2021 was an exceptional year for Canadian music — here are my picks for the 10 best albums of the year from Canadian artists
By: Isaac Fontes
2021 was a year full of ups and downs, as COVID-19 continued to plague all of our lives for yet another year. One thing that always helps me to stay sane is music, and I know I’m not alone in that sentiment. I was able to listen to a lot of albums this past year — many of which were created by Canadian artists.
Our representation in the music industry remained notable, as some of our biggest stars continued to dominate the airwaves with hits like Justin Bieber’s “Peaches” and Alessia Cara’s “Sweet Dreams.” However, some of the best Canadian music to come out this year was from some lesser-known artists. Edmonton-born Cadence Weapon took home the 2021 Polaris Music Prize for his political album, Parallel World, artists like Rochelle Jordan and Chiiild continued to shine in their respective lanes, and artists like Charlotte Day Wilson and Mustafa dropped their impressive debut albums. Here are my picks for the top 10 Canadian albums of 2021.
10. Certified Lover Boy — Drake
Drake’s highly-anticipated sixth studio album, Certified Lover Boy, wasn’t generally well-received upon its release in the early morning hours on Sept. 3. After months of delaying its completion, the hype for CLB was bigger than ever, especially after the release of Scary Hours 2, a 3-song EP that perfectly encapsulated Drake’s versatility as an artist. It seemed as though his legacy was on the line — his last universally loved project was 2015’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. With that being said, Drake is at the point in his career where he’s so big that music critics and fans alike can’t help but look for flaws in his newest releases, which are certainly present on CLB. The tracklist is bloated and it does contain its fair share of rather corny moments (“Girls Want Girls.”)
But now that the hype has settled and we’ve had a few months to sit with the album, it’s time to admit that it’s a very solid offering from Canada’s biggest superstar, over a decade into his career. It was a safe and calculated release, sure — the main critique of the album being its lack of risk-taking, but he followed a similar formula as past albums, which has historically worked for him. All in all, CLB has all of the elements of classic Drake; hits (“Way 2 Sexy”), an introspective intro (“Champagne Poetry), underrated R&B cuts (“Pipe Down,” “N 2 Deep,” “Get Along Better”), and great bars (“7am On Bridle Path,” “You Only Live Twice”).
9. soft thing — LOONY
Scarborough’s own LOONY is one of Canada’s best emerging voices. soft thing serves as her impressive debut project, showcasing her soothing voice and relatable lyrics. soft thing’s eight track, 24-minute runtime makes for an easy listening experience; her soulful vocals take listeners on a ride through candid relationship struggles and vulnerability. LOONY starts the project off being afraid of letting her guard down (“beg”) to accepting love (or lust) by the album’s close; “I could recognize you in a faceless place,” she gently sings on the outro. LOONY is candid, honest and relatable, as she shines on her second full-length release of her career.
8. TAO — Shad
If you’re a Canadian hip-hop fan, you know that Shad is one of our country’s greatest emcees. 16 years into his career as a rapper, he returned with his first album in three years. The album’s title, TAO, translates to “the way” in Chinese and also serves as an acronym for “the abolition of,” a nod to the C.S. Lewis book The Abolition of Man. “Each song on the album is about a different part (or parts) of our humanity/humanness we’ve slowly been losing touch with,” Shad wrote on the album’s Bandcamp page. Standout tracks like “GOD,” “Work” and “Black Averageness” are both thought-provoking and riveting. The entire album showcases Shad’s mature lyrical ability, as he further cements himself as one of the best Canadian rappers to ever touch a mic.
7. Hope for Sale — Chiiild
Montreal-based band Chiiild’s 2021 album, Hope for Sale, is their second project in as many years. Throughout the album, they continue to be a genre-bending band, as they effectively blend elements of pop, indie, R&B and soul. On “Awake,” one of the project’s standouts, they link up with British Jamaican R&B singer Mahalia for a smooth, sensual track. A psychedelic instrumental, “13 Months of Sunshine,” serves as an interlude that’s perfectly placed in the middle of the album; breaking up the listening experience, and merging the band’s musical influences. xSDTRK’s calming vocals blend with the mostly upbeat production throughout the entirety of the album for a wonderfully balanced listen.
6. Play With the Changes — Rochelle Jordan
Toronto’s Rochelle Jordan took a nearly seven-year hiatus from music, only releasing a few singles between 2014 and 2020. She returned this year with her first full-length release since 2014, with her familiar yet refreshing style of R&B. Simply put, Play With the Changes is 12 tracks of polished, moody and eclectic R&B music. The electronic-inspired production provides the perfect atmosphere for Jordan to shine through her silky vocals. The album opens with “LOVE U GOOD,” on which she connects with a lover on a personal level; “I know what you feel, so misunderstood / I know what you feel, when no one could.” The production will make you dance and her voice will make you melt — it’s a must-listen for any R&B fan.
5. Parallel World — Cadence Weapon
Each year, the Polaris Music Prize is awarded to the best Canadian album of the year “based on artistic merit without regard to genre, sales history or label affirmation.” In 2021, the prize deservingly went to Cadence Weapon for the beautifully bold Parallel World. Political themes are at the forefront of the album, as he calls out politicians; “Mayor Tory doesn’t ride the bus / Or ride a bike or ride for us / So how can he understand what we want?“ Doug Ford is the target in the following bars on “Skyline” — “Ford Nation’s for the corporations / But he don’t care about the public / Whenever we ask for what we need / They say there’s no room in the budget.”
Weapon raps with immense purpose, as he uses his experiences as a Black Canadian to address themes of systemic racism, police profiling and even the internet’s evasiveness in our society. His lyrics are meaningful, his voice is powerful and the production is complex, experimenting with aspects of trap and grime, making for one of the year’s most powerful hip-hop releases.
4. I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES — Backxwash
On I LIE HERE BURIED, Backxwash unleashes her deepest thoughts and some of the most sincere rage you’ll ever hear. There are no boundaries in either her lyrics or the production she raps over. The album’s atmosphere and subject matter are dark, as she blends horrorcore, punk, metal and hip hop into her own unique sound. She raps and screams, on the verge of self-destruction, but there’s beauty in the madness. Her sometimes worrisome lyrics serve as her form of expressive rage, as she uses her personal experiences as a transgender Black person to express her frustration with society’s norms and transphobia from people in her life.
She forces listeners to enter her world. On “WAIL OF THE BANSHEE,” it feels as though we’re a fly on the wall as she struggles internally; “My mind’s stuck in a torture chamber, it’s locked and dangered / Coats and hangers, ropes that dangle for all to witness.” Through the noise, explosive vocals and distorted production is an artist wanting to be heard, yet it never feels as though she’s interested in shock value. I LIE HERE BURIED is simply one of the best examples of music being used as an expressive outlet by an artist.
3. Phoenix — Charlotte Cardin
One of the most underrated pop albums of the year belongs to Montreal’s Charlotte Cardin. The album begins with the title track, “Phoenix,” on which she immediately reinvents herself; “You told me you love me / I said it back, I didn’t mean it / I had to burn everything that I was / Just to come back like a phoenix.” This sets up what is to follow, which is Cardin’s personal journey navigating through relationships and finding herself as a person. She addresses love and heartbreak in empowering ways, resulting in an album that not only demands your attention, but deserves it. She closes out the album in French with “Je Quitte,” an optimistic ending; “Je quitte / Mais je ne te quitte pas.”
2. ALPHA — Charlotte Day Wilson
2021 was a big year for Charlotte Day Wilson. Her 2019 track “Mountains” was sampled on Drake and Travis Scott’s “Fair Trade” on CLB, and she finally released her debut album. She’s been making music since 2016; her first release on streaming services was “Work,” her most streamed song to date. Since then, she has consistently but quietly been one of Canada’s most talented artists, releasing singles and two EPs over the years.
The rollout for ALPHA began in 2020, when she dropped the album’s first two singles, “Take Care of You” and “Summertime.” The album showcases Charlotte’s incredible songwriting abilities, touching on themes of longing, relationships and finding her identity as a queer person. On “If I Could,” she sings to her past self; “I’d bathe you / Wash you of the sins that plague you.” It was a long lead-up to the release of ALPHA, but well worth the wait. It’s clear that Charlotte is here to stay.
1. When Smoke Rises — Mustafa
The cover of Mustafa’s debut album, When Smoke Rises, is a photo of him alongside his late friend and fellow Halal Gang member Smoke Dawg, who was tragically murdered in 2018. The album was made in his honour, and expresses themes of loss and grief. These are themes that are all too familiar to Mustafa and his artistic expressions, dating back to his spoken word poems under the name Mustafa the Poet. In 2019, he directed “Remember Me, Toronto,” a film featuring artists from different neighbourhoods in Toronto talking about violence in the city and how they want to be remembered. Drake was even featured in the film, helping to highlight the Toronto hip-hop scene and the severity of the city’s violence. Mustafa’s message has always been the same, and he has always used his platform to educate and unite.
On his debut solo project, he expresses his pain from losing friends to senseless violence, seamlessly transitioning his delivery from spoken word to singing. On the album’s opener, “Stay Alive,” he addresses his community in a sincerely heartwarming way; “Just put down that bottle, tell me your sorrows / I care about you, fam.” The album’s production is minimal, allowing for Mustafa’s struggles of dealing with violence to take centre stage; “I’m too young to feel this pain,” he sings on “Seperate.” When Smoke Rises was not only one of the best releases of 2021, but also one of the most impressive debuts in recent memory. His lyrics will stick with you — he makes it abundantly clear that he’ll do everything in his power to keep his brothers’ names alive; “I’ll be your empire.”
