The Menu: Top 5 21st Century Bibles
What makes an album a Pop Bible? SAINT sets out to define the records that become reference points for pop itself, before counting down his five defining Pop Bibles of the 21st century.
SAINT counts down his five Pop Bibles of the 21st century, from In the Zone to his number one.
What actually makes an album a “Pop Bible”? SAINT unpacks what the title means, how a record earns it and what separates a great pop album from one that becomes a blueprint for pop itself.
FutureSex/LoveSounds by Justin Timberlake (2006)
Conceived by Justin Timberlake and Timbaland as Thriller 2006, FutureSex/LoveSounds doesn’t just chase pop dominance - it embodies it. Where Thriller projects authority through a desperate ambition, FutureSex/LoveSounds exudes effortless self-possession. From “SexyBack” onward, Timberlake isn’t asking to be the biggest pop star alive; he already sounds convinced that he is.
Episodes
#3 | More Life (2017) by Drake
Drake’s vision of world pop. Looking at how diasporic Black pop went next, More Life was onto something.
BONUS | “It’s Not Worth It” by Brandy
Michael Jackson makes a secret appearance on Full Moon, providing backing vocals on Brandy’s “It’s Not Worth It.”
#2 | Full Moon (2002) by Brandy
It’s pop maximalism. Brandy and Darkchild pushed vocals, production and R&B about as far as they could go.
#4 | Loud (2010) by Rihanna
The pop era that came to define the sound and look of the 2010s.
WILDCARD | Ungodly Hour (2020) by Chloe x Halle
They had a tennis court and a dream.