Featured Album Releases: December 2013

Yesterday the world was stunned when Beyoncé pulled a fast one on the media and released her fifth studio album-simply entitled Beyoncé-straight to iTunes with no promotion or notice as she continues to tour the world as Mrs. Carter. The album features a cast of her esteemed peers including husband/hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, daughter Blue Ivy, and featured artists Justin Timberlake, Frank Ocean, and Pharrell, among others.

Aside from Bey, December has been a pretty exciting month for album releases. Check out the slideshow below for some of our favorites (as well as a flop or two).