The New York Times - Louder: The Best of 2020

December 18, 2020

By Caryn Ganz

Pop Music Editor

OK, it’s finally time for (Dave Grohl voice) the best, the best, the best of 2020 — that’s albums, songs and jazz albums — plus the critics explaining their selections in a Popcast, Giovanni Russonello’s essay on how improvised music rose to meet challenges over the past 12 months, and Ben Sisario’s fascinating profile of the man trying to disrupt the rare area of the music business that saw bigtime growth this year — publishing deals — Merck Mercuriadis of Hipgnosis.

Jon Caramanica reflected on what country music asked of Charley Pride, Nashville’s first Black superstar, who died of complications of Covid-19. Jon Pareles wrote about how the Bee Gees documentary showcases the band’s extraordinary skills of adaptation, and how “Break It All,” a Netflix series on Latin rock, explores the politics roiling beneath the guitars. Wesley Morris listened to a Philadelphia radio station counting down the 2,020 greatest songs ever.

And the Popcast team convened a Saturday night session to discuss Taylor Swift’s “Evermore.” (We all made our own edited, sequenced versions of Swift’s two quarantine albums; naturally I am partial to my own.)

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Best Albums of 2020

Isolation was unavoidable this year: Some albums embraced it, some raged against it, some tried to imagine a world without it.

By Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica and Lindsay Zoladz

Clockwise from left: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images North America (The Weeknd); MTV, via Associated Press (Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga); Christopher Gregory for The New York Times (Bad Bunny)

Best Songs of 2020

Tracks responding to real-time events and a spectrum of moods captured the hodgepodge feelings of life in lockdown.

By Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica and Lindsay Zoladz

Clockwise from center: Nicole Fara Silver for The New York Times; Nina Westervelt for The New York Times; Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images; Elijah Ndoumbe

Best Jazz Albums of 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic halted live performance, the lifeblood of the genre, but a run of powerful albums — and standout debuts — provided respite, and hope.

By Giovanni Russonello

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Chris Cornell Estate

The Best Albums of 2020? Let’s Discuss

An absence of live music refocused attention on records, and work by Fiona Apple, Taylor Swift and Run the Jewels spoke loudly.

2020 IN REVIEW

Suzie Howell for The New York Times

This Man Is Betting $1.7 Billion on the Rights to Your Favorite Songs

Merck Mercuriadis thinks songwriters deserve more credit — starting with blockbuster paydays for their catalogs. But not all artists want to sell out.

By Ben Sisario

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The Year in Improvised Music: ‘Everything’s Changing. So the Music Should.’

The pandemic compressed live music onto screens, and Black Lives Matter protests brought it back to the streets. What will it all look like, and sound like, in 2021?

By Giovanni Russonello

CHARLEY PRIDE

Laura Roberts/Invision, via Associated Press

Those we’ve lost

Charley Pride, Country Music’s First Black Superstar, Dies at 86

He began his career amid the racial unrest of the 1960s and cemented his place in the country pantheon with hits like “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’.”

By Bill Friskics-Warren

Bettmann Archive, via Getty Images

Critic’s Notebook

What Country Music Asked of Charley Pride

The singer put himself on the line to become the genre’s first Black superstar. He died on Saturday not long after performing at a largely mask-free awards ceremony.

By Jon Caramanica

THE CRITICS

Taylor Swift’s ‘Evermore’: Let’s Discuss

A second album written and recorded during pandemic lockdown carries the singer and songwriter further from conventional pop.

Critic’s Notebook

How the Bee Gees Stayed Alive

The HBO documentary “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” traces the decades-long arc of a band that mastered a rare pop skill: adaptation.

By Jon Pareles

‘Break It All’ Celebrates the Oppositional Energy of Latin Rock

A new six-part Netflix series explores half a century of music under pressure.

By Jon Pareles

Critic’s Notebook

What Are the Greatest 2,020 Songs Ever? Philadelphia Is Deciding

The Philly radio station WXPN polled its listeners and is revealing their choices in a marathon show. “I treasure the folly of it,” our critic writes.

By Wesley Morris

critic’s notebook

Mariah! Dolly! Carrie! 2020 Can’t Quarantine This Cheer

Pop stars try to pull off a Christmas spectacular in tough times, with three sparkly but heartfelt specials now on streaming services.

By Lindsay Zoladz

The Playlist

14 Largely Skeptical, Somewhat Unconventional Holiday Songs

Hear tracks by U.S. Girls, 100 gecs, Big Freedia and more.

By Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica and Lindsay Zoladz

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Harold Budd, Composer of Spaciousness and Calm, Dies at 84

Known for his collaborations with art-pop artists like Brian Eno and Cocteau Twins, he created a signature sound suspended in reverberation and drone.

By Steve Smith

Noah Creshevsky, Composer of ‘Hyperreal’ Music, Dies at 75

He built his musical works from myriad sampled sounds, including noises from the street as well as voices and instruments. He was also a respected teacher.

By Steve Smith

NEWS

The Charts

Shawn Mendes Hits No. 1 for the Fourth Time

The pop-rock singer and songwriter’s latest album, “Wonder,” debuted at the top a week before Taylor Swift’s surprise “Evermore” arrives on the chart.

By Ben Sisario