When ranking my 10 favorite albums, I want to make sure I set some parameters for my list. First, I do not want to include any one genre more than any other. I think my list would be somewhat boring if it had 8 alternative albums and 2 hip-hop albums, so it is something I want to avoid. Secondly, I want to include artists that I am familiar with. For example, the Beatles are one of the best bands of all time and Billboard had Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band listed as the best album of all time, but I am not that educated on the Beatles, so I have no opinions on whether or not that is true or not. So if you do not see artists like Pink Floyd or Bob Dylan on here, that is my reasoning behind it. Finally, I am not including any "Greatest Hits" albums. I love some of those albums dearly, such as those for Billy Joel, Montgomery Gentry, and the Beach Boys but including them would simply be unfair. With that being said, let's get into it!

10) Wild World, Bastille

In their second album, Bastille, a band from London, really showed their strengths. Most songs have a very heavy, yet catchy bass-line that are complimented very well by the powerful voice of their lead singer, Dan Smith. Every song on this album is very easy to listen to and the lyrics are very meaningful, with some songs highlighting politics ("The Currents"), relationships ("Good Grief") and internal conflicts "Send Them Off!"). Each song is different in its own way, and if you can pay attention to the lyrics over the great instrumentals, I think this is an album everyone could enjoy.

9) Doo-Wops and Hooligans, Bruno Mars

I could have easily chosen any Bruno Mars album to be on this list, but this one has to be my favorite out of all of them. Doo-Wops and Hooligans was his first studio album and set him on the path to stardom that we still see him on today. On every song, Bruno comes off as confident and strong, whether it be a love song ("Grenade" or "Just the Way You Are") or a swingy song made just to have fun on ("The Lazy Song"). The retro vibes on this album make it very appealing to people of all ages, and I personally enjoyed every song that he pun out on this track, giving it fantastic replay value.

8) Thriller, Michael Jackson

Understandably, this album has the most copies sold of ALL-TIME. Michael Jackson, aka the King of Pop, has countless hits, but this album, in my opinion, is his best. If any artist had songs like "Thriller", "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "P.Y.T." all on one album, you'd think it was a greatest hits album. But alas, Michael Jackson has them all on his album Thriller. He performs in his well-known fashion and gives off a groove-centered feeling on each song, while still remaining sharp and strong with his vocals. You really can't go wrong with this album, and it will be one of the best for generations to come.

7) "Awaken, My Love!", Childish Gambino

Holy funk. In the last year, this has been my absolute favorite album to listen to. If you do not know who Childish Gambino is, he is a rapper/singer who's real name is Donald Glover. He also acts in shows such as Community and Atlanta. Not only that, but he's also a stand-up comic; talk about a triple threat. For years at the start of his music career, Childish Gambino was a witty, intense rapper who had a lot of success with his first two albums. He had always shown off his singing voice but not as much as he has on this album. His vocals show great range on each song that are filled with smooth and funky rhythms that R&B lovers would adore. It has a real throwback feel to it and each song is filled with emotion and lyrics on social issues. I honestly listen to this album once a week just because of how great every aspect of it sounds, and I would suggest giving it a listen if you haven't already.

6.) Coloring Book, Chance the Rapper

Chance the Rapper covers issues that are very personal to him in his first album. Being honest, I did like Acid Rap better, but technically it's a mixtape, so you can imagine how high on my list that would be. Anyway, Chance tackles issues such as racism, his previous drug addictions, and the problems with the music industry, specifically record labels. To date, Chance is the only artist to win a Grammy (3, as a matter of fact) as an artist not signed to any record label. Everything he does is independent, and he really brings his own flair and style full force on this album. Chance's lyrics are meaningful and delivered flawlessly, making this one of my favorite rap albums to date.

5.) x Infinity, Watsky

I do not want to say too much about this one, as I have written about it in my first article, but Watsky is arguably my favorite rapper. He is very lyric-heavy in his style and always has a very deep message behind each and every one of his songs. x Infinity is his most recent and most experimental album yet, and I think that the risks he took on this album absolutely paid off. As a former poet, his word flow very well, conveying ideas on addiction, mental health, existential thoughts, and current events. There are a few songs on here that are upbeat and very fun to listen to, but I really enjoy the rest of the lyric-focused songs such as "Conversations" and "Chemical Angel." I know not many people are familiar with him, but he deserves to have more recognition.

4) Lukas Graham, Lukas Graham

If you want a fun album to listen to, I would highly suggest this one. With no electric or acoustic guitar, it has a very unique sound led by fantastic bass-lines, swingy piano riffs, punchy drums, it has quite the flamboyant brass section. All that coupled with Lukas Graham's powerful voice combine for a fantastic album. Graham comes off on every song as confident but emotional, which is a strange balance but one that I believe works very well in this case. He has motivational songs ("Take the World By Storm"), piano ballads ("7 Years" and "Funeral") and songs that just simply make you want to dance ("Strip No More"). As he sings his heart out on songs centered on the loss of his father, his journey afterwards, and the man he has become today, it is a fun but emotional rollercoaster of an album.

3.) Vessel, Twenty One Pilots

The duo known as Twenty One Pilots have never been afraid to tackle the tough subjects. They tackle very sensitive topics such as suicide/depression ("Car Radio", "Ode to Sleep","Goner"), religion ("Holding Onto You", "Trees") and personal relationships ("House of Gold", "Screen"). The lyrics are portrayed very emotionally through the voice of Tyler Joseph, the band's singer. They are all personal experiences of Joseph, which contributes to why he feels so strongly about every word he writes. The album features some very up-beat rhythms, led by Josh Dunn, but do not let those fool you. They may sound fun, but the lyrics are almost the complete opposite. The introspective side of the band comes out very strongly on this album, and if you like music that makes you think, this is the band and album for you.

2.) Title, Meghan Trainor

I assume that if any album seems out of place or is an album that people would probably disagree with, it would probably be this one. Is it a controversial album? No, but some of you may be confused as to why the hell it's this high up on my list. My honest answer to that question is that it's a guilty pleasure. We all have one, and this album is 100% mine when it comes to music. Every single song on this album has a doo-wop feel to it that makes you want to get up and move. Meghan Trainor has a beautiful voice that she uses on this album to sing about love and looking back on past relationships. She sings about the ups and the downs, even taking a stance that I haven't seen in a song where she thanks a boy for being such a gentleman, but apologizing that things did not work out as planned. Trainor also includes songs promoting confidence and realizing self-worth, a message a lot of people need and like to hear. Complain and question this pick all you want, but I cannot help but put it this high on my list.

1) Night Visions, Imagine Dragons

Right away, I knew where this one would be on my list. I struggled to put all the rest in order, but this album made my #1 choice very easy. In their debut album, Imagine Dragons immediately proved to everybody that they were hit-makers. Anyone who listens to this album will immediately recognize the most popular songs that appear on it, such as "Radioactive", "It's Time", "Demons", and "On Top of the World". Dan Reynolds, the lead singer of the band, provides bellowing, emotional lyrics on the songs that really give the tracks some extra oomph. Topics on the album include depression, patience, life lessons, and motivation to achieve success. With the wonderful instrumentals by the band members coupled with Dan Reynolds' strong but energetic voice, this album set the band on their road to mainstream success and set the bar for other rock and indie bands trying to break into commercial success.