Olivia Rodrigo
SOUR
I first hear of Olivia Rodrigo while watching and episode of Rick Beato on YouTube. Rick was giving a listen to the top 10 songs on Spotify and his reaction to hearing Drivers License for the first time grabbed me immediately. This was long before the entire album came out and I knew based on this one song that the album would make my list. My opinion is that Drivers License is the song of the year and it damn better win the Grammy award for it.
When the album came out I expected something so different that what we got. Incredible songwriting and a mixture of pop, rock and teenage angst emo. Yes, there has been some controversy over some of the songs drawing heavily on her influences. Some so much that they added writing credits for Taylor Swift and Paramore. But, isn’t that what rock and roll is about? Drawing on influences and making it your own. I know I’ve been guilty of drawing heavily on songs that have inspired me in my songwriting past. These songs are not complete rip offs. They are still very much Olivia Rodrigo penned songs and damn they are so good.
Female artist have dominated this year with great albums. At one point 80% of my list was fronted by female artists. I think it finished with close to 50% and this was definitely the best of them all.
Audio Allegro 