Year-End Report: Best Albums of 2023
Here are my absolute favorite albums of the last 12 months.
Music has been a salve for me over the last 12 months, arguably the worst year of my career. I didn’t know which way was up half the time; each blow was tremendous, sending ripples throughout the rest of my life. But music, as it seems, served as a way for me to understand myself under such tenuous circumstances. I don’t think I would be here writing this without it.
All that said, I was able to write about and celebrate some of the best music of the year. From indie artists on the rise to pop superstars, there was nary a stone unturned in my search for the sort of music that provokes you to think differently about the world. Through this quest, I stumbled upon albums that moved me in one way or another. I had my work cut out for me, as they say. It was a difficult task but I think I’ve done it.
Below, I’ve handpicked my Top 35 favorite albums of 2023, spanning all genres and styles. You’ll find some gooey pop music saddling next to some of the most striking, deeply probing, and soul-shaking lyrical writing you’ll ever hear. I present my selections without comment; to be transparent, I’d reached total burnout toward the end of the year. I’d rather the music speak for itself. You can consider this list ringing endorsements, unequivocally.
Without further adieu, here are my Top 35 Albums of 2023, ranked.
- Jordyn Shellhart, Primrose
- Ruston Kelly, The Weakness
- Jenna Paulette, The Girl I Was
- Lauren Spencer Smith, Mirror
- Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Weathervanes
- The War & Treaty, Lover’s Game
- Margo Cilker, Valley of Heart’s Delight
- Haley Rydell, Midwestern Daughter
- Amanda Shires & Bobbie Nelson, Loving You
- Kesha, Gag Order
- Jaimee Harris, Boomerang Town
- Melanie Martinez, Portals
- Spencer Sutherland, In His Mania EP
- Adam Mac, Disco Cowboy
- Mya Byrne, Rhinestone Tomboy
- Lori McKenna, 1988
- Cat Clyde, Down Rounder
- Tanya Tucker, Sweet Western Sound
- Dana Why, The Lyre
- The Sweeplings, The Sweeplings
- Candi Carpenter, Demonology – Part 1
- Karen Jonas, The Restless
- Jessye DeSilva, Renovations
- Callum Pitt, In the Balance
- Glosser, Downer
- Lawson Hull, Mountain Days
- Peach PRC, Manic Pixie Dream EP
- Darling West, Cosmos
- Molly Tuttle, City of Gold
- Grace Potter, Mother Road
- Jungkook, Golden
- Philip Bowen, Old Kanawha
- Olivia Rodrigo, Guts
- Jason Hawk Harris, Thin Places
- Ava Max, Diamonds and Dancefloors
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