Local Spins wants your picks for best albums of 2018

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Local Spins readers: Send us your choices for best albums or songs of the year; we’ll publish the lists and enter your name in a Local Spins gift drawing. We’ve included some ‘best music’ lists to inspire you.

A 2018 Favorite: Janelle Monae, who played 20 Monroe Live in July, shows up on many a critics’ list of the year’s top albums. How about yours? (Photo/Anthony Norkus)

Choosing the best releases in a given year can be a tricky proposition for critics – and a bit aggravating for fans when pundits choose albums by obscure artists they’ve never heard of or overlook recordings they’ve admired.

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So Local Spins wants to give you, the fans, listeners and readers the opportunity to spotlight the 2018 albums and EPs that kickstart your engines, keep you revved up and sit at the top of your playlist rotation.

What were your favorite albums of the year – national and local – and why are these recordings so special?

Another Popular Critics’ Choice: Kacey Musgraves’ “Golden Hour”

Send us your Top 5 best albums (or songs) of the year and tell us why they deserve attention, and we’ll publish those lists over the holidays at Local Spins and put your name in the hat for a special gift giveaway.

Here’s the format: List the name of the artist and the title of album or song, followed by a line or two as two why it’s on your Top 5 roster. Email your list to john@localspins.com by noon Dec. 24.

Then, sign up for the Local Spins email list and we’ll randomly select one reader’s name for a special Local Spins gift package that features local music, gift cards, a Local Spins T-shirt and more Local Spins swag.

We’ve even included some links to other lists below to give you some ideas if you need them. And because we’re “Local Spins,” we’d love to see some local and regional artists cited, too. Check out some Local Spins reviews of 2018 albums by Michigan artists.

Oh, and don’t worry: We’ll also be publishing our annual “best of” lists by Local Spins staff and West Michigan musicians later this month so you can compare your notes with others connected to the music scene. Check out last year’s picks.

Consider it our way of spreading some musical good will.