Frank Ocean is popping up on almost every critics’ best-of-the-year list. And now he can add another accolade to his résumé. The “Thinkin Bout You” singer tops Entertainment Weekly‘s list of best albums of 2012 with his Grammy-nominated debut channel ORANGE, while Miguel and Kendrick Lamar also make the top 10. As far as the best singles of the year, EW makes some surprising selections with Solange, Meek Mill, and ScHoolboy Q.
Plus, find out which albums didn’t live up to the hype. Mariah Carey’s Meek Mill and Rick Ross-assisted single “Triumphant (Get ‘Em)” got panned by the magazine as a “sleepy misfire,” while Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded – The Re-Up was called “souless, lazy, and totally unnecessary.” Ouch.
See the full lists below.
Best Singles of 2012
1. Carly Rae Jepsen, “Call Me Maybe”
2. Gotye feat. Kimbra, “Somebody That I Used to Know”
3. Japandroids, “The House That Heaven Built”
4. fun., “Some Nights”
5. Taylor Swift,
”I Knew You Were Trouble”
6. Solange, “Losing You”
7. Meek Mill
feat. Drake, “Amen”
8. Alex Clare, “Too Close”
9. ScHoolboy Q feat. A$AP Rocky, “Hands on the Wheel”
10. The Lumineers, “Ho Hey”
11.
Icona Pop, “I Love It”
12. Kanye West feat. G.O.O.D. Music, “Mercy”
13.
Cat Power, “Cherokee”
14. Usher, “Climax”
15. The Black Keys feat. RZA, “Baddest Man Alive”
16. Sky Ferreira, “Everything Is Embarrassing”
17.
Ke$ha, “Die Young”
18. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, “Thrift Shop”
19. Chief Keef, “I Don’t Like”
20.
Grizzly Bear, “Yet Again”
Worst Singles of 2012
1. Muse, “Survival”
2. Mariah Carey, “Triumphant
(Get ‘Em)”
3. Train, “Drive By”
4. Fat Joe, “Instagram
That Hoe”
5. Chris Brown, “Don’t Judge Me”
Best Albums of 2012
1. Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE
2. Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser…
3. Japandroids, Celebration Rock
4. Miguel, Kaleidoscope Dream
5. Lord Huron, Lonesome Dreams
6. Killer Mike, R.A.P. Music
7. Django Django, Django Django
8. Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d. city
9. Chiddy Bang, Breakfast
Worst Albums of 2012
1. Christina Aguilera – Lotus
2. Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded – The Re-Up
3. Marilyn Manson – Born Villain
4. Hank Williams Jr. – Old School New Rules
5. Kreayshawn – Somethin’ Bout Kreay