Inspirations for album cover

For my album cover I want something simple and effective. I started looking at things that are really plain but work very well and look good. I also started looking at black and white album art as I really like how black and white images have a good contrast.

This is the back cover for Bruno Mars' album. I liked this because it's plain and simple. It isn't too crowded or cluttered, and is very clear to read. The colours work well as they compliment each other, and overall it's a nicely presented cover.

These three album covers are what I collected for my black and white research. The first cover is Rihanna's. I like it because as well as being in black and white, it's has minimum other elements but still works well. The image alongside the "R" looks good and isn't too much to take in - it isn't over complicated.
The next album cover is Christina Aguilera's. I think it has the most contrast out of the three as the background is plain bright white and her outfit is pure black. It stands out and is extremely effective. I also like how the text looks like it's part of the wall, like it has been sprayed on.
The final cover, Beyonce's, is quite similar to the previous one but the image is more greyscale. Again, it stands out against the white background and the fact there aren't many elements makes more of a statement and looks more mature.
I hope to interpret some of these elements into my work as I think that they make the artwork more professional.