The Rock & Roll Globe Top 40 Albums of 2023

If you’ve been reading this site for the last five years, you know that we cast a wide net with our music coverage here at the Rock & Roll Globe.

Our former troll on the site’s Facebook page used to chide us for not covering white classic rock all day every day. I told him that’s not how we roll, and if he didn’t like it to tell his story walkin’. For us, rock ‘n’ roll is more than a sound or a style – it’s a state of mind. And all 40 of these selections, regardless of genre, each one captures the power of rock in their own distinctive ways.

Rock ‘n’ roll is about freedom of choice, and it is our editorial prerogative to seek its spirit wherever we find it. And in 2023, these 40 albums selected here signify what excites us, challenges us and reminds us why we are in the business of covering music.

We can only hope this list will lead you on a listening adventure beyond your regular sonic diet. Thank you for reading.

 

40. Samantha Fish and Jesse Drayton Death Wish Blues (Rounder Records)

A new kind of blues explosion went down in 2023 with this powerhouse collaborative album between Samantha Fish and Jesse Drayton for the esteemed Rounder Records. Recorded at Applehead Studios in Woodstock, NY with the God Jon Spencer producing, Death Wish Blues is a fuzzy, freaky reminder of what made the electric blues revival of the 1990s so vital as Fish and Drayton trade off impassioned vocals and greasy, gnarly guitar licks on rockers like “Down in the Mud,” “Riders” and “Lover on the Side.” The duo also excel at a softer side as well on the soulful “No Apology” and the album’s tearful closing number “You Know My Heart.” For those in search of real ballsy, bluesy American rock ‘n’ roll, don’t sleep on Death Wish Blues. – Ron Hart

 

39. Screaming Females Desire Pathway (Don Giovanni Records)

Earlier this month, fans got the bummer news that New Jersey’s Screaming Females were calling it a day after 18 years. The silver lining is that they went out in good form. Desire Pathway packs a lot of rock action into its 33 minutes. Guitarist Marissa Paternoster throws in all the crunch, fuzz, powerhouse riffs and soloing one could want, with strong vocals to match. Drummer Jarrett Dougherty and bassist Michael Abbate provide the exact backing a power trio like this needs. It’ll be interesting to see where Paternoster goes from here, her recent solo work was more atmospheric and restrained, eschewing guitar heroics entirely. As it stands, she and the band went out on a strong creative streak, cementing themselves as one of the best (and most criminally underrated) bands of their generation. – Kara Tucker

 

38. Travis Scott UTOPIA (Cactus Jack)

This entry been giving me a little trouble, because as a dude Travis Scott seems like a guy who gives zero shits about the safety of his fans. But as an artist, this man is a visionary in the way by which took trap music and transformed it into his own version of art Rock, continually pushing the boundaries of what constitutes hip-hop. And Utopia finds him going further in his goal, bringing the likes of Beyoncé, SZA, 21 Savage, Westside Gunn and James Blake among others along for the ride. Plus there is a Maggot Brain callback. – Ron

 

37. Margo Price Strays (Loma Vista)

Price hasn’t been gathering moss. Fresh off putting out her memoir, she and husband/collaborator Jeremy Ivey went to work on what became Strays. The final result is the strongest album of her career so far — empathetic and unsparing (“Lydia”), lustily classic rock (“Light Me Up”), engagingly poppy (“Radio”), bluesy (“Change of Heart”) and sounding like the clarity of a comedown after a desert all-nighter. And she wasn’t done, expanding the album into Strays II in October with nine more songs, any of which had enough of musical evolution and terrific songwriting to have fit smoothly on the original. If Americana straddles genres, Price is both rockstar and whipsmart country queen. At the end of the day, she’s one of the best without being beholden to any genre. – Kara

 

36. Queens of the Stone Age In Times New Roman… (Matador Records)

This year, Josh Homme turned 50 and averted a cancer scare. He also helped usher in the best QOTSA album since the criminally underrated Lullabies to Paralyze with the final chapter of the band’s Matador trilogy. They might have tried to go dance on the Mark Ronson-assisted Villains in 2015. But In Times New Roman… grooves so much more than that record, finding this decade-strong lineup of Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen (guitar, lap steel, keyboard, percussion, backing vocals), Michael Shuman (bass guitar, keyboard, backing vocals), Dean Fertita (keyboards, guitar, percussion, backing vocals) and Jon Theodore (drums, percussion) returning to the tightness of Rated R and Songs for the Deaf with some of the catchiest material the band has penned to date. And Homme’s lyrics have never been more balanced with humor and insight, especially on the barreling “Paper Machete” and the epic, nine-minute closer “Straight Jacket Fitting.” This isn’t leaving my car any time soon. – Ron

 

35. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Weathervanes (Southeastern)

Isbell’s 2023 was a reminder that sobriety is an ongoing process (an HBO doc that showed getting clean doesn’t erase human flaws) and an ongoing gift. Starting with 2013’s Southeastern, the best creative run of Isbell’s career has gone hand-in-hand with the absence of drugs and drink. Full of character portraits and eyes wide open observations of modern life and its sometimes fucked-up realities, Weathervanes lives in those moments, as well as those right after when you can just breathe before taking stock. This lived-in gem isn’t just a statement to Isbell’s ongoing strengths as a writer and performer. It’s also a testament to the importance of having the 400 Unit at his side, as indispensable to hims as the Heartbreakers were to Tom Petty. – Kara Tucker

 

34. Slowdive everything is alive (Dead Oceans)

This enduring British envelop-rock band couldn’t have picked a more appropriate title for this album, their first in six years. Slipping into its grooves is akin to immersing yourself into the polar opposite of a sensory deprivation tank – something more akin to a sensory overload tank, with sounds, emotions and physical sensations coming at you from all directions. There’s more tension than release here, in part because the band moves with conscious deliberation through songs like the slow-building opener “Shanty” and the uncharacteristically minimalist “Prayer Answered.” The tone throughout is longing, melancholic, but with a sense that (despite Richard Thompson’s remonstrances) there is something at the end of the rainbow. That belief, perhaps brought on by both co-pilots Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead having lost parents during the album’s making, comes through most clearly on “Alife,” a gorgeously shimmering piece that brings to mind a 21st century return of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood. Yes, Slowdive is known as one of the foundation pieces of shoegaze, but everything is alive is a testament from a band willing to lock eyes with the audience, and offer everything it has inside. – Deborah Sprague

 

33. Gina Birch I Play My Bass Loud (Third Man Records)

Few things are more heartwarming than a 68-year-old punk bassist / painter / filmmaker rediscovering the studio as her playground. Emphasis on “play”; the prerogative of Birch’s solo debut is f-u-n as you can see from the videos. From Breeders-honoring alt-rock to dub reggae, these songs are defined by her commitment to the groove as much as the concept, which is often narrated more than sung. The political content is plainspoken: “I Will Never Wear Stilettos,” “Feminist Song,” “Pussy Riot.” But it’s always there, even in the title tune, which employs no fewer than five women on bass. And the funniest track, “Big Mouth,” is a polycule comedy of errors. – Dan Weiss

 

32. JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown Scaring the Hoes (Peggy)

The most innovative hip-hop album of the year has its moments of wordsmithing — I’m partial to Danny’s “eat your ass like I’m Canibus.” But in a world where most rap is selling me a person(ality) rather than music-as-music, this is a proud production-first tour de force. An unpredictable fun house of noise-rap, drum’n’bass, FlyLo-ready jazz on the same song as Auto-Tune, samples ranging from gospel to “Milkshake” (a deliberate troll move after Kelis rebuked Beyoncé) and titles like “Garbage Pale Kids” and “Jack Harlow Combo Meal.” The best kind of mess, which would’ve languished as a cult item if year-end compendia didn’t come around to it one-by-one because there was just so little competition. – Dan

 

31. Sparks The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte (Island Records)

Credit the Mael brothers with good timing, matching their recent creative upswing with a return to Island Records, the label where they kicked off chart success in England and enduring cult status in the U.S. with 1974’s Kimono My House and Propaganda. The Girl is Crying in Her Latte is full of Sparks trademarks, the humor (“When You Leave”), the keen social observation (“We Go Dancing”), catchiness (the title track) and all three at once (“Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is”). Throw in a good deal of heart to be found as well (“Escalator” and “Veronica Lake”). Over 50 years into their career, Sparks remain as sharp and tuneful as ever, deserving of their loyal audience. – Kara Tucker

 

30. Low Cut Connie Art Dealers (Contender Records)

Full disclosure: My band’s first real shows were opening for my friend Adam Weiner and his ever-expanding company in their native Philly. Not that the New Yorker’s 2020 Pandemic Person of the Year needs my endorsement, when E. John, B. Springsteen, and B. Obama are three of his biggest fans. But Weiner’s commitment to utopian classic rock has transformed Low Cut Connie from the best bar band in the world to the best live act that you can see for under $50, period. I’d be lying if I said the studio versions of “Big Boy,” “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know,” “Are You Gonna Run?” and so forth were the best ones I heard this year. But continuing to fill his oeuvre with clever, muscular, empathetic albums is how a “song and dance man” survives to kill another show. And the Asbury-ready “King of the Jews” is how a classic rocker gets to claim no precedent when he juxtaposes “deep feeling for the rhythm and blues” with “motherfuckers got to pay their dues.” – Dan

 

29. Kelela Raven (Warp Records)

In the cool blue electronic settings constructed by her raft of collaborators, including Yo Van Lenz, LSDXOXO, and Kaytranada, Kelela weaves a warm spell with her voice on Raven. More the flesh than the ghost in the machine, that voice is a remarkable instrument, combining lightness and strength like carbon fiber. While it’s been six years since Take Me Apart, her acclaimed debut album of avant R&B from 2017, nothing about Raven feels labored. And while finely crafted, it also feels weightless, as if she’s just taking her place at the forefront of R&B without even trying. Before Raven’s release, Kelela gave a hint of what was to come in an interview with Rolling Stone, where she declared, “Raven is my first breath taken in the dark, an affirmation of black femme perspective in the midst of systemic erasure and the sound of our vulnerability turned to power.” Beautifully stated – and beautifully realized on this stunning album. – Jeremy Shatan

 

28. Paramore This Is Why (Fueled By Ramen/Atlantic Records)

Six years and other individual projects later, Paramore returned with an album that reflected how they spent their time away. That’s especially true for lead singer Hayley Williams, whose well-received solo albums had her in a space to write material that was more vulnerable. One can hear elements of the old Paramore, along with post-punk, some danceable grooves and some dream pop shimmer in a winningly infectious formula executed with precision. Having begun as teen upstarts with songwriting that belied their age, those skills are clearly serving them well as they’re in their 30s. If taking time off the hamster wheel of fame keeps resulting in albums like this, Paramore can take all the time they need. – Kara

 

27. Mammoth WVH Mammoth II (I Am The Sherriff/BMG)

Wolfgang Van Halen continues to grow into his own as a composer, producer, songwriter and musician on this second Mammoth LP. While sonically it might not veer that far away from the first album, these songs are more nuanced with Wolf inching closer to that perfect balance of loudness and melody he aims to achieve. As a lyricist, he’s really matured as well, especially on a song like “Waiting” about his late dad Eddie and “I’m Alright,” which takes aim at the Internet trolls who’ve been giving him grief most of his public life. And in case you’re wondering, he’s killing it on the electric guitar, especially during “Take A Bow,” where he peels off a 90-second solo on his dad’s iconic Frankenstrat. There’s nowhere to go but up for the Wolf man from here. – Ron

 

26. Noname Sundial (Noname, Inc.)

While the cover’s disturbing imagery hints at the discomforting discourse on Fatimah Nyeema Warner’s follow-up to 2018’s Room 25, the pure musical joy within can only be discovered by pressing “play.” With an expert band providing jazzy, funky backgrounds, Noname freely unspools her detailed rhymes in a variety of modes, from sexy and lighthearted (“Boom Boom”) to edgy and sad (“Potentially The Interlude”). She also tells you who she is right away, introducing herself on album-opener “Black Mirror” with “She’s a shadow walker, moon stalker, Black author/Librarian, contrarian.” Among the few guests on the album is Jay Electronica, whose inclusion caused some controversy over his Farrakhan connections and other less-than-evolved points of view. His verse on Balloons ends strong in any case, reminding us “It’s the war of Armageddon and I’m beggin’ the listener/If you ain’t fightin’, that mean you either dead or a prisoner.” Take that to the ballot box in 2024. Despite – or maybe because of – who she platforms, Noname is unequivocally a force for good, whether for her literacy work or her efforts to spark reform of the carceral system. If you want to know what time it is, listen to Sundial. – Jeremy

 

25. Sufjan Stevens Javelin (Asthmatic Kitty Records)

Coming out is a deeply personal decision. The usually private Stevens did so on Instagram under painful circumstances, dedicating Javelin to his long-time partner, Evans Richardson, who passed away in April. The types out there who insist that anything shy of putting people in jail (or worse) for being LGBTQ as “woke garbage” are missing out, because Stevens is as relatable as he’s ever been. One doesn’t need to be queer to be able to respond to the affecting memories of love or the raw heartbreak (seriously, have something handy to catch the tears when songs like “So You Are Tired” and “Shit Talk” hit). Balancing moments of hushed vulnerability with bright choral vocals, big bursts of sunshine energy and warm orchestration, Javelin cuts deep as a worthy tribute to the depth of love that fuels grief. It’s one of the best of his long, varied career. – Kara

 

24. Mitski This Land is Inhospitable and So Are We (Dead Oceans)

The composer Rhys Chatham once wrote and released a piece called An Angel Moves Too Fast To See – an epigraph that could easily be attached to this brilliant singer-songwriter, who’s risen to chart and amphitheater-sellout success with little fanfare. Mitski has shape-shifted a number of times in terms of sonics, but she’s always maintained the ability to fuse her heartstrings to those of her audience, resulting in a huge uptick in Kleenex sales at show concessions – the tears flow freely among her large teen audience, but just as readily among the, shall we say, over-40 set (trust me). The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We – a pointed reference to the “welcome” signs at the borders of some of our uglier states – continues that tradition in a big way. There are moments of utter desolation (in the opening “Bug Like an Angel.” she warns “Well, when you break them/ They break you right back/ Amateur mistake.”). And there are moments of call-to-arms urgency, such as the Crazy Horse-sans-Marshalls “Buffalo Trace” (which turns on the image “ I have a hope and though she’s blind with no name /She shits where she’s supposed to, feeds herself while I’m away/Sometimes I think it would be easier without her/ But I know nothing can hurt me when I see her sleepin’ face.” The most striking thing about the album is Mitski’s heretofore absent willingness to cede control at times, allowing choral vocals to take the spotlight from time to time, and adding (as on “Star”) a plangent orchestration that plays well against her melodies. But, as she shows on the revelatory “I Don’t Like My Mind,” this is clearly Mitski’s world. In a parallel universe, Mitski could be Taylor Swift, such is her ability to connect: But in this universe, she’s carved out a niche that beckons and welcomes, with plenty of rewards for those who enter it. – Deborah

 

23. Paul Simon Seven Psalms (Legacy Recordings)

“Seven Psalms, Simon’s first release as an octogenarian, could have been an hour of him playing his cheeks with a pair of spoons and we’d still have nothing to gripe about in the context of everything he’s already given us. But as longtime admirers know, that’s not the way Simon rolls. Once more, the man who has moved through scads of stylistic evolutions over the decades edges into fresh territory—not just fresh for himself, but for anybody. And in the process, he’s made one of his most moving works ever, which is no mean feat considering his back catalog.” – Jim Allen

 

22. Anohni and the Johnsons My Back is a Bridge for You to Cross (Dead Oceans)

It had been seven years since Anohni’s last album, a solo effort awash in electronics and beats. For her first album with the Johnsons since 2012, she took a different tack. The whole affair is infused with a love for classic soul. It’s clearly of a piece with her prior work, where the personal and political have always intertwined, and not a retro pastiche. She can pointedly inhabit the mind of the right-wing types who want people like her eradicated (on the chilling “Scapegoat”), sound searing and lovely in equal parts (the Marvin Gaye-influenced “Why Am I Alive Now?”) and utterly haunting (“Sliver Of Ice”). Full of humanity, heart and awareness, it’s a statement that was well worth the wait. – Kara

 

21. Aesop Rock Integrated Tech Solutions (Rhymesayers)

One of those rap albums that’s a little long but lacking any obvious lags to cut. You can’t chop the Van Gogh meditation “On Failure” or the half-time “Living Curfew” that threatens to turn into an acid-house raver before instead revealing itself as the year’s 37th billy woods masterpiece. Almost every song has a synth riff that snaps like a turtle and rapping like a hyperactive hare even as the star nears 50. Best of all is the Silicon Valley-lampooning intro, which makes you wish he’d delve even further into pointed satire if he could sit still long enough to stick to a theme. – Dan

 

20. André 3000 New Blue Sun (Epic Records)

I don’t listen to enough new jazz to tell you whether or not this descended from the descendants of Alice Coltrane’s ashram. But I do listen to enough Jon Hassell to praise the widescreen, spacious environment one of the all-time greatest rappers has pivoted to presenting here. The digital wind instrument of André’s choice is less flutelike than reported, approaching the particularly bent, otherworldly tones of Hassell’s treated trumpet on “That Night in Hawaii When I Turned Into a Panther and Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control.” And the 12-minute Hot 100 hit opener is indeed catchy. – Dan

 

19. boygenius The Record (Interscope Records)

When Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, all accomplished singer-songwriters on their own, joined forces in 2018 for an EP as boygenius, it seemed like a nice side project. But the surprise release of “$20,” “Emily I’m Sorry,” and “True Blue” in January seemed to signal a new sense of purpose. And that purpose was world domination, with the fuzzed out indie rock of “$20” hitting hard and “True Blue” containing the instantly iconic line, “When you don’t know who you are/You fuck around and find out.” With the release of The Record, a masterful collection with a perfect balance of finger-picked gems and driving rockers, we found out exactly who boygenius are. Their genuine friendship has led to a songwriting partnership strong enough to allow them to ruthlessly bring out the best in each of them. The sound of the album, produced by the band with help from Catherine Marks, et al, is a canny combination of home studio recording and old school major-label record making, demonstrating how to retain artistic integrity and indulge in the pop smarts that will sell out Madison Square Garden. Long may boygenius keep fucking around and finding out. – Jeremy

 

18. Wednesday Rat Saw God (Dead Oceans)

As any record geek who reveres Wussy knows, the only rock recipe more potent than a stew of grunge, pedal steel, and shoegaze is A-level lyricism bringing it over the top. So without further adieu, Karly Hartzman, everybody: “I used to drink ’til I threw up on weeknights at my parents’ house / My friends all took Benadryl ‘til they could see shit crawlin’ up the walls.” “There’s a sex shop off the highway with a biblical name / Nana crashed the carpool on the way to my mom’s birthday.” “Bird flies into the window every day at the same time / It’ll never learn, but it also wouldn’t die.” “On the way home, play Drive-By Truckеrs songs real loud / You’ll be my baby ’til my body’s in the ground.” And as every outlet still covering rock in 2023 will tell you, there’s more. – Dan

 

17. Lana Del Rey Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard (Interscope Records)

Back in 2010, her debut album died on the vine when the label had no money. A 2012 SNL appearance went awry with shaky vocals (back in the days before the show was okay with lip syncing. Cough, cough, Tate McRae, cough) But the album she was promoting, Born to Die, launched her career and an army of fans and stans. Over the years, her songwriting’s fully caught up to her persona. Even if it’s a mite long, the messy sprawl of the whole affair feels intentional rather than sloppy. She can be scalpel-sharp, deeply thoughtful or even occasionally silly. One thing she isn’t is boring, as even with the occasional flaw, it’s one of the year’s most relentlessly fascinating releases. – Kara

 

16. Zach Bryan Zach Bryan (Warner Records)

I’ve been resisting the guy as a working-class hero alternative to sodden pricks like Morgan Wallen, unwitting fascists like Jason Aldean, and Russian eggs like Oliver Anthony. He broke through with a triple album and his fans shout every overweening word back to him like he’s putting on Dashboard Confessional’s MTV Unplugged episode nightly. And his voice is too achy-breaky for me, without enough band to mitigate. So to properly access this album, I think back to Bright Eyes of all people. He’s a better turner of phrases than Dashboard for sure; lovely closer is called “Oklahoman Son” because the full line is “You will always be Oklahoman, son.” Every song is tuneful, including the spoken-word starter, but especially his duets with Sierra Ferrell and the number-one hit with Kacey Musgraves I can enjoy easier knowing it didn’t sweep the Grammy noms. Now I’m even starting to wish it did. – Dan

 

15. Wilco Cousin (dBPM Records)

Welsh art-pop avatar Cate Le Bon is the first person outside the band to have sole production credit on a Wilco album. Part of the fun of Cousin is trying to guess which of their albums are her favorites. Odds are strong that at least one of them is 2015’s Star Wars, which features a similarly dense, band-focused approach. By all accounts, Le Bon put the band through their paces in the studio, with each track layering sonic details to put flesh on the bones of Jeff Tweedy’s songs. This approach is most evident in the stunning album opener, “Infinite Surprise,” which starts and ends with a noise collage the late, great Jay Bennett would be proud of, sandwiching the songs beautiful slow build. But all of the colorful sounds on Cousin can’t hide the melancholy and reflective mood of Tweedy’s songs here, perhaps best summed up by the third verse of “Meant To Be”: “Each day is longer than the one before/Fewer left, less and less, I need you more.” Life only leads in one direction, after all, and we can count ourselves lucky to have Wilco on the journey with us. – Jeremy

 

14. Bully Lucky For You (Sub Pop)

With the exquisite bite of her voice, Alicia Bognanno’s been in the top-10 percentile of ‘90s revivalists since 2015’s explosive “Trying” — you could trust her with the entire season three Yellowjackets soundtrack. She’s also a producer extraordinaire, helming 2022’s Bleed Out, the best Mountain Goats album in years. All her albums are solid, but they also didn’t have another “Trying.” On Bognanno’s fourth and best album, excavating great, memorable songs with blockbuster choruses is no longer a problem, especially the great lost Hole hit “Change Your Mind” and the sassy Soccer Mommy duet “Lose You.” A one-woman Buzz Bin who deserves more than 120 minutes of fame. – Dan

 

13. Yo La Tengo This Stupid World (Matador Records)

These New Jerseyians make this ethereal late middle-aged shrug rock shit look so easy, right? Like it’s too easy. On This Stupid World, Yo La Tengo implore you to sigh along, fully and lustily, with their chugga-chugga-chugga ennui as Ira Kaplan murmurs into a mirror and transmutes his guitar into dark matter shrouded Northern Lights, Georgia Hubley purrs and keeps perfect time, and James McNew’s bass acts as an anchor, foundational and taken for granted. It’s all glow sticks, no skips: the swampland groove “Brain Capers”, the New Age lilt of “Miles Away”, the anthemic brine of “Fallout”, the pedal steel sway “Aselestine”. Feeling bummed (or doomed), as modern life so often demands, didn’t get a better soundtrack this year — one capable of supplanting or brushing aside worries and fears for the better part of an hour. – Raymond Cummings

 

12. Gorillaz Cracker Island (Parlophone)

Hard to imagine that in the same year Blur has released their best album since 13 that Damon Albarn’s finest work of 2023 would actually be found on this eighth studio LP from his longtime virtual band Gorillaz. Cracker Island is as much a bold declaration of this project’s primal rhythm method with a confidence not heard since Plastic Beach while bolstering a collaborative guest list featuring friends both new (Stevie Nicks, Bad Bunny, Beck, Tame Impala) and old (Bootie Brown of The Pharcyde, Del the Funky Homosapien, De La Soul). The addition of Grammy-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin sitting alongside Albarn behind the mixing board adds a further element of bounce and fervor to a record that belongs alongside Demon Days and The Fall as one of Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett’s best creations. -Ron

 

11. Sunny War Anarchist Gospel (New West Records)

So let’s talk about the note-perfect, lovingly faithful cover of Ween’s “Baby Bitch.” That alone was enough to land this fantastic album on our list. But it’s a moment of levity amidst Sunny War’s dead serious second album, where she expands her folk punk sound into a bluesier, rootsier direction with the determination of a Gen Z Tracy Chapman. That is, if Tracy recorded for Fat Possum in the mid-90s. – Ron

 

10. Kassa Overall Animals (Warp Records)

The future of the fusion between hip-hop and jazz is in good hands with Seattle drummer, rapper and producer Kassa Overall. And on his third album (and first for Warp Records), he continues to push his voodoo soup recipe in more creative and free-form directions with a well-curated parade of friends from both worlds (singer Laura Mvula, pianist Vijay Iyer, trumpet player Theo Croker, Tomoki Sanders on tenor sax, rappers Lil B, Danny Brown, Wiki and Shabazz Palaces) who help Overall push his compositions through a fourth wall of the sonic compound that vacillates between chaos and cool – sometimes in the same song! But it’s clear the star of Animals is Kassa himself, who channels his sometimes uneasy feelings about fame and acclaim into these tunes in ways that makes this new journey through the jazz-rap wormhole undeniably his own. – Ron

 

9. Water From Your Eyes Everyone’s Crushed (Matador Records)

My kind of experimental pop, where songform rules but sonically, anything goes. Nate Amos augments the deadpan Rachel Brown with the familiar (“Mary, Mary” beat with shaker, pizzicato chamber ballad) and the indescribable usually detuned guitar loops with no discernible origin — Beefheart on the title track maybe, or in the climax of the frenetic “Buy My Product,” leads that could’ve been peeled off a Bombino or Basseyou Kouyate record. Lick their decals off, baby. – Ted

 

8. Armand Hammer We Buy Diabetic Test Strips (Backwoodz Studioz/Fat Possum) / billy woods and Kenny Segal Maps (Backwoodz Studioz)

I’d say 2022 is when the best rapper alive minted his imperial phase with the bottomless geographical depth of Aethiopes and the more personal, equally stunning Church. But I’m not mad that 2023 is when the world caught up — never happens for too many other best rappers alive and even some dead. Rapper billy woods continued doing what he does best on the relatively lighthearted travelogue Maps, which often concerns delicious things he’s eating or smoking while skipping soundcheck. But his duo with Elucid kept up the attractively foreboding abstractions on We Buy Diabetic Test Strips, which was at its most winning when it deployed an avant-jazz band in the service of Armand Hammer’s post-apocalyptic prophecies. If a second rapper is destined for a Pulitzer Prize, woods remains your best bet. – Dan

 

7. Bob Dylan Shadow Kingdom (Legacy Recordings)

“Shadow Kingdom is not a live album – that’s neither technically or conceptually accurate – and it’s clumsy to describe this as ‘simply’ re-recordings of archival material. Dylan calls it a Soundtrack (to the strange, graceful, feather and wire brushed cabaret-noir of Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan, Alma Ha’rel’s performance film shot in 2021), but let’s take this word at its most literal meaning: Shadow Kingdom soundtracks our life. The old recordings tell us where and who we once were, and these new recordings tell us where and who we are now. Put it this way: the word ‘mama’ means very different things coming from the mouth and mind of someone who is 4, 14, 24, 44 and 64. On Shadow Kingdom, Dylan is insisting on arrangements and performances that highlight the contemporary, as opposed to nostalgic, meanings of his text.” – Tim Sommer

 

6. Extreme SIX (earMUSIC)

One of the biggest surprises of the year no doubt emerged this June when Boston hard rockers Extreme reemerged with their first album in 15 years. On SIX, one can hear guitarist Nuno Bettencourt playing with a newfound sense of fire and determination, and based on killer songs like “Rise,” “Thicker Than Blood” and “X Out,” brought a little of that magic he caught working as Rihanna’s musical director. Meanwhile, the softer stuff on here like “Small Town Beautiful” and “Hurricane” attest to the harmonic strengths of Nuno and singer Gary Cherone, who has never sounded better. Of course, Pat Badger remains one of the most underrated bassists in rock with a magnificent performance on this record, perfectly paired with the band’s current drummer Kevin Figueiredo (original drummer Paul Geary is now their manager). SIX is Extreme’s best album since III Sides to Every Story and a reminder to never ever count out American hard rock. – Ron

 

5. Meshell Ndegeocello The Omnichord Real Book (Blue Note Records)

“Omnichord marks a return to original material, much of it influenced by the passing of her Southern-born parents, Jacques and Helen, who inspired her love of jazz, even as her father cheated frequently and brazenly on her mother. It isn’t a melancholy or judgmental record, but rather a contemplative one marked by acoustic guitar, luxurious harp, keyboard washes, and intimate, whispered-in-your-ear vocals.Though not overtly psychedelic, there’s an otherworldly feel to songs like ‘The 5th Dimension’ and ‘Virgo,’ on which she chants, ‘They’re calling me…from out of space…back to the stars.’ (She’s cited both Sun Ra and Carl Sagan’s Cosmos as influences.) Afrofuturism looks good on her.” – Kathy Fennessy

 

4. Lucinda Williams Stories From A Rock & Roll Heart (Thirty Tigers)

If anyone deserves to let loose, it’s Lucinda Williams, who had a stroke in 2020 that landed her in the ICU for a week. So the stomping “Let’s Get The Band Back Together” is the perfect opener for her 15th studio album, finding her voice strong and confident, miraculously restored to nearly the flexibility she had in the 1990s. That blazing opener also shows off her collaborators, especially longtime guitarist Stuart Mathis, who knows how to instigate what Keith Richards calls “the fine art of guitar weaving” while also whipping off solos that blister, soar, and celebrate. There are plenty of lighter moments here but when the songs dig deeper, as on “Hum’s Liquors,” a tribute to the late Bob Stinson of The Replacements with his brother Tommy on backing vocals, the results are stunning. Co-written with her husband Tom Overby and Travis Stephens, the image of Stinson on his way home from the liquor store as “a lonely waltz of pain” is equally illuminating and devastating. That song and “Stolen Moments,” which memorializes Tom Petty, both reflect on mortality and how lucky she feels to be here. And, as Stories proves, we’re lucky to have her. – Jeremy

 

3. Caroline Polachek Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (Perpetual Novice)

Caroline Polachek seems to have emerged from a dreamworld fantasy with a sound that’s pretty much impossible to pin down with a word from the dictionary, so that describing it requires something new – “intelli-sexual,” perhaps. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You aims for both the head and the hips, scoring direct hits on both – fusing the yearning introspection of Berlin-era Bowie with the dancefloor dreams of vintage Ze Records. But this isn’t the joyful, fit-of-abandon disco recently revived by Dua Lipa – this is the four in the morning variety, emotionally spent, but erotically still willing to give it a try, teetering at the edge of orgasm in perpetuity. The former Chairlift singer sets the mood from the album’s very first groove, opening “Welcome to My Island” with layered, hymn-like vocals that give way to an insistent, but not pounding synth rhythms that nod to classic post-punk creatives such as Daniel Miller (The Normal) and Thomas Leer. Elsewhere, she disappears in clouds of jazz boite smoke (the bass-driven “Bunny Is a Rider,” which spotlights the slippery side of her vocal style) and emerges, smitten by both the warmth of a new love and the rhythms of the Caribbean, on the tropical “Sunset.” With Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, Caroline Polachek emerges as both an important artist and the sort of performer devotees can lean on in times of need. – Deborah

 

2. Lil Yachty Let’s Start Here (Motown)

“Hip-hop is in a terrible place,” Lil Yachty said in November at a Rolling Stone event. “The state of hip-hop right now is a lot of imitation. It’s a lot of quick, low-quality music being put out.” But don’t blame the young man born Miles Parks McCollum, who wound up ditching rap this year in favor of delivering a full-on psychedelic soul-rock journey that took the headiest elements of trap and sends them straight into the heart of the sun. It was already cool enough to see Yachty collaborate with Australian psych-rockers Tame Impala on the 2021 single “Breathe Deeper.” But I don’t think anyone expected the kid to beat dem boyz at their own game. Let’s Start Here is the trippiest album to grace the Motown label since Here, My Dear. – Ron

 

1. Olivia Rodrigo GUTS (Geffen Records)

There is that certain subset of Rock Dude who is seemingly unwilling to give anyone in pop these days a lick of credit. My personal favorites are the ones who simultaneously call someone “talentless” while insisting “they’ve never listened to them.” Not that Rodrigo needs the approval of the 2023 version of Sing Along With Mitch fanboys, but she has it. Part of that is the incorporation of rock into her sound from the get-go, but let’s get real. Rodrigo is just freaking good. Kicked off by the viral hit “Driver’s License,” her 2021 debut, Sour, was a deserved success. Rodrigo and producer co-writer Dan Nigro don’t mess with the formula. There’s clever, catchy pop that rocks (“Vampire,” “Bad Idea Right?,” Get Him Back!”), but there’s also heartfelt personal material (“Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl,” “Pretty Isn’t Pretty,” “Logical”) and statements of strength and determination (“All American Bitch”). Rodrigo’s talents have enabled her to connect with Gen Z and slightly younger Gen Alpha fans, as well as anyone else who remembers what it was like to be 20, with all the messiness, exuberance and self-searching that entails. Every bit as good, if not better, than the debut, Guts is a blast that leaves one eager to see where Rodrigo goes next. – Kara