AP's top albums of 2021: 'Sour,' 'Donda,' H.E.R. and Eilish

Olivia Rodrigo, Kanye West, Tyler, the Creator and Billie Eilish are among some of the well-known acts who released albums in 2021, and who have one of the year’s top albums, as determined by a group of entertainment journalists at The Associated Press

Ten of the best albums of the year, as selected by Associated Press entertainment journalists.

OLIVIA RODRIGO, “SOUR”

Olivia Rodrigo kicks off her debut album “SOUR” with the words “I want it to be, like, messy” and she goes on to deliver just that. The 11 songs from the 18-year-old singer-songwriter’s breakup album are raw and angry, dreamy and mocking, playful and profane, with shards of punk and princess pop. It’s an astonishing human hello from the youngest solo artist ever to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Taylor Swift is clearly a role model — and even gets a writing credit for a Swift interpolation in “1 step forward, 3 steps back” — but there also are echoes of Alanis Morissette’s fury from “Jagged Little Pill.” It’s indeed a messy album and messy was perfect for 2021. — Mark Kennedy

KANYE WEST, “DONDA”