20 late-career albums that were surprisingly great

To loyalists of the Dead, the band totally sold out with its first studio album in six years. Led by the poppy "Touch of Grey," which reached No. 9 on Billboard's Hot 100, was the group's only top-40 single, and featured a produced music video, In the Dark peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It also earned double-platinum status. For better or worse, in the eyes of Deadheads, In the Dark expanded the band's fan base by introducing itself to a new generation.

Pink Floyd released the final four studio albums of the band's run following its smash The Wall from 1979. The best of the bunch was A Momentary Lapse of Reason, the first in the post-Roger Waters era of the group. Paced by MTV-favorite "Learning to Fly," the upbeat "One Slip," and beautifully moody "On the Turning Away," A Momentary Lapse of Reason reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States (while topping out at the same spot in the United Kingdom charts) and brought the band some renewed mainstream success around the globe. 

The record revived Cash's career nine years before his death. Produced by Rick Rubin, American Recordings featured Cash originals such as "Let the Train Blow the Whistle," "Delia's Gone," "Drive On," "Redemption," and "Like a Soldier." In addition, the album features gems written by Nick Lowe ("The Beast in Me"), Kris Kristofferson ("Why Me Lord"), Glenn Danzig ("Thirteen"), and Tom Waits ("Down There by the Train"). The album sold more than 230,000 copies and opened the door for a series of American Recordings projects to be released before and after Cash's death.

Released as a double album on vinyl, Time Out of Mind proved to be a resurgence for Dylan's work. That's in terms of critical acclaim, which had waned some during the 1980s. At the time, it was just the second record of original work the legendary artists released in the 1990s, but long been considered one of Dylan's best albums within his entire Hall of Fame catalog. It's an album about perspective, notably for someone late in their career and life. Thanks to memorable gems "Not Dark Yet," "Tryin' to Get to Heaven," and "Make You Feel My Love," Time Out of Mind won three Grammys Awards, including Album of the year.

Looking to revive his career after spending time without a record label, Carlos Santana hooked up with Clive Davis and Arista and thus began the beginning of the band's successful second wind. A massive mainstream hit for Santana, the pop-rock-tinged Supernatural went 15 times platinum, spent 12 straight weeks atop the Billboard 200, won a record nine Grammy awards, and introduced Carlos and his band to an entirely new generation of fans. Of course, collaborating with the likes of Rob Thomas (on "Smooth," which also spent 12 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100), Lauryn Hill ("Do You Like the Way"), and Dave Matthews ("Love of My Life") certainly helped. 

The Go-Go's have released just four studio albums of original material during their Hall-of-Fame career. The most recent (as of 2023) marked the band's first record in 17 years. God Bless the Go-Go's was well worth the wait. Sure, it didn't sell as well as any of the band's previous three records, but "Unforgiven," which guitarists Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey co-wrote with Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, received solid airplay and is a well-polished tune. Meanwhile, the empowering "Throw Me a Curve" and seemingly autobiographical "Daisy Chain" are two of the more underrated aspects of the album.

After being formed following a diagnosis of lung cancer, Zevon took to the studio to record what would be his final studio album, arguably the most respected and celebrated of his stellar career. As Zevon came to terms with his health and impending death, he delivered some touching and truly emotionally impactful tracks. "Disorder in the House"  is a duet with Bruce Springsteen that earned a Grammy Award. The sentimental "Keep Me in Your Heart" and a chilling version of Bob Dylan's "Knocking on Heaven's Door" stand out. The album was released two weeks before Zevon's death on September 7, 2003, at age 53.

It's rather hard to imagine that Stevie Wonder has not released a studio album since this 2005 gem. A Time to Love proved that even late in his musical career, Wonder delivered a strong product. Notably, some of his works in the 1980s and 1990s alienated those die-hard fans while sounding schlockier than his 1970s classics. "From the Bottom of My Heart" won Wonder his fourth Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Meanwhile, the title track featured India.Arie and Paul McCartney on guitar. Prince played the instrument on the album's first single, "So What the Fuss."

This was Mitchell's 19th and final studio album. It was certainly a strong way to cap her legendary musical career — at least when it came to putting out records. Now, some of Mitchell's later albums were also strong, and 2000's Both Sides Now won a pair of Grammy Awards. But Shine is a stellar project. It debuted and peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard 200. Album opener "One Week Last Summer" won the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, while the lullaby-like title track and an updated version of her 1970 classic "Big Yellow Taxi" remain the highlights.

This is the 14th and second-to-last studio release before this legendary alt-rock quartet called it a career. It was a welcomed return to the group's folksy, even new-wavish roots, with a stripped-down sensibility that sheds any hint of experimentation — something missing from previous studio projects Reveal (2001) and Around the Sun (2004). Accelerate debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, thanks to the impact of tracks like the rollicking "Supernatural Superserious" and underrated "Until the Day is Done." For those who might have abandoned R.E.M. following 1996's New Adventures in Hi-FI and the departure of drummer Bill Berry, Accelerate is worth reuniting with the band.

AC/DC's first studio release in eight years was the longest such gap for the band between original material albums. Produced by Brendan O'Brien, who has famously worked with the likes of Pearl Jam and Bruce Springsteen, Black Ice peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spawned four singles, led by the undeniably AC/DC "Rock 'n' Roll Train." That tune and the album each earned a Grammy nomination; meanwhile, the unheralded "War Machine" won the same Best Hard Rock Performance award. When discussing AC/DC's post-The Razors Edge (1990) work, Black Ice certainly tops the list.

Bush's 10th studio album was her first of original and new tracks in six years. Though she also released Director's Cut in 2011, which featured previously released songs from her catalog. So, obviously, 50 Words for Snow was warmly welcomed by fans and critics for the new songs she gifted the music world. Bush's maturity from that 19-year-old who reached surprise stardom in the late 1970s has always been praised. That continued on this album, which featured just seven songs. The opening "Snowflake" features Bush's son, Albert, while "Wild Man" remains the most mainstream accessible song on the album.

With Clockwork Angels, we have the 19th and final studio album from Rush. In terms of the Rush hierarchy of work, Clockwork Angels probably does not rate top-10 consideration, but for this late in the band's remarkable career, it remains an ambitious and concise concept album. Much like many of those records from the second half of Rush's career, Clockwork Angels likely is not lauded by die-hards of the band, but it received steady critical praise. It can be argued that the late Neil Peart's lyrics were as strong as ever. Bookend tracks "Caravan" and the severely underrated "The Garden" are solid examples of that notion.

This release coincided with Bowie's 69th birthday, two days before he passed away at age 69. Blackstar should go down as one of the great swan songs in music history. It won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, while the exemplary title track took home the same honor for both Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song. One of the more unheralded tracks on the album is "Lazarus," which was fitting since Bowie recorded these songs while dealing with liver cancer. Which essentially stunned the music and entertainment world when the announcement of his death was made in the aforementioned wake of the record's release.

Much like the scenario of David Bowie's Blackstar release, Cohen's 14th studio album was released 17 days before his November 7, 2016, death at 82, reportedly from a combination of cancer and a fall in his Los Angeles home. Due to his rather weak condition and lack of mobility, Cohen recorded You Want It Darker at his home. It's one of the folk-rock legend's most stripped-down and haunting efforts. Filled with memorable acoustic moments, You Want It Darker was a fitting personal farewell. The posthumous Thanks for the Dance was released in November 2019.

We mentioned the brilliance of David Bowie's parting gift. Toss this final studio album from the heralded Tribe in the ring among the best final offerings. Featuring appearances by Kendrick Lamar ("Conrad Tokyo"),   Jack White, and even   Elton John ( "Solid Wall of Sound"), just to name a few. It must be a special piece of music. That said, pretty much anything Tribe put out was appointment listening. We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service was released 18 years after the band's previous studio album — 1998's The Love Movement. This was the hip-hop legends' second album to top the Billboard 200.

Following the disaster that was 2003's St. Anger and subsequent rebound with Death Magnetic (2008), Metallica officially redeemed itself with Hardwired... to Self-Destruct. Though better produced, the band returned to its speed/thrash metal roots. It was the sixth straight Metallica record to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. "Hardwired," Moth into Flame," and "Atlas, Rise!" each more than hold their own with just about anything the band released since 1986's Master of Puppets. Hardwired... to Self-Destruct was also nominated for Best Rock Album Grammy. 

McCartney was notably praised for his songwriting on Egypt Station, the 17th studio album of his legendary and iconic career. The belief that he could still write at such a high level some 60 years from when he first started writing music seemed to captivate critics at the time. Then again, this is Paul McCartney that we're talking about. The double A-sides of "I Don't Know and "Come On to Me" should be considered a 1-2 punch highlight of the album, while "Happy with You" is a pleasant acoustic treat. "People Want Peace" is somewhat of a modern-day anthem that McCartney delivers with subtle brilliance. 

This was The Boss's 20th studio album and most recent original material. Since 2012's Wrecking Ball, Springsteen's studio releases have been relatively solid, but Letter to You, released in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed along the lines of the aforementioned Time Out of Mind from Bob Dylan and Warren Zevon's The Wind — featuring themes of aging and mortality. The title track, "Last Man Standing," and the beautifully haunting "I'll See You in My Dreams" are examples of those topics. However, the star of the record is the rocking "Ghosts," which has the vibe of his Born To Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and The River days. 

Sure, there was plenty of head-shaking when the title track from Raitt's most recent album took home the 2023 Grammy for Song of the Year. She topped the likes of more universally popular artists like Beyoncé, Adele, Taylor Swift, and Harry Styles for that honor. That said, Just Like That... is another tremendous effort from Raitt, who also won the Best Americana Performance Grammy for "Made Up Mind," the lead single from this record. At age 73 and after 18 studio albums, Raitt isn't slowing down.