Top 10 Best Pop Albums of the 1990s
#10: “Spice” (1996) Spice Girls
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Tell us what you want, what you really, really want. You want one of the best pop albums of the 90s? You got it with “Spice”. The debut album by the now iconic Spice Girls, was like a kick in the face to the music world – a kick with 8-inch platform boots! From “Wannabe” to “2 Become 1,” this album rejuvenated the girl group genre in a way that would reverberate across the industry for decades. With one catchy song after another, a “girl power” phenomenon was born. And it didn’t end there. The girls continued to spice up our lives the following year with the release of their second album, “Spiceworld”. And, to that we say, zigazig ah!
#9: “Ray of Light” (1998) Madonna
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Madonna has always been known as an artist willing and able to reinvent herself - and we’re not just talking about affecting a pseudo-British accent. While, prior to 1998, one would not have associated Madonna with electronica and techno-pop sounds, that all changed with the release of “Ray of Light” - an album considered by many to be a masterpiece. With the help of “Frozen” and the titular “Ray of Light” the album sold more than 16 million copies and earned Madonna six Grammy nominations, four wins, and a new generation of fans.
#8: “Tragic Kingdom” (1995) No Doubt
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There’s nothing tragic about this album - unless, by “tragic” you mean “great”. While hardcore No Doubt fans had been following the band since their debut album in 1992, it was their third album, 1995’s “Tragic Kingdom” which catapulted them into the pop mainstream. The first single off the album, “Just a Girl” was the band’s breakthrough. “Spiderwebs” got even more people stuck on the band, but it was the third single, “Don’t Speak” that got everyone talking when it reached the coveted top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
#7: “Millennium” (1999) Backstreet Boys
Released in 1999, “Millennium” by the Backstreet Boys helped send pop music into the next 1000 years on a high note - actually, more like on a five-part harmony with some well-choreographed dance moves. It may not have been “Larger Than Life” itself, but “Millennium's” sales numbers were certainly larger than most, selling 24 million copies globally and becoming certified platinum a whopping 13 times. The album also featured “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely” and one of the band’s most recognizable songs: “I Want It That Way”. The Backstreet Boys sure gave the people pop music the way they wanted it in 1999.
#6: “...Baby One More Time” (1999) Britney Spears
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Just a few months before the Backstreet Boys released their decade defining album on the pop world, a cute, former member of “The Mickey Mouse Club”, unleashed “...Baby One More Time”. The song, and the eponymous album made Britney Spears an instant pop music superstar. Besides just that one song, which Rolling Stone called the greatest debut single of all time, the album also gave us “Sometimes”, “(You Drive Me) Crazy”, and “Born to Make You Happy”. “...Baby One More Time” was Spears’ first step towards her eventual coronation as the Princess of Pop.
#5: “The Writing's on the Wall” (1999) Destiny's Child
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The first track, following the intro, is a song called “So Good”. And that’s exactly the words we would use to describe this album. “The Writing's on the Wall” was Destiny’s Child’s second effort, and the last with all four original members. It’s the record that launched the group into the world of pop music greatness, got fans “Jumpin, Jumpin”, and meant the girls would never again have problems paying their “Bills, Bills, Bills”. One thing is for sure: after the release of “The Writing's on the Wall”, everyone was saying Destiny’s Child’s name.
#4: “Let's Talk About Love” (1997) Celine Dion
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1997 would’ve been a great year for Celine Dion if the only thing she’d done was sing “My Heart Will Go On”. The song is one of the best selling of all time and has become synonymous with Dion and her vocal prowess. However, that hit was only part of the amazing year she had in ‘97. The other part was her 5th English-language studio album, “Let's Talk About Love”, which sold over 31 million copies around the world. Unbelievably enough, that was about 1 million fewer copies than her previous album, “Falling into You” sold the previous year. Talk about being “the queen of all good hearts”!
#3: “Mariah Carey” (1991) Mariah Carey
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We had a vision of pop music we love from the 90s and it was Mariah Carey. The high-note hitting diva released her self-titled debut album in 1990 and hit the Billboard high notes as well, with four of the album’s five singles going to number one. Including “Visions of Love” and “Someday”. In total, Carey would put out seven albums in the decade and we just can’t leave without talking about her fifth one, “Daydream”. Released in 1995, it featured the mega hits “Fantasy” and “One Sweet Day”, and also earned Carey six Grammy nominations, one of which was “Album of the Year”.
#2: “Come on Over” (1997) Shania Twain
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With Grammy awards, multiple number one hits, and over 40 million copies sold, Shania Twain’s 1997 album, “Come on Over” sure does impress us much. And while “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” might not be able to get Sheldon Cooper to dance, most of us aren’t quite as iron-willed whenever we hear it. The album was a musical revelation - taking Twain out of the confines of country music and setting her on the path to becoming the “Queen of Country Pop” - a title that the unimaginable success of “Come on Over” no doubt had a lot to do with. We’d even go so far as to say that, in the annals of great country-pop albums, “Come on Over” is still the one! Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “'NSYNC” (1997), *NSYNC Who Can Forget the First Time They Heard JT & the Guys? “My Love Is Your Love” (1998), Whitney Houston Houston’s 4th Album Saw Her Mature as a Singer & Performer “Life thru a Lens” (1997), Robbie Williams Yup, This Is the One With “Angels” on It “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” (1993), Sarah McLachlan A Truly Beautiful & Emotional Musical Journey That Stands the Test of Time “On the 6” (1999), Jennifer Lopez J. Lo Sure Had Our Love After This Great Debut Album
#1: “Dangerous” (1991) Michael Jackson
With 1982’s “Thriller”, Michael Jackson had, what could be argued as the best pop album of the 1980s. And, with the release of “Dangerous” in 1991, he planted his flag at the top of a new pop music decade. Jackson came out hard with the record’s debut single “Black or White” going on to become the best-selling single of 1992. The solid grooves didn’t stop there. He followed it up with a number of outstanding tracks, from “Remember the Time” to “Jam” featuring a rap break by none other than Heavy D. While the album was generally well-received at the time, in the decades since, it’s only seen an increase in its critical and popular appreciation.