Sharing my favorite music from this year. Below is the shortlist. You can view the longer write-up here.
Youtube & Spotify Playlists:
Best Songs 2023
- Cleo Sol – Only Love Can Wait
- Zach Bryan – East Side of Sorrow
- Victoria Monet – Cadalliac (A Pimp’s Anthem)
- Navy Blue & Budgie – To Fall In Love
- Sylvan LaCue & Xavier Omar – Distractions
- Fuerza Ragida & Grupo Frontera – Babe Dame
- D2X – Dreams of a Teenage Adolescent
- Brent Faiyaz/Coco Jones – Moment of Your Life
- Jim Legxacy – Mileys Riddim
- Kendrick Lamar & Baby Keem – The Hilbillies
- Madison Ryann Ward – Keep Forgiving
- Earl Sweatshirt/The Alchemist/Vince Staples – Mancala
- Jungle – Dominos
- Braxton Cook & Marquis Hill – The Same
- MIKE & Earl Sweatshirt – Plz Dont Cut My Wings
- Ed Sheeran – Life Goes On
- JPEGMafia/Danny Brown – Burfict!
- Eslabon Armado/Peso Pluma – Ella Baila Sola
- Nourished by Time – The Fields
- NxWorries (Anderson Paak and Knxwledge) – Daydreaming
- Tori Kelly – Missin U
- Dave/Central Cee – UK Rap
- Victoria Monet – On My Mama
- Jamila Woods – Backburner
- Samara Joy – Tight
- Sampha – Spirit 2.0
- Fred Again & Obongjayar – Adore U
- Cleo Sol – Old Friends
- Derric Gobourne Jr. – Until (Intro)
- Jeff Rosenstock – Doubt
Best Albums 2023
- Cleo Sol – Gold
- Navy Blue – Ways of Knowing
- Earl Sweatshirt/The Alchemist – Voir Dire
- D2X – Hotel 1105
- Jamila Woods – Water Made Us
- Braxton Cook – Who Are You When No One Is Waching?
- Victoria Monet – Jaguar ll
- Sampha – Lahai
- Ric Wilson/A-Trak/Chromeo – Clusterfunk
- Madison Ryann Ward – A New Thing
- Noname – Sundial
- Cleo Sol – Heaven
- Overmono – Good Lies
- Mick Jenkins – The Patience
- Tori Kelly – tori
- Nas – Magic 2/Magic 3
- Kelela – Raven
- Kali Uchis – Red Mood in Venus
- Brandee Younger – Brand New Life
- Asake – Work of Art
- Nourished By Time – Erotic Probiotic 2
- Terrace Martin & Alex Isley – I Left My Heart in Ladera
- Zach Bryan – Zach Bryan
- Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!
- Jim Legxacy – HNPM
- JPEGMafia/Danny Brown – Scaring the H…
- Burna Boy – I Told Them
- Jordan Ward – FORWARD
- Andre 3000 – New Blue Sun
- The Juju Exchange – Jazz Rx
Songs Honorable Mention
Mac Demarco – Fooled by Love
Tyler the Creator – Heaven To Me
Beyoncé – My House
Tego Calderon – La Receta
Jungle – Back on 74
Tyla – Water
Coco Jones – ICU
Don Toliver/James Blake – Let Her Go
PinkPanthress/Ice Spice – Boys a Liar Pt. 2
Earl Sweatshirt – Making the Band (Danity Kane)
Madison Ryann Ward – Faded Dreams
Injury Reserve – Double Trio/Bye Storm
Boygenius – True blue
RxNephew – The UnderDog
Megan Thee Stallion – Cobra
Kirk Franklin/Chandlar Moore/Jonathan McReynolds/Jekalyn Carr/Tori Kelly – Again
Babytron/Lil Yachty/JID – Half Doin Dope
André 3000 – “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a “Rap” Album but This is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me ThisTime”
Don Omar – Sincero (Salsa)
Asake – Amapiano
Albums Honorable Mention
Black Thought & El Michaels Affairs – Glorious Game
MIKE – Burning Desire
Jungle – Volcano
Khamari – A Brief Nirvana
Jayda G – Guy
Everything But the Girl – Fuse
Ausar – I Know Now
Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
Janelle Monae – The Age of Pleasure
Nas – Magic 2/Magic 3
Yussef Dayes – Black Classical Music
Jay Worhty/Kamaiyah/Harry Fraud – The Am3rican Dream
The Typecaster 