“Mysterious, Earthen, Messy”

Take a look at the cover art. The album really does feel like an assortment of creatures huddled near a campfire on a cozy evening, passed ‘round a guitar, and laid it all bare.

A few musical notes – James Krivchenia’s drumming throughout is excellent (and easily overlooked). Adrianne Lenker has a can’t-tear-my-ears-away kind of voice. And every note Buck Meek plays feels in its right place.

I will forever associate this album with an Upper West side baby grand Steinway. And a London bus ride from Dalston to Stokey. Overall, it’s a huge breakthrough from a band that was patchy for me in the past. Most listened to album of the year. 

“Supreme, Fun, Brash”

I love dance music. Plain & simple. And this is that. In fact, it’s that with flying colors. Try not to dance to this album. 

Moreso than any other artist putting out music right now, Beyonce’s can put her finger right on the cultural Zeitgeist; but do so without coming across as mainstream.

So, to me, RENAISSANCE sounds like less of a novel contribution and more of a round up of the most popular dance music that’s been released over the past ten years. Except she just does it ~5% better. She is the pop star of our generation. Sorry, TSwift .

"Inventive, Chaotic, Evocative”

Oh really? So it’s gonna be a three way tie for best album of 2022? Yes. This album is just too good to leave out.

Rosalía’s willingness to reference, meld, steal and create new genres is what separates Motomami from the rest of 2022’s releases. Is it Reggaeton? Jazz? Flamenco? Rap? I’m truly not sure.

Rosalía grew up in Catalonia, and was trained as a traditional Flamenco singer. And while her insane vocals remain core, she’s evolved to cultivated a global style and following. It’s so cool to watch when an artist takes real risks we all find out that somewhat inexplicably they resonate. I cannot wait to see what she does next.

"Genius in action”

Genius boy doing genius things. 

On his most recent tour, Jacob Collier played a cover a night: solo, piano, never before performed, unrehearsed. 

The improvisation brings levity. Jacob seems almost as surprised as the audience does by each insane harmonic twist and turn he discovers.

Mom & I caught his stop at the Boston House of Blues, and participated in an emotional rendition of Billy Joel’s So It Goes (not featured on album)

“Raucous, Confident, Driving”

Have we heard this all before? Sure. But does that make it any less satisfying? Absolutely not.

Marcus King brings one part Gary Clark Jr., one part Sturgill Simpson and two parts the Allman Brothers Band.

But the key differentiating ingredient on Young Blood is that Dan Auerbach production. Can’t wait to see where this career goes. He was a blast to see live in New Orleans.

“Flying, Novel, Intricate”

A bizarre ride. This feels like what happens when two music nerds leave their basements for just long enough to find one another.

NOT TiGHT brings minimal, highly technical smooth Jazz / R&B fusion that’s driven primarily by a single keyboard and a tiny little drum kit. Shades of Hiatus Kaiyote and Snarky Puppy, but stripped way down. 

The level of musicianship is that high. And it’s those details that carry this album. S/O to Price for the rec. 

“Innovative Prolific Whistling”

“Oh I Can't Get Over This Moon,” the album begins. 

Bird’s not telling stories or providing commentary, so much as bearing witness to his own life. Indeed, the album feels like it emerged from a series of journal entries.

Inside Problems doesn’t hit quite as hard as Bird’s 2019 album, My Finest Work Yet; but it still shares that delicate quality that comes from carefully pulling together precious sounds and placing them into just the right spots:

The Violin plucks, the understated drum rolls, the subtle harmonies, the simple bass lines and, of course, the whistles. 

“Funky Country Watchout!”

A triple album? Hell, I'll listen to Tyler’s “Angel Band” as many times as he damn well pleases. 

With Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven, I’m afraid Tyler has officially taken over Sturgill Simpson’s place as my current favorite ‘country’ artist. And he owes a whole lot to Sturgill. 

Perhaps its telling that, for both artists – with their funky backbeats, range of instruments and willingness to experiment – it’s hardly fair to pin them down as ‘country’ musicians at all.

But when stripped down to their the heart, there’s still that “three chords and the truth” quality to each song

“Divine SE-African Energy”

This really pulls on the strings of Southeast African music that are pretty central to my music taste at this point. I can’t help but remember the soundtrack to my rides along the Garden Route from Cape Town out toward the Eastern Cape.

But in As Above, So Below, Sampa the Great has also  sprinkled cutting-edge American rap samples, beats and features on top of these regional sounds. (See Denzel Curry, Joey BadA$$, etc.).

The result? An album that crackles with energy.

“Floozy, Flubbery, Flabtastic”

This is probably the album on this list that’s gotten the least “play” in the broader commentary world. But I love it all 22 minutes of it.

In THE FUNK WILL PREVAIL, Anderson Paak meets George Clinton. But it’s all pulled together with a made-in-my-bedroom production style that reminds me of Dijon’s Absolutely (probably my fav album of 2021). 

The earnest naivety invites you to suspend your disbelief for just a lil’ bit. 

“Creative, Bold, Cool”

A smorgasbord of cool sounds. And melodies that stick with you. With an odd deconstructed production style, and an unconventional throughline.

Natural Brown Prom Queen exists somewhere between a DJ’d set at an underground party, an idiosyncratic Tiny Desk video, and a Destiny’s Child concert.

Sudan Archives is a strong self-taught violinist. And I love how that traditional sound grounds the inventiveness. But at times, I do get lost in the avant-garde-ness. Will the novelty wear off? Or will the next album bang harder?