Every year, I keep a running list of my favorite music albums in various genres, including folk, country, rock, alternative, pop, R&B and hip hop. This year, that list is 24 records and 20 songs from additional albums. To see that list, one can go to my personal blog. This list pulls from that blog to represent my absolute best of 2023.
10. HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT? by Teezo Touchdown - He's a 31-year-old, alternative rapper from Texas. His real name is Aaron Lashane Thomas. He says his influences are Rick James and Prince. This is his debut also. It didn't get a lot of great reviews, but the presence of artists like Janelle Monáe really connect for me. There's an experimental aspect to his record. He's worked with such rappers as Tyler, the Creator and Travis Scott, as well as Drake, so he's got those connections to boot.
9. THE SHOW by Niall Horan - The 29-year-old used to be a member of One Direction, a boy band formed by Simon Cowell in 2010, which rose to be one of the biggest behind *NSync and Backstreet Boys. Horan went solo in 2017. This is the third album from the Irish pop star. It's his best reviewed as some critics note his move away from classic rock to more ballads and synth sound.
8. ELECTROPHONIC CHRONIC by The Arcs - This is the second album from the garage rock band, formed by Dan Auerbach, the guitarist and vocalist from The Black Keys. I've enjoyed a couple of the albums from The Black Keys, which has been up for Best Rock Album several times before. In particular, Auerbach has a blues sound that I really enjoy. This album did get good reviews but has flown a bit under the radar.
7. PETALS TO THORNS by D4vd - His real name is David Anthony Burke, a 18-year-old from New York who's now based in Texas. He's best known for his song "Romantic Homicide," which he released in 2022. It went viral on TikTok. He reportedly recorded the song in his sister's closet. He released a second song, "Here With Me," that also went viral that same year. He's also notable for his work in the video game and e-sports space.
6. JAGUAR II by Victoria Monét - This is also her debut album. She's a bisexual, R&B singer from Atlanta. She's gotten recognition in her career from working with artists, such as Ariana Grande and Chloe x Halle. She's up for seven Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, Record of the Year for "On My Mama," Best R&B Song, Best R&B Performance for "How Does It Make You Feel," Best Traditional R&B Performance for "Hollywood," Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album. Her producer, Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II is up for Producer of the Year.
5. DRUNK ON A FLIGHT by Eloïse - This is the debut album for the London-based pop singer-songwriter. She's only 23. The cover of her album is Eloise smoking a cigarette, which might be appropriate, given how some critics have compared her sound to a kind of smoky jazz, even though it's mostly a pop record. Her single "Giant Feelings" is probably my favorite track.
4. THE RETURNER by Allison Russell - She's up for four Grammy Awards, including Best American Roots Performance, Best Americana Performance, Best American Roots Song and Best Americana Album. For those who don't know what Americana music is, it's similar to folk music but uses a predominance of electric instruments, as opposed to mostly acoustic instruments. Russell is a queer Canadian of color who has been nominated in several of these categories before and is one of the few artists of color to rise in the folk/country music space.
3. ENDLESS SUMMER VACATION by Miley Cyrus - She's up for six prizes at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Solo Performance for "Flowers," Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with Brandi Carlile for the song "Thousand Miles," and Album of the Year. One of her queer songwriters, Justin Tranter is also up for Songwriter of the Year for her song "River."
2. BARBIE THE ALBUM by Various Artists - The record is the first to have three songs on the Top 5 of the singles charts simultaneously. The album has been nominated for 11 Grammy Awards, including Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. Four of its songs were nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media, including "I Am Ken," performed by Oscar-nominee Ryan Gosling. Of all of its songs, the stand-out has been "What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish, which is up for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Song Written for Visual Media and Best Music Video.
1. WORLD MUSIC RADIO by Jon Batiste - Most people became aware of Jon Batiste when he became the leader of the house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in September 2015. His fame was further elevated when he won the Oscar for Best Original Score for Soul (2020). His talent and celebrity were cemented when he won four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, for We Are (2021). If anyone has seen the documentary about him, American Symphony (2023), then one can see the influences for this album, which is a combination of styles from Native American, Classical and even R&B / Hip Hop. Batiste fuses all those styles so wonderfully.
