Billboard 20 张 2019 最佳专辑封面！
The 20 Best Album Covers of 2019
by Billboard Staff
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Kehlani, 'While We Wait'
Kehlani’s reflection in the mirror mirrors how she reflects on her life. In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1, she described While We Wait as “my parents’ story articulated into mine, articulated into a gift for my daughter, so she knows where she comes from.”
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Maggie Rogers, 'Heard It in a Past Life'
Maggie Rogers’ faded outdoor portrait shot by Olivia Bee imbues an ethereal impression connected to nature. Most of the songs on her debut studio album are rooted in earthy sounds and scenic lyrics, such as “Alaska” and “The Knife.”
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Anderson .Paak, 'Ventura'
The strips of tape and creases in the folded black-and-white image of .Paak with his second son Soul Rasheed create an intimate cover for "Ventura," titled after the city in California -- a central theme for his studio albums. “Growing up in Oxnard gave me the grit and the church to find this voice of mine. One town over, I went further and found my depth,” he said in a statement about how this album compares to his previous project "Oxnard," which was recorded at the same time as "Ventura."
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Bad Religion, 'Age of Unreason'
The punk rockers provided a stark visual for "Age of Unreason" to complement the political commentary heard in their songs. “This album is our best shot at an angry but clear-headed response to a f---ed situation,” said co-songwriter and guitarist Brett Gurewitz in a statement about America’s qualities of liberty, truth and reason being “under attack.” The Roman bust hints at the historic fall of the Roman Empire and parallels the band’s fear of the current state of America.
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Billie Eilish, 'When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?'
Eilish’s spooky image feels like a scene out of a nightmare or a horror movie, and her love of scary flicks helped her sketch ideas for this cover. Photographer Kenneth Cappello said he liked “the darker side of things” concept-wise and described how the 18-year-old singer-songwriter used contacts to make only the whites of her eyes show (“She goes all in on everything,” he said) for the eye-catching image, according to MTV News.
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Boogie, 'Everythings for Sale'
From the bright-red church doors and matching outfits to the stark white of the coffin, the album artwork for "Everythings for Sale" carries a lot of weight. Shot by Zora Sicher, the doomed photo peeks into the Compton rapper’s darkest thoughts, death wishes and hopes to live better. The image’s style correlates to the interlude on “Tired/Reflections,” which features a reporter announcing a developing crime scene following a gunshot.
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Chance the Rapper, 'The Big Day'
Chance the Rapper's album cover for "The Big Day" is simple and nostalgic. The shallow depth of field allows the viewer to focus on the CD and its uniqueness while still being able to make out the familiar hometown backyard. The artist, Sara Shakeel, primarily creates crystal-infused imagery and we think this is a great use of it for album art.
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Cub Sport, 'Cub Sport'
The tenderness portrayed in this cover by keyboardist-vocalist Sam Netterfield’s hands caressing bandmate and husband’s Tim Nelson’s sun-kissed face is a snapshot of Cub Sport’s music video for “Party Pill.” In the song, Nelson confesses the story of when and how he fell in love with his partner. “I hope this can be an inspiration to y’all far and wide to let love in and live without limitation,” Netterfield shared on Instagram.
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DaBaby, 'Kirk'
DaBaby dedicated his debut album to his father, who died earlier this year. The photo, an archival image of him as a baby held by his dad is the ultimate tribute to him. "Kirk," their surname, as the album title further pays homage to his beloved father and lineage.
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Gucci Mane, 'Woptober II'
Gucci Mane does it again. This time, his album cover sets him in a massage parlor. The bright flash brings out the colors of the scene and props in the photo. This came from an actual Gucci campaign he starred in. The clever use of greens and purples in the frame from the curtain to the massage table and telephone gives it a very vintage feel.
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Jade Bird, 'Jade Bird'
Jade Bird’s eponymous debut studio album features a dreamlike portrait of the artist by obscuring every detail on her face with a blue, purple, pink and orange hue. The British singer-songwriter took the same indefinite approach with the songs on the album. “It changes in style, like most of my music, and tries to dodge boxes and genres but the consistency is me -- a young woman really trying to figure it out,” she said in a statement.
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King Princess, 'Cheap Queen'
This is a simple cover, but an effective one. It is a simple portrait of King Princess shirtless and taken against a plain background, but the use of drag makeup adds that pop of color and pulls you in. The image chosen for "Cheap Queen" surely speaks louder than any words can. The softness around the frame complements the pale skin tone and background color.
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Lizzo, 'Cuz I Love You'
Lizzo sits confidently as she poses nude against a minimalist setting, so the audience only sees her. She has been vocal about body image and positivity and her journey of finding love in herself, which is why we think this is the perfect photo choice for her album cover.
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Missy Elliott, 'Iconology'
Days after she was announced as the recipient of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, Missy Elliott dropped a surprise EP titled "Iconology" -- but that’s not the word on the artwork spectators have been mesmerized by. It’s “Missy” spelled out in the twists and turns of her long braided hair.
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Nina Nesbitt, 'The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change'
Nesbitt’s pink-hued nude portrait delicately covers her up with water lilies, as her body remains submerged in a glistening pool. Her natural shot by Wolf James felt straight out of the “botanical garden” she transformed her bedroom into after printing inspiration from Pinterest. “I had the creative idea of the water and lotus artwork since I was 21 (!!!) and coming together with Debbie helped bring it to life,” the now 25-year-old artist wrote on Instagram.
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Allday, 'Starry Night Over the Phone'
The album title plays on Vincent Van Gogh’s oil painting "Starry Night Over the Rhône," which features the reflective yellow lights from the stars bleeding into the European riverbank. This time around, Allday’s third studio album artwork interpolates that dramatic imagery from the quay with a blurry image of fireworks going off in a quaint neighborhood, spurting red and yellow sparks that bleed into the night sky.
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Sigrid, 'Sucker Punch'
Despite its title, Norwegian pop artist Sigrid’s debut album artwork blows viewers away with its delicate flower petals scattered across the canvas. The lightheartedness of the image contrasts the melodic, pulsating bursts in her music.
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Solange, 'When I Get Home'
Max Hirschberger’s stunning portrait of Solange hints at the Afrofuturistic details embedded within the album, especially within the meticulously lavish accompanying visual that streamlines all 19 tracks into a director’s cut film. In an interview with Complex, co-director Jacolby Satterwhite described Afrofuturism as a practice “to avoid the politics of oppression and to disembody yourself into another place and really find home.” "When I Get Home" overall pays homage to Solange’s hometown of Houston, Texas.
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Taylor Swift, 'Lover'
This photo, shot by Valheria Rocha, marks a new era for Swift -- one filled with pastel colors, like the cotton-candy sunset sky and glitter heart eyes. Her cheeky, romantic image sets the mood for the album’s songs, such as “You Need to Calm Down” and the title track.
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Young Thug, 'So Much Fun'
Thug’s fresh, picturesque cover molds exactly 803 copies of the rapper to form his profile based off an impromptu picture of him taken by his creative director Be EL Be, according to Genius. It hits all the subtle little details, from the tattoos looking like they were dug in the ground to the mowed section of the slime-green lawn spelling out "So Much Fun." The album artwork designer Fano said the cover art was initially inspired by the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.