Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Idol Chatter / Voice Views 2015 in Review series started yesterday with a look at the Top 5 videos of the year from former contestants on The Voice.

Today, let’s turn our attention to the albums and EPs released over the past year.

More than 50 past singers from the show released one or the other in 2015.

And while they might not have soared to the top of the Billboard 200, it isn’t because the music wasn’t worthy.

Below are my picks for Top 5 albums or EPs from the past year.

Want to check out the complete list and listen to a song from each one? Just follow this link.

Now, the Top 5 …

5. Meghan Linsey, “Believer”

Anyone who doubted Meghan’s ability to transition from country music to a more soulful sound after finishing second on Season 8 of The Voice … well, the title of this EP says it all. Dang, Meghan. Did she sound this great back in her Steel Magnolia days? The second I listened to this EP, I knew it would make this list, even though it was released back in August. Below is one of my favorites from the EP. You’ll hear another tomorrow on my best songs of 2015 list.

4. Juliet Simms, “All of Nothing”

She has the most distinctive female rock voice ever to grace The Voice stage. She should have won Season 2. And this year, she delivered her long-awaited post show EP, six tracks that hit iTunes in late January. There’s not a weak link on the EP, and anyone who listened to Juliet during her Automatic Loveletter days won’t be surprised that she sounds just as great on hard-charging rockers as heart-wrenching ballads.

3. Archis (Dia Frampton), Archis EP

After finishing second on the first season of The Voice, Dia released a pop album called “Red” with its share of highlights. But she returned in 2014 as Archis with a new musical partner, producer/composer Joseph Trapanese. In February, they released a debut EP featuring an entirely new sound. Wow. Six great tracks and Dia never sounded better. The best news? New Archis music is coming in early 2016.

2. Kat Robichaud, “Kat Robichaud and the Darling Misfits”

Kat hoped to deliver a “theatrical rock explosion” with her post-Voice debut and succeeded with a wonderfully different and diverse album that far exceeds her previous projects as front woman of The Design. I could start listing the standout tracks on her first solo venture, but by the time I was finished, nearly every song would be on the list. So just do yourself a favor and give the album a listen.

1. Melanie Martinez, “Cry Baby”

How could I not celebrate one of the most ambitious post-Voice albums to date? Melanie shares the story of her “Cry Baby” character as she endures a dysfunctional family life, falls in love, experiences heartbreak and rebounds to — in Melanie’s own words — embrace “the crazy for sure.” “Cry Baby” topped Billboard’s alternative albums chart when it was released in August and its debut at number six on the Billboard 200 was the best yet by a singer featured on The Voice.

See also …
All 2015 music videos by singers from The Voice
2015 albums and EPs released by singers from The Voice
Top 5 Voice videos from 2014
Top 5 Voice albums from 2014
Top 15 Voice songs from 2014