Here we have GOF’s “best of” list for 2013 and the criteria for making this list is simple: these were my favorite records from the past year – the ones that have stayed in heavy-rotation since the day they came out. It was another great year for music across a wide range of genres by both well-known artists and some very impressive newcomers. If you missed any of these I hope you give them a listen, you may not love them, but each and every one has something to offer any true fan of the creative musical mind at work.
#10: Pusha T – My Name Is My Name (Def Jam) [Buy]
It took forever (in hip-hop years anyway) for Pusha T to put out a proper solo album, but it was well worth the wait. The album is a tightly produced effort that not only picks up on the strongest aspects of the Clipse legacy, but also paves a new way forward for T’s outsize talents. And it doesn’t hurt at all that “Numbers On The Boards” is one of the best hip-hop tracks to come along in years.
Listen: Pusha T – “Numbers On The Boards”
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#9: Day – Land Of 1000 Chances (Piecelock 70) [Buy]
Land Of 1000 Chances proves once and for all that instrumental hip-hop has not just become an art form in itself, but that beatmakers can produce albums of staggering complexity and originality. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the record is how layered it is while still remaining incredibly open and spacious. Hopefully future producers are paying attention.
Listen: Day – “Mama Shelter”
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#8: Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience (RCA) [Buy]
The first volume of Mr. Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience is an adventurous outing that looks back on the long and winding soulful tracks from the 1970′s from the likes of Marvin Gaye and Isaac Hayes with updated modern day beats and production. For a true pop idol, this was definitely not the direction that JT and producer Timbaland had to take, they could have played it safe with radio-friendly tracks instead of the extended instrumental and vocal theatrics they went with here. This is by far the best the major labels had to offer us in 2013.
Listen: Justin Timberlake – “Pusher Love Girl”
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#7: El-P & Killer Mike – Run The Jewels (Fools Gold) [Download]
Take one super-talented rapper (Killer Mike) and then combine with a rebellious producer/rapper (El-P) and you get Run The Jewels, a hip-hop group and album that is not for the faint-of-heart. This is full-on bad-ass rap music that is not looking to make any friends, but is so damn good that it was only inevitable that it would wind up on a bunch of year-end lists. Mixing El-P’s dense and electronic production with two emcees this talented comes off exactly as good as you think it would. Let’s hope this is not just a one-off project, the world needs more albums like this.
Listen: Run The Jewels – “36″ Chain”
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#6: The Poets Of Rhythm – Anthology 1992-2003 (Daptone) [Buy]
Okay, technically this anthology is a re-issue of older tracks, but for many this was their first exposure to this German group who was so in love with the gritty and greasy sounds of 1960′s funk that they managed to make music so true to it’s roots that it can stand up next to any of their influences. Once their music made it to the States, they were instrumental in kicking off what is now known as the funk-revival movement, that is still alive and kicking with labels like Daptone (who just happened to put out this amazing collection). For those of us who have been long-time fans, the anthology is a great summary of what made these guys so great, and includes a bunch of rare early singles, compilation tracks and a bunch of tracks that they recorded under one-off band names.
Listen: The Poets Of Rhythm – “Augusta, GA”
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#5: Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge – Twelve Reasons To Die (Soul Temple) [Buy]
The best Ghostface record since Fishscale, this collaboration with the Los Angeles producer Adrian Younge is a concept album that matches up with a series of comic books that were released along with the album. Younge produced the whole affair and put together a sound that is very Wu-Tang, but is also very spaghetti western as well. That easily could have been cliche and tired, but it is in fact the exact opposite because Ghostface sounds as inspired and on-point as he has in years.
Listen: Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge – “I Declare War (featuring Masta Killa)”
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#4: Robert Glasper Experiment - Black Radio 2 (Blue Note) [Buy]
Robert Glasper took a big risk in putting out a sequel to last year’s truly groundbreaking album Black Radio (GOF’s best of the year for 2012), a record that in many ways created a new genre of music – genuine modern jazz married with soul, R&B and hip-hop. Black Radio 2 succeeds in the same ways the the first one did, with tight creative melodies from The Experiment matched up perfectly with expertly chosen guests including Common, Jill Scott, Brandy, Norah Jones and Snoop Dogg. And while it follows the blueprint laid down by volume one, at the same time it has a different feel to it, a more organic and earthy sound. In other words, it doesn’t only continue the successes of the first album, it builds on those qualities to further enhance the group’s unique musical vision.
Listen: Robert Glasper Experiment – “Calls (featuring Jill Scott)”
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#3: The Greyboy Allstars – Inland Emperor (Knowledge Room Recordings) [Buy]
For their first album in nearly six years, The Greyboy Allstars continue to grow their sound while keeping it rooted in all that made them modern soul-jazz pioneers in the first place. The opening track “Profundo Grosso” tells you all you need to know about this funky tour-de-force of a record, that the boys are still in love with a very specific sound, but have grown into a unit that now owns that sound rather than the other way around. This time out they have added some truly quality vocal tracks to the proceedings (they have grown leaps and bounds in this area) and also have included some tracks that hint at things to come, with a few that expand into some nice exploratory jams.
Listen: The Greyboy Allstars – “Profundo Grosso”
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#2: Charles Bradley – Victim Of Love (Daptone) [Buy]
Whereas Bradley’s fantastic debut record No Time For Dreaming benefited greatly from the element of surprise (this was a guy who didn’t hit the scene until he was in his mid-50′s), there was definitely quite a bit of hype surrounding the follow-up. For anyone who loved that first album, there was no doubt that Bradley had the chops needed to sustain a long-term career, but there was always that nagging feeling that he could be a one-trick pony. A quick listen to Victim Of Love put any of those doubts immediately to rest, as the soulful and gritty vocalaist shows an even more emotional side to his musical persona. If it’s possible, Bradley sounds more self-assured and confident than he did on his debut (it doesn’t hurt that the music and production are all that much more crisp on this outing). This is real-deal soul music that somehow manages to feel vintage and wholly original all at once – a true rare feat in this digital fly-by-night musical age we live in.
Listen: Charles Bradley – “You Put The Flame On It”
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#1: Kid Tsunami – The Chase (Headbop Music) [Buy]
There has been no shortage of albums over the past few years that have proudly shown off their love of the sound that is now affectionatley referred to as the “golden age of hip-hop”, but few have done it better than this outstanding outing from the Australian producer and beatmaker Kid Tsunami. The MPC-generated beats match up perfectly with the 1970′s funk, soul and jazz samples for that good old-fashioned boom-bap sound. Throw in some amazing work on the turntables to go with the truly mind-blowing roster of guest emcees (KRS-One, Masta Ace, J-Live, Pharoahe Monch and Sean Price, to name just a few) and you’ve got all the makings of one hell of a classic hip-hop affair. This one could have easily fallen into that “beatmaker shows off while big name emcees do some throw away lines” kind of album, but every track is ridiculously strong (the rappers definitely sound inspired by the production) and the whole album has a cohesive feel that many modern hip-hop albums just can’t seem to find.
Listen: Kid Tsunami – “Bang Exclusive (feat. Sean Price and Chuck Chilla)”
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