The Hits Radio's Top 10 Albums of 2012!

We're very proud to present the 10 best albums of 2012! Have your say about the countdown in the comments section below!

! 10. Bruno Mars ‘Unorthodox Jukebox’ Hawaii’s finest musical export lit up the music world with his BRIT Award winning debut album ‘Doo Wops & Hooligans’ last year and thankfully his second record ‘Unorthodox Jukebox’ far from disappoints! Led by the funk-tastic and slightly raunchy ‘Locked Out Of Heaven’, the hyper-eclectic album melds soul, pop, reggae and R&B to dazzling effect. Better still it’s all glued together by Bruno’s sonorous, soulful and inimitable voice. Expect the album to spawn yet more big hits in 2013!

! 9. Rihanna ‘Unapologetic’ Before ‘Unapologetic’ had even been released, the biggest pop star on Planet Earth had already stole endless column inches thanks to its ultra-raunchy artwork. Much more than a marketing gimmick though, the music the album contained proved to be worthy of the media hype! Guest spots from Eminem, Chris Brown and David Guetta all lived up to their big name billings while the Sia Furler penned lead single ‘Diamonds’ is a pop masterclass. The surprising highlight though is upcoming Mikky Ekko collaboration ‘Stay’ which ranks one of the Bajan superstar’s greatest moments yet. Is there any stopping Rihanna?! We seriously doubt it…

! 8. Labrinth ‘Electronic Earth’ In February 2010 Mr Timothy McKenzie (aka Labrinth) exploded onto the scene co-writing, producing and performing on Tinie Tempah’s thunderous smash ‘Pass Out’. Two year’s on and he finally dispatched his own electrifying debut album ‘Electronic Earth’. An album that really has everything, it has moments of poignant beauty (‘Beneath Your Beautiful’), electro-grime carnage (‘Earthquake’), breezy summer anthems (‘Let The Sun Shine’) and slick R&B synthpop (‘Last Time’). ‘Electronic Earth’ really is as essential as a heartbeat.

! 7. Rita Ora ‘Ora’ Personally signed to Roc Nation by the best talent spotter in the business - Jay-Z – Rita Ora proved that she was worthy of all those Rihanna, Beyoncé and Aaliyah comparisons with her storming debut album ‘Ora’. Featuring songwriting and production credits from the likes of Sia, Chase & Status, Diplo and Switch, it’s a huge record that peaks with smash hit singles ‘How We Do (Party)’, ‘R.I.P.’ and the colossal DJ Fresh collaboration ‘Hot Right Now’. Roll on Rita’s Radioactive Tour in February!

! 6. Emeli Sandé ‘Our Version Of Events’ A natural successor to Adele’s ‘21’, Emeli Sandé’s immaculate debut album oozes class from start to finish! Never wavering in its brilliance, there are highlights aplenty from the Massive Attack-esque sweeping strings of ‘Heaven’ to the beautiful ‘Clown’ to the anthem of positivity ‘Mountains’ and the joyous ‘Next To Me’. Penned entirely by Emeli herself and all delivered in her flawless, unique voice, ‘Our Version Of Events’ mapped the Scottish songstress out as one of the decade’s great new musical talents. Little wonder it’s the best selling record of 2012! ****

! 5. Justin Bieber ‘Believe’ Three months after he turned 18 in March,** Justin Bieber unleashed the greatest album of his career – the amazing ‘Believe’. A musical tour-de-force of infectious pop, slick R&B grooves and some seriously sick collaborations (Drake, Ludacris, Big Sean and Nicki Minaj), it’s an album that showcases Justin’s maturity yet doesn’t stray too far from his teen-pop roots. Ace singles ‘Boyfriend’ and ‘Beauty and a Beat’ are obvious high points but there’s so much more to this album! **

! 4. Little Mix ‘DNA’ Last year’s X Factor winners kept us waiting until the end of November for their debut album ‘DNA’ but, boy, was it worth the wait! Opening with the sing-along anthem ‘Wings’, the album gains momentum with the totes amazeballs electro-pop title track before jumping effortlessly between emotional heartbreak ballads, polished grooves and breezy beats. It sounds like the best bits of Girls Aloud, TLC and The Saturdays all mixed together into one breathtaking package.

! 3. Taylor Swift ‘Red’ One of the biggest stars in pop music Stateside, ‘Red’ is the album that has finally propelled Taylor Swift into the big time in the UK! Featuring the best breakup anthem of the year – ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ – and with guest spots from Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody (‘The Last Time’) and Taylor’s close chum Ed Sheeran (the beautiful ‘Everything Has Changed’), ‘Red’ is a flawless album that perfectly melds pop, country and indie music.

! 2. Olly Murs ‘Right Place Right Time’ Three years on from being thrust into the limelight on The X Factor and Essex’s prodigal son Olly Murs has delivered the album of his career! As lead singles go, they don’t get much better than the highly catchy Flo Rida collaboration ‘Troublemaker’ but if you thought that was a one-off you’d be massively wrong. A sure-fire future number one contender ‘Army Of Two’, for example, is a pop stomper complete with military drums and a massive chorus, while ‘Dear Darlin’, complete with its sweeping strings and trip-hop beats, is genuinely moving. Your record collection really would be a poorer place without ‘Right Place Right Time.’

! 1. One Direction ‘Take Me Home’ Picking up where they left off with the 3-million selling international chart-topping debut ‘Up All Night’, One Direction delivered pop perfection with their second album! Staying true to their teen-pop roots with tracks like the triumphant lead single ‘Live While We’re Young’ and the infectious ‘Kiss You’, the lads also show a new found maturity with the tender, Ed Sheeran penned ‘Little Things’ and gorgeous closer ‘Summer Love’. Polished and packed with ace tunes, ‘Take Me Home’ has astonishingly made 1D’s millions of fans love them even more!