- Tropicoqueta, Karol G
Highlights: “Tropicoqueta”, “No Puedo Vivir Sin Él”
The fifth studio album from the reggaeton pop-star, Tropicoqueta is a vibrant celebration of Latin music’s past while looking towards the future.
“While most of Tropicoqueta orbits around more commercially known Latin rhythms, sleeker production choices keep it from being too old-school or derivative,” writes Julyssa Lopez for Rolling Stone. Lopez credits the musical blending to the album’s producers Ovy On The Drums and Pharell Williams.
The title track uses merengue-inspired production to create a “hora loca” track–the kind of song that “everyone from the aunty in the kitchen to the little kid in the background” can dance to, says Lopez.
Ultimately, Karol G has created a vibrant new contribution to her discography and the Latin music scene at large with the joyfilled and celebratory Tropicoqueta.
- The Art of Loving, Olivia Dean
Highlights: “So Easy (to Fall in Love)”, “Let Alone the One You Love”
One of 2025’s breakout singers, Olivia Dean found mass success with her second studio album exploring love and maturing with her signature charisma. Dean has set herself apart from her contemporaries with soft, lifting vocals and a cool edge.
Gliding through lofty instrumentation with grace and sincerity, the London-born singer-songwriter examines love and loss with a soft touch and powerful voice.
Larisha Paul, music critic with Rolling Stone, calls Dean’s style “radiant”.
“She grooves in perfect time with an expertly assembled band, navigating through blaring trumpets, trombones, and saxophones with a delicate attention to detail and synchronicity,” Paul writes in her album review.
More than anything else, Dean sounds comfortable on the album. Her vocals flow through a variety of instrumentals and melodies with a sense of ease that attracts listeners.
Dean’s strength lies in making her work look easy.
- Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter
Highlights: “Nobody’s Son,” “Goodbye,” “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry”
Many credit Sabrina Carpenter for bringing a comedic edge to the pop music scene and her newest studio album is a prime example.
“By design, lyrics are always meant to be a little quirky but few pop stars have mastered the art of hamming it up quite like Sabrina Carpenter,” writes Brittany Spanos for Rolling Stone.
Man’s Best Friend is filled with lighthearted pop hits and the occasional ballad.
The album cements itself as a sequel to Short n’ Sweet–Carpenter’s last project, only a year old at the time of Man’s Best Friend’s release–but it hits all of the same marks and more.
Carpenter utilizes a slight country twang with backing disc-synth beats to create a sound that’s familiar without feeling outdated. On lead single “Manchild” and final track “Goodbye,” the country influence shines with lyrics mocking an ex’s ignorance and saying “farewell” to an indecisive partner.
On “Nobody’s Son,” Carpenter laments the same apparent lack of viable romantic options as in “Dumb and Poetic” off of Short N’ Sweet, but with a new humor and playful production.
“If Short n’ Sweet solidified her stardom, Man’s Best Friend plates her status in gold,” writes Spanos.
- I quit, Haim
Highlights: “Gone,” “The Farm,” “Down to Be Wrong”
Based on lead singer Danielle Haim’s recent break-up, I quit is one of the band’s most unique projects so far. With fresh instrumentation and raw vocals, the album explores the many sides of heartbreak over its 15 song tracklist.
The album’s approach to love varies from song to song, from hopeful optimism on “Gone” to resigned defeatism on “The Farm” to acute self-awareness on “Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out.” The band seamlessly avoids repetition throughout, bringing a fresh perspective with each track.
“I quit is rooted in the energy of a band playing live in a room,” writes Mikael Wood for the LA Times.
The raw energy of the band’s style is on full display on I quit, emotionally and musically. The intensely personal lyrics and dynamic instrumentation set it apart as a top album of the year.
- Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Bad Bunny
Highlights: “Baile Inolvidable”, “La Mudanza”, “NuevaYol”
Bad Bunny’s sixth studio album released in early January honors his home island of Puerto Rico through lyrical ballads and Caribbean instrumentation.
“‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ is rooted in música jíbara and other Puerto Rican folkloric musical styles but works to evolve them,” writes Maria Sherman for AP News.
Many tracks pay homage to this musical history through sampling: ”NuevaYol” samples the vibrant “Un Verano en Nueva York” throughout, blending it in seamlessly with the booming bass production; and salsa influence is honored with “Baile Inovidable” and “La Mudanza.”
The album swings from upbeat dance tracks to heart-wrenching ballads.
“Turista” compares an ex to a tourist–someone who came in and out of the narrator’s life without caring about their impact. “Lo que la pasó a Hawaii” condemns the colonization of Hawaii and fears the same future for Puerto Rico. Both tracks are visceral in their lyrics and profoundly personal.
The personal nature of Debí Tirar Más Fotos is what makes it easy to connect to for listeners across the globe and what placed it at the top of 2025’s album ranking.
