In 2023, I listened to 104 different albums from top to bottom for the first time, some old, eighty new. In this list are ten of the albums from this year that had me hooked. Either they dominated my Spotify wrapped, had me sitting in silence for an hour after listening, or they simply felt as though I’d always known them. Some I couldn’t set down, others I touched only once or twice. No matter how they came into my life or how long their stay was, their effect was noted.

10. Mitski, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

I would tell you how many times I’ve cried listening to Mitski’s most recent album, only it would be incredibly embarrassing and also I seem to have lost count. This project is a controlled loss of control of not only her environment and nature, but of her own mind as well. Through whispered lyrics and sweeping orchestration, Mitski conveys a world of constant change and chaos, the center of the storm being her own heart, the only thing she has (almost) complete control of. If you’ve ever escaped the nightmares around you through the arms of another, odds are you’ll cry here just as much as I have.

9. Yazmin Lacey, Voice Notes

By the time you get to “Sea Glass” at the end of Voice Notes, your soul will have long ago ascended to another realm. It happened to me, it happened to my roommate when I played it for her, and I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to avoid (but why would you want to?). Yazmin Lacey’s jazzy debut is carefully crafted to hold your mind from the first tweet to the last lap of a wave and pluck of a harp. The singer is a master of escapism, of building landscapes with her words and telling stories with a single note. You’re guaranteed to feel her soul engulf you for the hour you spend listening to her sing the type of feel good music that’s had people reaching for jazz for the last century.

8. Planet Giza, Ready When You Are

Something about the way Planet Giza creates music feels as natural as breathing, like it was always meant to be. The Canadian trio blends separate influences and voices so cleanly that it’s hard to believe there are several people begging to be heard all at once. Their second album, Ready When You Are, added itself to my top ten of the year within just a handful of songs because of this. Mainly R&B with undercurrents of hip hop, afrobeat, and jazz, the record is subtly cocky with their quiet confidence the main driving force for just how undeniably good it is.

7. Amaarae, Fountain Baby

If there’s a song I’ve gone back to more than any other this year, it’s “Reckless & Sweet”. This track was immediate proof that Amaarae has not only mastered the vibrant feelings of Afropop, but the allure of wealth, success, and emotional disconnect. There’s a constant thread of harp mixed in with the drums that are so prevalent in Afrobeat which creates somewhat of a fantasy world. Everything in Fountain Baby is expensive, shiny, and new, from the lush tone of her voice to the eloquent (yet often savage) words that drip like pearls from her lips. This is grandeur.

6. Genesis Owusu, STRUGGLER

By the time I was done listening to STRUGGLER for the first time, the only thought I had was that I couldn’t believe this album was real. The blatant overlap of rock and hip hop in the last couple of years has certainly grown in popularity, yet Genesis Owusu has managed an album completely in its own lane. From the floaty atmosphere of “See Ya There” to the funky electronic dance beat of “That’s Life (A Swamp)”, Owusu leaves the listener feeling fully satisfied. From track to track, it’s about as cohesive as an album can be while still providing a little taste of everything.

5. Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist, VOIR DIRE

I don’t think anyone who knows Earl or The Alchemist listened to VOIR DIRE for the first time expecting anything but the highest of quality, yet somehow I was still shocked by just how entrancing this album is. When I say that The Alchemist handed the world by far the greatest production of any album in the last couple years, I mean pure chills, static shock. This paired with the hypnotic flow that Earl always seems to convey made this joint album an easy candidate for one of my favorite albums of 2023. There won’t be anything that makes me feel like this for a long time, so I’m grateful its 27 minute runtime allows for easy repetition.

4. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown, SCARING THE HOES

It’s not rare when discussing the likes of JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown to come across those who believe that the artists create music with minimal replay value. Yet, nine months since its release, SCARING THE HOES continues to leave me questioning said people’s hearing. How is it possible that it’s been almost a year and I still feel like I’m listening to it for the first time during every revisitation? The answer is simply that the album is fucked. It’s fucked. JPEGMAFIA’s production has a mind of its own, bending and curving around Danny’s voice in a way that is so eerily natural you’d think they’d been working together since birth. The album is cold hard proof that making music for the sake of making music and not giving a fuck about critic scores, fan reactions, outside opinions, etc. is the only surefire way to create art that is truly unique.

3. Leon Thomas, Electric Dusk

Whether people are aware of it or not, Leon Thomas has been the heart and soul behind nearly every contemporary artist who’s dabbled in the art of R&B. He writes, sings, and produces, and it’s my opinion that he’s one of the only people in the music industry today who could claim to have the Midas touch. The second solo album from Thomas only continues his golden run. This project is full of expensive moments and struggles with indulging. It’s an ode to the early days of fame and life amongst the wealthy, the good the bad and the high strung. The singer’s voice is as silky as ever as he navigates a world of intoxication and tries to dive deep into a pool of shallow people.

Unrelated, but if you haven’t seen his cover of SZA’s “Snooze” (a song he both wrote and produced), you’re doing yourself a total disservice not clicking here.

2. BLK ODYSSY, DIAMONDS & FREAKS

Out of everything that 2023 has given the music world, my favorite takeaway has to be that funk influence is alive and well. While I’d heard BLK ODYSSY tracks like “Lay Low” and “GHOST RIDE” long before the release of DIAMONDS & FREAKS, it wasn’t until the 2023 album that I truly embraced the music (an understatement, giving he was my fourth most played artist of the year). The album is a handcrafted gift to the world with every single detail a personal artifact from singer Juwan Elcock. He details his personal relationships with both love and lust, using stories from his life to encourage the listener to evaluate their own relationship with the two. Behind his conflicted words is smooth production that oftentimes provides an angelic touch to otherwise sinful imagery. The result is addictive, and while Juwan continues to talk about the dangers of vices, I plan on continuing to hit play.

1. Q, Soul,PRESENT

If you’re in your twenties and you constantly find yourself hoping for a better future or wondering what the hell you’re doing with your life, Q doesn’t necessarily have the answers, but at least he gets it. Soul,PRESENT is the stunning evolution of a young man as he navigates the fear and anxieties of life in terms of love, success, and community. Only five years since his debut album, Thoughts, Q has come a long way from the acoustic heavy sounds of songs like “You” or even the slightly more electric 2021 hit “Take Me Where Your Heart Is”. Soul,PRESENT is a synth heavy, 80s pop rock inspired masterpiece on the continued trials and tribulations of youth. “Today” is possibly a top five song ever for me, with the greatest drum fill/beat switch to have ever graced my ears, so if you take anything away from this list it’s to put away thoughts of the future, press play on this album, and live in the music right now.

Full List: Top 25

Soul,PRESENT - Q
DIAMONDS & FREAKS - BLK ODYSSY
Electric Dusk - Leon Thomas
SCARING THE HOES - JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown
VOIR DIRE - Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist
STRUGGLER - Genesis Owusu
Fountain Baby - Amaarae
Ready When You Are - Planet Giza
Voice Notes - Yazmin Lacey
The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We - Mitski
MID AIR - Paris Texas
A Brief Nirvana - Khamari
MICHAEL - Killer Mike
The Patience - Mick Jenkins
Something To Give Each Other - Troye Sivan
falling or flying - Jorja Smith
UTOPIA - Travis Scott
Leather Blvd. - B. Cool-Aid
Larger Than Life - Brent Faiyaz
Masego - Masego
Lahai - Sampha
STILL PRETTY - Eem Triplin
GENERATIONAL CURSE - ICECOLDBISHOP
PANIC - TOBi
Free Samples, Volumes 1 & 2 - femdot.

Ten Favorite Albums of 2023