The 10 Best Albums of 2022

And … we’re back? Despite a lingering pandemic and fears of a grim recession, the year in music was a party. After the doldrums of the social-distancing days, superstars and art kids alike finally unleashed albums that were like overstuffed grab bags—jumbled, generous, even happily tacky. The outburst of kinesis and creativity was oddly unifying. Whereas 2021 invited each listener to search for personal paths out of limbo, the music of 2022 sent us running up the same hill.