the album, which progresses like a night out from feelgood pop through to late night, heady club anthems. Closing with a spoken word outro that sees Iggy Pop sharing his musical wisdom, it’s a choice move that on one hand embodies everything Jake sets out to achieve this time around, while also (quite brilliantly) channelling the drunken philosophy one might encounter at the smoking area in the early hours after a few too many tequilas.  

3. OMD – Bauhaus Staircase (100%)

Following up one of their most acclaimed releases was never going to be easy, but Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s 14th album holds up among the finest work of their 45-year history. If the opening track and title song is among the record’s more abstract offerings, follow-up Anthropocene plainly explores our impact on the world over one of the record’s most infectious earworms – and it seems the more pointed the subject matter, the more infectious the track. A standout LP in itself – the fact it arrives more than four decades into OMD’s record-releasing career is even more impressive. 

2. Everything But The Girl – Fuse (Virgin)

More than two decades since they last released an album, Everything But The Girl’s ‘Fuse’ had plenty of hype to live up to – and on all fronts it delivered. From the opening electronic beats of lead release Nothing Left To Lose – a garage-influenced comeback that harks back to the sounds dominating the charts when EBTG last released music, carried by Tracey Thorn’s distinctive vocals that, in evoking a simpler time, generate an undeniable melancholy – it’s clear that she and Ben Watt remain at the peak of their powers. What shines through is the duo’s innovation and drive not to create something obvious; they could have quite easily taken the commercial path and put out Missing Pt. 2, but instead they sought out a new sound that picks up where they left off in 1999, refined for the more mature subject matter of their lyrics. By all accounts a standout album not only of 2023, but of their career to date. 

1. Alison Goldfrapp – The Love Invention (BMG)

For more than two decades, Alison Goldfrapp Will Gregory and helped her namesake duo become of the the most successful synth-pop acts ever, but in stepping away from familiarity and connecting with Richard X and James Greenwood, she delivered a defining record in her near-30-year career with ‘The Love Invention’. Opening with the single NeverStop, ‘The Love Invention’ is heavy with synthesisers and electronic beats, over which Alison’s distinctive breathy vocals inject a sense of wide-eyed wonder. While much of the album is made for the clubs, there’s a vibrancy to the material that radiates across the set, with So Hard So Hot conjuring the sweat-soaked atmosphere of summer festival raves while reaching into nocturnal darkness. From the productions and performances to the songs themselves, nothing about this album is spared, but at its core ‘The Love Invention’ is a pop record that implores you to surrender to the music and embrace the moment – right now – and RETROPOP’s Album Of The Year 2023.