The Best Non-Jazz Albums of 2025

Initial draft not yet collected (stub from November 17, 2025) The file will be updated as additional worthy records are found (although updating may lag behind the official 2025 list). Last year's list was never frozen (perhaps around Nov. 17, 2025). There also exists a parallel list of The Best Jazz of 2025.

Note: numbering of lists (aside from A/A-) is only temporary, to make it easier for me to tally up stats. I've made no effort to order (other than alphaetical by artist) anything in grades below A-.

Also, several A-list albums below were close enough to Non-Jazz that I duplicated the entries in the Non-Jazz file (sometimes giving them lower rankings there; the year file rank is more authoritative).

[*] indicates that I reviewed this on the basis of an advance, often a CDR copy (a good thing, I might add, for vinyl-only releases). [**] identifies a record that I've only heard via download or through a streaming service like Napster.

For all lists, I've included a few 2023 (and possibly earlier) records that I discovered after last year's freeze date, but I've only included such records if they were released on or after Dec. 1, 2023, or were so little known that they received no mention in the 2023 metacritic file. These are marked, e.g., '23, after the label.

New Music

1.		Maria Muldaur: One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey (Nola Blue) She started in Jim Kweskin's Jug Band back in the 1960s, went solo with a hit song and album in 1973, leaned increasingly to blues in the 1990s, and found her calling with her 2001 Memphis Minnie tribute (Richland Woman Blues), which brought her to Blue Lu Barker (2018) and now to Spivey, whose 1926-36 singles provide the juiciest of these 12 songs, many salacious but ending with the grim "T.B. Blues." Spivey made a comeback in the early 1960s, so there's a personal connection. Also worth noting that Spivey spent a lot of time fronting real jazz bands, so the fit here with backup by Jim Dapogny and Tuba Skinny is natural. Elvin Bishop and Taj Mahal are duet partners.
2.		Mekons: Horror (Fire) Early postpunk band from Leeds, debut album 1979 but didn't really come together until 1985, when they soaked up some honky-tonk country and spit out Fear and Whiskey. Jon Langford ran various side projects — notably the Three Johns, then after his move to Chicago, the Waco Brothers — but returned periodically for group albums, some of which have been extraordinary. This sounds like another. **
3.		Craig Finn: Always Been (Taramac/Thirty Tigers) Singer-songwriter from Minneapolis, started in 1990s with Lifter Puller, moved to New York in 2001 and started the Hold Steady, still a going concern but since 2012 he's also been releasing solo albums, this his sixth. Not a lot of difference between the two, as the band albums feature the same detailed storytelling, and if the music is a bit mellower here, it's still cut from the same cloth. Both are nearly peerless. **
4.		Saba & No I.D.: From the Private Collection of Saba and No I.D. (From the Private Collection) Chicago rapper Tahj Malik Chandler, four albums 2014-22, working with Chicago producer Ernest Wilson, who started in 1992 with Common Sense, moving on to Nas, Jay-Z, Kanye West, and stray cuts with Ghostface Killah, Rihanna, and Beyoncé. Title is very offhand, suggesting there's so much more behind it they can't bother with real titles. Beats are super, flow is terrific, lots of ideas. **
5.		The Ex: If Your Mirror Breaks (Ex) Dutch postpunk group, started 1980, many cultural and political parallels to the Mekons, but side interests run less to folk/country and more to jazz/afrobeat. Three guitars and drums, the rock component seems more amped than usual, perhaps because they dedicated this to Steve Albini. **
6.		Big Thief: Double Infinity (4AD) Not my idea of a folk-rock band, just a very talented singer-songwriter (Adrianne Lenker) with enough of a band to deserve group billing (minus their bassist this time, but additional musicians make up for that. First play strikes me as near-perfect. I don't know how much more time I'll put in, but quite possibly one of the year's best. **
7.		Apathy: Mom & Dad (Dirty Version/Coalmine) Underground rapper Chad Bromley, from Connecticut, 20 albums since 2004, Nancy & Ronald Reagan on the cover, looking sunny and care free, which is not how he remembers their era. "Grew up in the '80s with a welfare budget." Old style turntablism, dazzling wordplay, political smarts, bearing the full weight of history. **
8.		Billy Woods: Golliwog (Backwoodz Studioz) Rapper, from DC, mother a lit professor from Jamaica, father a "Marxist intellectual" from Zimbabwe, tenth solo album since 2003, not counting collaborations, most notably in Armand Hammer. Dense, rambling, hard for me to get a solid handle on this, but I have no doubt there's much to return to when/if I can find the time. **
9.		Public Enemy: Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025 (Enemy) I noticed that Chuck D had a new album out in May, and gave it a cursory spin, but wasn't aware of this one until it showed up in Christgau's Consumer Guide. The sound is definitely there, and they have lots to be angry about, so this seems right for the times. "God ain't on your side . . . this time!" **
10.		Dean Wareham: That's the Price of Loving Me (Carpark) Singer-songwriter, originally from New Zealand, moved to New York as a teenager, founded the bands Galaxie 500 (1988-90) and Luna (1992-2006 & 2017, overlapping several albums as Dean & Britta)), with solo albums since 2013, this his fourth, produced by the mononymous Kramer in a sonic nod to Galaxie 500. Actually reminded me more of the Go-Betweens, but calmer and in its own way weirder. The song in German is another plus for me, even before I identified it as a Nico cover. **
11.		Bryan Ferry/Amelia Barratt: Loose Talk (Dene Jesmond) British singer-songwriter, leader of Roxy Music in the 1970s, with a solo career started as a side covers project in 1973, taking over after the first disbanding in 1982, with a band reunion 2001-11, and other side projects. In this particular one, he wrote the music for Barratt's spoken-word narration. Normally I would parse the cover as listing Barratt first, but most of the early reviews only mention Ferry, and it's easier to file the album there. I'm finding both words and music here very attractive -- not quite at the level of Laurie Anderson, but an approximation. **
12.		Bill Scorzari: Sidereal Days (Day 1) (self-released) Singer-songwriter, originally from Kansas, moved to New York City, seems to have gotten a late start after years of practicing law, his 2014 debut was interesting, and three (now four) subsequent albums have only gotten better. Not much of a voice, but orks for him, probably because the songs justify the lyric sheet but wind up sounding even better. A (Day 2) sequel is promised, but not until Sept. 2026. He has more confidence than I that we'll still be here.
13.		Clipping.: Dead Channel Sky (Sub Pop) Hip-hop group from Los Angeles, fifth album since 2014, Daveed Diggs is the rapper (he has a couple solo albums, as well as an acting career, but is probably best known as Thomas Jefferson in Hamilton). Guitar and drums, as well as electronics, amp up the noise level, which sounds terrific as the words fly by. **
14.		Helene Cronin: Maybe New Mexico (self-released) Previously unknown country singer-songwriter from Texas, fourth album since 2013 (per Discogs; website has the first of those as an EP, along with a couple more). "We're story tellers and ocean walkers," striking ones about wastes of people and land, from a war-addled rifleman to a stripped mine. **
15.		Brother Ali: Satisfied Soul (Mello Music Group) Minnesota rapper, originally Jason Newman, albino, converted to Islam, 10th album since 2000, produced by Ant (of Atmosphere). Gets personal: "I got a platinum soul, a solid-gold heart, a steel-trap mind and that's a damn good start," but beware the ego. And philosophical: "human beings are mysterious things" and "the truth isn't always what it seems." **
16.		Marie Davidson: City of Clowns (Deewee) Canadian electronica producer, from Montreal, half dozen albums since 2014. Mostly spoken vocals over sharp beats with synth frills, gaining momentum as you go. **
17.		Buck 65: Keep Moving (Handsmade) Rapper from Nova Scotia, started releasing albums around 1999, with 2003's Talkin' Honky Blues an early masterpiece, ran out of steam around 2014, but nearly everything since his 2022 reboot has been terrific. This one compiles 31 short, sharp pieces (51:25). **
18.		Bar Italia: Some Like It Hot (Matador) British new wave band, fifth album since 2020, lead vocalist is Nina Christante, but guitarists Sam Fenton and Jezmi Tarik Fehmi also sing, and separately released a pretty good album earlier this year as Double Virgo. Still, she's a plus, and the more they sound like New Order, the more I like them. **
19.		Hamell on Trial: Harp (for Harry) (Saustex) Folkie singer-songwriter from Syracuse, couple dozen albums since 1996, did this one sounds live sometime after last November 6, which you can tell because he asks how the audience is coping. Just guitar and voice, like The Pandemic Songs, which is all he really needs. **
20.		Karol G: Tropicoqueta (Bichota/Interscope) Colombian singer-songwriter Carolina Giraldo Navarro, fifth album since 2017, all high on the US Latin charts. Technically a mix of styles, proudly "Latina Foreva," but those details, like the language, are lost on me. The beats break through first, but much more follows. The guest track for Manu Chao stands out, but by them I'm already sold. **
21.		Mahotella Queens: Buya Buya: Come Back (Umsakazo) South African vocal trio, best known for backing Mahlathini (1937-99), but they have a fair number of albums on their own, starting in 1966, with this new album their first since 2007. Classic township jive, can't miss. **
22.		Kae Tempest: Self Titled (Island) English poet/rapper, has published poetry collections since 2012, four plays, a novel, and studio album since 2014 (or 2011?). Music is very strong here, and so are the words. **
23.		Moonchild Sanelly: Full Moon (Transgressive) South African (Xhosa) dance-pop singer, touches kwaito and amapiano but in her long list of genres -- her own preference seems to be "future ghetto funk" -- reminds me most of dancehall. I ascribe no import to her "trademark teal hair" or garish makeup, but as dance pop this is pretty otherworldly. **
24.		The Kasambwe Brothers: The Kasambwe Brothers (MASS MoCA) Very little info here, but what I gather is that they're three brothers originally from Malawi (or maybe Mombassa, or maybe that's where they first recorded), that they've been playing for almost 40 years (since 1987), but that they've only just "made their first trip to the United States to take part in a residency at MASS MoCA during which they will record their first full-length album at Studio 9 and perform in the Hunter Center!" This is presumably that album, using homemade instruments, playing music that sounds old and timeless. **
25.		Madi Diaz: Fatal Optimist (Anti-) Singer-songwriter, half-dozen albums since 2007, plays guitar, piano (her original instrument) on one track. Minimally folkie, something I'm rarely attracted to, but this one feels right. Title song is especially strong. **
26.		Annie & the Caldwells: Can't Lose My (Soul) (Luaka Bop) Singer Annie Brown Caldwell and her family band, from West Point, Mississippi, no previous records I can find, but they've playing and shouting this gospel/blues revival for a long time -- "twenty years" is suggested, which makes sense because the shot of disco is fully incorporated into their legacy. **
27.		Amanda Shires: Nobody's Girl (ATO) Singer-songwriter from Texas, plays violin, ninth album since 2005, plus collaborations with Rob Picott, Bobbie Nelson, Jason Isbell, and the Highwomen, and side credits that include John Prine, Todd Snider, and Luke Combs. While I've seen arguments that she was ex-husband Isbell's better half, I don't have much of an impression of her. I still don't, but this sounds quite accomplished, the arrangements impeccable, strings included, the voice winning and words (when I notice) a plus. **
28.		Jeffrey Lewis: The Even More Freewheelin' Jeffrey Lewis (Don Giovanni/Blang) Folkie singer-songwriter from New York, or "anti-folk," probably not a distinction that needs existence, started 20+ years ago drawing comics and singing "crass songs," has much more of a bond with Peter Stampfel than with Dylan, so the title and album cover here seem like misdirection, or maybe just a temporary lapse of ideas. Good thing the songs come with a surplus. Also that the band rocks harder than Dylan ever did, but the two soft/slow ones at the end ("100 Good Things" and "The Endless Unknown" are if anything better. **
29.		FACS: Wish Defense (Trouble in Mind) Chicago post-punk band, name a tribute to Factory Records, so think Joy Division/New Order with edges less honed, or if you remember them (as I do) the 2007-15 band Disappears, where all members of this trio -- Brian Case (guitar/vocals/keybs), Jonathan van Herik (bass), and Noah Leger (drums) -- got their start. My main caveat is that their sound is so consistent it's hard to pick the better albums out from the also-rans, not that I'm sure there really are any. **
30.		Chance the Rapper: Star Line (self-released) Chicago rapper Chancelor Bennett, has mixtapes since 2012, but this is only counted as his second (or third) studio album (some dispute whether the title is one word or two). Much of interest here, some amusing, some making me uncomfortable, impressing on me that the impact of racism is still very palpable (e.g., the 4th of 4 "black commandments": "if they wanna we go to war"), not that the solution isn't clear ("my problem is your problem; your problem is my problem"). **
31.		Lily Allen: West End Girl (BMG) British singer-songwriter, fifth studio album since 2007, 7 years since number four, a stretch of time covering a marriage and a divorce, so easy subject matter, which she handles adroitly. Music doesn't have quite the same zip as the earlier albums, so I hemmed and hawed, figuring I didn't want to picture her in middle age. But she's still many times smarter than most other pop stars, and that extends past her words into her music. **
32.		Greentea Peng: Tell Dem It's Sunny (AWAL) British neo-soul singer-songwriter Aria Wells, second studio album (first in 2021), closer to trip-hop here, but the singer is the focus, not just atmosphere. **
33.		Haim: I Quit (Columbia) Three sisters, all sing, play guitar-bass-drums-plus, with producer Rostam Batmanglij (mostly keyboards but also guitar, mandolin, and sitar) co-credited on all songs. I was reluctant at first, but this is pretty catchy. **
34.		Sabrina Carpenter: Man's Best Friend (Island) Pop singer-songwriter, started with Disney as a teen, so this is counted as her 7th album, but just 3rd in my book. This follows up on her breakthrough hit. **
35.		Snocaps: Snocaps (Anti-) New group effort by twin sisters Katie and Allison Crutchfield, formerly of PS Elliot (2007-11), more recently in separate bands (Waxahatchee and Swearin'), along with MJ Lenderman (of Wednesday, plus a highly regarded solo album) and Brad Cook (producer, plays some bass and drums). Makes it all seem so easy. **
36.		Patterson Hood: Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams (ATO) Drive-By Truckers singer-songwriter, released three solo albums 2004-12 along with group albums, this his fourth (not counting the pandemic-filler Heathen Songs). Too quiet to keep my attention, but interesting enough when I do notice. But my surprise at liking Jason Isbell's new album better brought me back for a revisit, and it gained a slight upper hand. **
37.		Clipse: Let God Sort Them Out (Roc Nation) Hip-hop duo from Virginia Beach, brothers Gene and Terrence Thornton, aka No Malice and Pusha T, big album in 2002 (Lord Willin'), but this is their first since 2009 (both released solo albums in 2013, with Pusha T adding three more through 2022). More drug trade than I'd like, but they steer away from gangsta by treating it more as a calling, a prism for a world view, interesting on its own terms. **
38.		The Mountain Goats: Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan (Thirty Tigers) Alias for singer-songwriter John Darnielle, 23rd album since 1994, seems to have evolved into a band, with John Wurster (drums) joining in 2007, Matt Douglas (piano/keyboards since 2015; he also does string & woodwind arrangements here), and various bassists — Cameron Ralston is new, as are Mikaela Davis (harp) and Ben Loughran (synths). Starts with a dubious instrumental, but gets better and better after that. **
39.		Dave: The Boy Who Played the Harp (Neighbourhood) British rapper David Orbosa Omoregie, third album since 2019, also a 2023 EP with Central Cee. Masterful lyricist, with a conscience. One line noted: "ten years in the game and I won't lie, it's gettin' difficult." But looking easy. **
40.		Wednesday: Bleeds (Dead Oceans) Country-ish rock band from North Carolina, although they also venture into Sonic Youth territory, principally Karly Hartzman (vocals, guitar), although guitarist MJ Lenderman has the bigger profile, and most of the songs (aside from a Lefty Frizzell cover) are jointly credited. Lots of people love this album, and they're not wrong. **
41.		ALT BLK ERA: Rave Immortal (Earache) British electropop duo, sisters Nyrobi and Chaya Beckett-Messam, first album after a 2023 EP. Starts in dance pop territory, but midway starts rocking out, especially on "Come Fight Me for It" and "Rabbit Run." **
42.		Joy Crookes: Juniper (Insanity) British (Bangladeshi-Irish) neo-soul singer-songwriter, started with YouTube covers at 13, moved on to an EP in 2017 and an album in 2021, a Mercury Prize nominee. Second album, catches my ear, gets better on multiple replays. **
43.		Jesse Welles: Under the Powerlines (April '24-September '24) (self-released) I don't quite understand what this is, let alone the rationalization, but this rolls up 63 songs (195 minutes), presumably live, starts solo reprising songs from Hells Welles, only I'm picking up more lyrics this time around. Opens with "War Isn't Murder": "The dead don't feel honor; They don't feel that brave; They don't feel avenged; They're lucky if they got graves; Try not to think about the dead, and have a nice day." Then "Cancer": "Cancer is as lucrative a business as war; So if you ain't expecting peace, then why expect a cure?" Then "Fentanyl": "Makes Johnson Johnson oxys look like little beers; Send dough tot he enforcement, they build another jail; Give money to a hammer, they're gonna buy a nail." Later: "I like to complain; You like to complain; We can all complain together." Covers Dylan and Prine, and does a fair impression of both. Also covers Jagger & Richard. **
44.		Taylor Swift: The Life of a Showgirl (Republic) Big star, you know that, 12th album (not counting remakes) since 2007, a Google search offers more info on psychological disorders and political polarization than info on the music itself, which has received such mixed reviews you sometimes wonder who is listening to what. I'm not enough of a fan to be able to recall any of her songs by name, but I've heard them all, and mostly enjoyed them. This one has a 59/23 score at AOTY, which means that Pitchfork's 5.9 rating is precisely average. On the other hand, from the very first play I found nearly all of this delightful. **
45.		Rochelle Jordan: Through the Wall (Empire) Dance-pop singer-songwriter, born in UK, grew up in Toronto, fifth album since 2011. Previous one was pretty good, with this one just much more, enough for 2-LP: 17 songs, 59:58. **
46.		Hayes Carll: We're Only Human (Highway 87) Country singer-songwriter, albums since 2002, most real good and some brilliant. More of the former here, some of the latter. **
47.		Blueprint: Vessel (Weightless) Underground rapper Albert Shepard, from Columbus, Ohio, a dozen-plus albums since 2003, some very good, most real steady. This is both. **
48.		Margo Price: Hard Headed Woman (Loma Vista) Country singer-songwriter, fifth studio album since 2016 (plus a live Perfectly Imperfect at the Ryman). Strong upbeat pieces, doesn't lose much on the ballads. **
49.		YHWH Nailgun: 45 Pounds (AD 93) NYC-based experimental rock quartet (post-punk, but even more post-no wave), first album, very short at 21:04 but 10 songs. Electronics expand the sonic palette, and the rhythm splinters into countless shards. I tend to devalue short albums, but this is remarkable, and I'm not sure how much longer it could go on and still retain its impact. **
50.		Mavis Staples: Sad and Beautiful World (Anti-) Started in her father's gospel group, the Staple Singers, breaking out as a solo artist in 1969, up to 86 now. Widely scattered covers, only two I recognized instantly, and they are standouts. **
51.		Lambrini Girls: Who Let the Dogs Out (City Slang) British punk duo, started by others but here a duo of Phoebe Lunny (lead vocals/guitar) and Lilly Macieira-Bosgelmez (bass guitar/backing vocals), plus drums. First album after several singles and an EP I liked, 11 songs (29:25). This got enough hype I noticed it right away, but obviously didn't pay enough attention. Sound alone should have been good for a boost, even before deciphering the earned rage. **
52.		The Delines: Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom (Decor) Americana band from Portlant, sixth album since 2014, Amy Boone is the singer but Willy Vlautin, who has a reputation as a novelist (seven since 2006), is the songwriter. Scant reason for excitement here, but the songs have a quiet majesty, especially when the horn arrangements kick in. **
53.		Open Mike Eagle: Neighborhood Gods Unlimited (Auto Reverse) Underground rapper, from Chicago, debut 2008, more than a dozen albums, this one sneakier than most. **
54.		Panic Shack: Panic Shack (Brace Yourself) Welsh post-punk band, Sarah Harvey the singer, first album after a couple EPs, 11 songs, 34:16. Some of the themes I'm not into, but they have so much fun with them I can't complain. Reminds me of some '70s new wave, only not male. **
55.		Corook: Committed to a Bit (Atlantic) Singer-songwriter, started lo-fi c. 2021 that hardly matters here. Trans, which figures into subject matter too much not to mention, especially as the point seems to be to uncover common humanity without (or even with?) the distractions of gender. **
56.		James McMurtry: The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy (New West) Singer-songwriter from Texas, father a famous novelist, started recording his songs in 1989, may have always had a knack for storytelling but real breakthrough was in 2005 with Childish Things, and he's rarely disappointed since. This took a bit, but "Sons of the Second Sons" caught my attention -- not many other songs about primogeniture, but the word I noticed was "genocide" (as in "products of genocide" leading up to "in search of a Caesar"). **
57.		Cam Pierce: A Thousand Lonely Horses (self-released) Country singer-songwriter from Oregon, based in Nashville, leans toward the western end of c&w, seems to have a couple previous albums but I'm finding almost nothing on the internet: just one SCM review, and a streaming widget. Songs are solid-plus, voice good, pace assured. **
58.		Sudan Archives: The BPM (Stones Throw) Brittney Parks, from Cincinnati, learned violin early, studied ethnomusicology later, works both into her varied dance-pop, third album after a couple of EPs. I'm having trouble coming up with specifics here, which suggests something is lacking, but that too eludes me. **
59.		Chuck D: Chuck D Presents Enemy Radio: Radio Armageddon (Def Jam) Public Enemy majordomo retains his signature sound, which sounds as hard-edged as ever, but the impact is blunted by the radio concept, which chops and screws everything. That, at least, was my initial take. Play it more and find more. And while this isn't especially long (35:50), it's so jam-packed I doubt one could ever get to the bottom of it all. **
60.		Robert Finley: Hallelujah! Don't Let the Devil Fool You (Easy Eye) Blues/soul singer-songwriter, b. 1954 in Louisiana, has played music since he was 11 but didn't record until 2016. Fifth album, with daughter Christy Johnson on backing vocals, on eight songs that at least allude to gospel ("Praise Him," "His Love," "Helping Hand," "On the Battlefield," "I Am a Witness," etc.). The religion doesn't bother me, especially when the guitar transcends it. **
61.		Water From Your Eyes: It's a Beautiful Place (Matador) Chicago band, principally Rachel Brown (vocals) and Nate Amos (guitar/production), started with self-released albums in 2017, breakthrough was 2023's Everyone's Crushed. I was slow on that one, and I'm slow on this one, but it's distinctive and interesting enough that I keep coming back to it, even though I'm not sure what it's delivering. **
62.		Sam Stoane: Tales of the Dark West (Cloverdale) Cowgirl from rural California, first album, originals plus covers of Gene Autry ("Back in the Saddle Again") and Rodney Crowell ("Even Cowgirls Get the Blues"). **
63.		Queen Herawin: Awaken the Sleeping Giant (Matic) New York rapper, sophomore album. Dense and powerful. Done prematurely at 32:22, but no regrets. **
64.		MindsOne: Stages (Fort Lowell) Hip-hop group (Kon Sci, Tronic, various DJs but mostly DJ Noumenon), fifth album since 2007. Old school scratches, and (per HHGA) "precision, moving between introspection and sharp observations about life, ambition, and purpose." **
65.		Willie Nelson: Oh What a Beautiful World (Legacy) Per Wikipedia, Nelson's 77th solo studio album (I have 114 albums rated under Nelson's name), a collection of a dozen very good Rodney Crowell songs, a nice production with a singer still good enough to cover anything. Seems too easy, but at his age what more can you hope for? **
66.		Jason Isbell: Foxes in the Snow (Southeastern) Former Drive-By Trucker, tenth studio album, divorced his wife and dropped the band credit. Pretty basic, real songs over acoustic guitar. Noted lyric: "[God] made man so he could watch and laugh." Probably more like that. The greater intimacy helps the new love songs. **
67.		Robert Forster: Strawberries (Tapete) Australian singer-songwriter, one of two in the Go-Betweens (1978-90), went solo after that, and seems to have excelled at recapturing the group's sound since Grant McClennan's death in 2006. This hits the spot more often than not. **
68.		Recognize Ali & Tragedy Khadafi: The Past the Present and the Future (Greenfield Music) Producer started as Percy Chapman, then MC Percy, then Intelligent Hoodlum (for a 1993 album), then adopted his current moniker around 2000, working with Killah Priest and Capone-N-Noriega. Old style turntablism, underground, Muslim, political, encyclopedic. Some helpful advice: "love 'em, pray for 'em, but fuck 'em." **
69.		Vinnie Paz: God Sent Vengeance (Iron Tusk Music) Underground rapper from Philadelphia, Vincenzo Luvineri, started in 2006 with Jedi Mind Tricks, with 17 albums, most with metal-sounding titles, like Fires of the Judas Blood, The Priest of Bloodshed, The Pain Collector, Savor the Kill, Burn Everything That Bears Your Name, Lower the Blade, Tortured in the Name of God's Unconditional Love. I'm not into the pain, let alone the violence, that fills these tales, but I noted lines like "my life is darker than Charlie Parker" and "beware the wrath of a patient man," and the gloomy music lays bare the harsh reality. No reason we need to live in dystopia, but there's something to be said for not flinching when you do. **
70.		Sunny Sweeney: Rhinestone Requiem (Aunt Daddy) Country singer-songwriter, sixth studio album since 2006. Terrific sound, songs include anthems, as timeless as the clichés they're built on. **
71.		Garbage: Let All That We Imagine Be the Light (Infectious Music/Stunvolume/BMG) Rock band from Wisconsin, eighth album since 1995, singer Shirley Manson, drummer Butch Vig already had a reputation as a producer (Nirvana). Starts nice enough, but sharpens up considerably. Eventually you get to: "They hate your women/ They rob your children and they love their guns/ They're all liars, they're all users." **
72.		Neil Young & the Chrome Hearts: Talkin to the Trees (The Other Shoe/Reprise) After 3-4-5-? retreaded new albums in the last year, he surprises us with a really new one. Not that the music sounds very new, but the lyrics (or rants, if you prefer) are ripped from today's headlines (and some fine print). No doubt this belongs in his voluminous second tier, but three plays in and that seems good enough. **
73.		Tyler Childers: Snipe Hunter (Hickman Holler/RCA) Country singer-songwriter, from Kentucky, self-released a good album in 2011, didn't follow it up until 2017 and has been superb ever since. **
74.		KRS-One: Temple of Hip Hop Global Awareness (R.A.M.P. Ent Agency) Another old-timer, just turned 60, still able to summon up the anger and the sound ("boom bap back to the basics") of his prime, which like Public Enemy and Wu-Tang sounds especially great right now. Of course, he's even more self-conscious and ever more didactic than his peers, but that's always been his thing. **
75.		Dylan Hicks & Small Screens: Avian Field Recordings (Soft Launch) Singer-songwriter, based in Minneapolis, interesting as such since his 1996 debut, has lately turned toward jazz, or "ambient and meditative instrumentals" as he describes the six interludes separating seven real songs here. I'm not that much into ambient/meditative, and the songs tend to slip past me -- I think I hear a bit of Randy Newman here and there, but not the sarcasm. Or maybe Dave Alvin? Still, working while this is on is a pleasure, and what little attention I do pay is amply rewarded.
76.		CMAT: Euro-Country (CMATBaby/AWAL) Irish singer-songwriter Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, third album, all effusively admired, and not without reason, although the big production can be as much work to listen to as they were to concoct. "Ready" is way over the top, enough so that the more modest fare comes as a relief. I'm not very good at parsing her texts, but accept on faith that she's very smart, means well, and is having a remarkably good time with her newfound fame. **
77.		Todd Snider: High, Lonesome and Then Some (Aimless) Folk singer-songwriter, started with Songs for the Daily Planet in 1994, passed through a period on John Prine's label — I saw him once, opening for Prine — into a string of superb albums at least up through 2012. Since then he's been erratic, aside from a live album where his shtick is as brilliant as his songs, but even when he's cryptic and/or harsh, he's worth listening to. **
78.		Split System: Live in Stockholm 2023 (Legless) Australian punk group, fast and furious, they have a bunch of singles since 2022, enough to field 16 songs here, averaging a bit less than 3 minutes. I wasn't really in the mood, but this is intense, relentless, and as consistent as any punk album I've heard in quite some while. **
79.		Amaarae: Black Star (Interscope) Ama Serwah Genfi, born in the Bronx, parents from Ghana, third album. Nice beats, dense, generously sprinkled with sex. **
80.		The Chills: Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs (Fire) The late Martin Phillipps wrote the songs in the early 1980s, probably before the New Zealand group's 1988-92 breakthrough albums. No recording dates given, but Phillipps, who died at 61 in 2024, is credited with electric guitar and vocals on all songs, along with four others who joined the 2021 edition of the band, so these versions are not old demos. At 20 songs, they arguably went overboard, but half are remarkable, and we're unlikely to get more. **
81.		David Greenberger & the Hi-Ho Barbers: Ginger Ale (Pel Pel) Spoken word artist, also plays bass guitar, started on radio with Duplex Planet, has more than a dozen albums since 2003, most starting with him quoting monologues collected in nursing homes, sort of like reading Studs Terkel with scattered musical accompaniment. The Hi-Ho Barbers were an amalgam of name fragments: Robyn Hitchcock (guitars), Mark Greenberg (drums), Paul Cebar and Kelly Hogan (chorus vocals). More of the latter than usual, filling a gap I never noticed before, but the extra musicality doesn't hurt.
82.		Jon Batiste: Big Money (Verve/Interscope) Pianist, singer-songwriter, bandleader, has done some acting, is basically a big deal, born into "a New Orleans musical dynasty," cut his first album at 17, organized his band Stay Human before it became Stephen Colbert's Tonight Show house band (2015-22). I'm surprised at how little detail info is available on this -- big name, major label, but nearly a month after release, AOTY has 0 critic reviews, a 65/57 user score. Two featured guests: Andra Day and Randy Newman, but several other songs (e.g., "Maybe") channel Newman. Title song is big bunk, and cover shows Batiste playing guitar. Half of this is really good, in as many different ways. The other half tails off, but again through divergence. Few albums are so scattered, but few artists have so many options, and the authority to pursue them. **
83.		James Holden & Waclaw Zimpel: The Universe Will Take Care of You (Border Community) Cover just offers surnames. Holden is a well-established (since 2006) electronica producer, with titles like The Idiots Are Winning and Imagine This Is a High Dimensional Space of All Possibilities. Zimpel is a Polish clarinetist, albums since 2008, that first with Chicago-based free jazzers (Dave Rempis, Tim Daisy), but also has a couple albums with Schackleton, so he's been down this road before. This starts off shimmering, goes beyond glitzy, and winds up somewhere in the stars. **
84.		Apollo Brown & Bronze Nazareth: Funeral for a Dream (Escapism) Detroit hip-hop producer Erik Stephens, many albums since 2009, with rapper Justin Cross, less famous but has a lot of credits since 2002. **
85.		Willie Nelson: Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle (Legacy) At 92, he can still sing other folks' songs better than they did, even familiar ones from such unimpeachable sources as Haggard. My only reservation is that his interpretive effort was zero, even on a song like "Okie from Muskogee," which even Merle had trouble singing with a straight face. Pure chops, and not just the singer but the band. At this point I'm not even sure Lefty Frizzell would be an overreach. Still, I wish he'd do James Talley. How can he pass up a title like Are They Gonna Make Us Outlaws Again? **
86.		Jubal Lee Young: Squirrels (Reconstruction) Countryish singer-songwriter, never heard of him through 6-7 albums since 2004, son of Steve Young (1942-2016), another one I've barely heard of (just enough to have him redundantly listed in my country and folk files, neither of which actually graded an album). Christgau recommended this one, and it's interesting enough, and more than a little amusing. Not yet enough to send me back to the catalogs, but I wouldn't rule that out. I sat on the fence here a while, but finally decided not to give a fuck. **
87.		Danny Brown: Stardust (Warp) Detroit rapper, sixth album since 2010. Hyperrap: too fast to follow, too glitzy to dismiss. **
88.		Aesop Rock: I Heard It's a Mess There Too (Rhymesayers) Underground rapper Ian Bavitz, regular releases since 2000, this a surprise quick release after May's Black Hole Superette. Not as glib as he was decades ago, but the added weight helps move the mess. **
89.		Gurf Morlix: Bristlecone (Rootball) Alt-country singer-songwriter, associated with Blaze Foley early on, then with Lucinda Williams, moving on to his own albums from 2000 on. I didn't pick up the political overtones Christgau has applauded until I double-checked, but by then I was already struck by solid this feels. **
90.		Six Sex: X-Sex (Dale Play, EP) Francisca Cuello, from Argentina, no albums but fifth EP since 2019, "combines elements of reggaeton, dance hall and electronic music, by mixing sensual urban rhythms with ecstatic beats." Six songs, 17:24. I was tempted to hold out for more, but came around with multiple plays. **
91.		Lucy Dacus: Forever Is a Feeling (Geffen) Singer-songwriter from Virginia, fourth album since 2016, not counting her share of Boygenius. This almost won me over with sound, and the lyric videos almost convinced me the words have weight. I don't normally factor politics into my reviews, but while I was sitting on the fence here, I read in Wikipedia of her referring to Obama as "war criminal" and took that as the tie-breaker. **
92.		Hailey Whitters: Corn Queen (Pigasus/Big Loud) Country singer-songwriter from Iowa, fourth album since 2015, second to get some big label distribution. This is catchy, appealing, with solid songs and sound. **
93.		Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band: Land of Hopes & Dreams (Columbia) Live "EP" from a May 14, 2025 concert in Manchester [UK] (31:39, 4 songs + 2 "introductions"), rushed out for a moment of clarity, against the tide. I wince at the bit about "allies," and I feel less chauvinist and less righteous, but I can still join in saying: Amen. **
94.		Wu-Tang X Mathematics: Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman (36 Chambers/DNA Music) Latter is DJ/producer Ronald Bean, a Discogs entry under Allah Mathematics, with a dozen variants, and ten releases since 2003, and 101 production credits since 1994, with many Wu-Tang affiliates starting with Method Man in 1998, and the whole Clan in 2000. So soundwise, he is them, and vice versa. "Clan" was dropped on their 2017 The Saga Continues, but that seems to have less to do with attrition — ODB died in 2004; all nine others are still on board here — than with consolidating their brand: a business strategy, which is probably all the "Final Chamber" tour is, or the "Las Vegas Residency," or the album they recorded for a private auction, or the "cooperative action RPG." In this case, note that I'm playing the 12-cut stream, as opposed to the 11-track LP or the 13-track digital or the 26-track "deluxe" or whatever's on the CD or 2xCD, let alone the instrumental version, or the 2x12" 45RPM Record Store Day special. **
95.		DJ Love/DJ Danz/DJ Ericnem: Budots World: 3-Hit Combo! (Eastern Margins) Budots is a electronic dance music style ("slacker" in Bisaya), originating in the Philippines (Davao City). None of these three have Discogs entries I can find (DJ Love also seems to go as Sherwin Tuna, but no joy there either). They split the songs 5/4/4. **

Also added the following older albums after freezing the 2024 year-end file:

1.		Praktika: Balani Factory (Blanc Manioc '24) Electronica duo from Finland, Heikki Rinkinen and Risto Eskolin, debut album 2016, impresses with a cornucopia of beats. **
2.		Stress Eater: Everybody Eats! (Silver Age '24) Czarface spinoff, from 7L & Esoteric with Kool Keith in lieu of Inspectah Deck, longtime denizens of a comic/cosmic underground, this time with a focus on food. **

Honorable Mention

Additional non-jazz rated B+(***), listed alphabetically.

1. $ilkMoney: Who Waters the Wilting Giving Tree Once the Leaves Dry Up and Fruits No Longer Bear? (Lex/DB$B) **
2. Aesop Rock: Black Hole Superette (Rhymesayers) **
3. Anika: Abyss (Sacred Bones) **
4. Armand Hammer & the Alchemist: Mercy (Backwoodz Studioz/Rhymesayers) **
5. Ashnikko: Smoochies (Parlophone) **
6. Mulatu Astatke: Mulatu Plays Mulatu (Strut) **
7. Ata Kak: Batakari (Awesome Tapes From Africa) **
8. Backxwash: Only Dust Remains (Ugly Hag) **
9. Bad Bunny: Debí Tirar Más Fotos (Rimas Entertainment) **
10. Julien Baker & Torres: Send a Prayer My Way (Matador) **
11. Barker: Stochastic Drift (Smalltown Supersound) **
12. MC Paul Barman: Tectonic Texts (Househusband) **
13. Barry Can't Swim: Loner (Ninja Tune) **
14. Bdrmm: Microtonic (Rock Action) **
15. Miki Berenyi Trio: Tripla (Bella Union) **
16. The Beths: Straight Line Was a Lie (Anti-) **
17. Bonnie "Prince" Billy: The Purple Bird (No Quarter) **
18. Bitchin Bajas: Inland See (Drag City) **
19. Yugen Blakrok: The Illusion of Being (IOT) **
20. Rory Block: Heavy on the Blues (M.C.) **
21. Danny Brown: Stardust (Warp) **
22. Willi Carlisle: Winged Victory (Signature Sounds) **
23. Bootsy Collins: Album of the Year #1 Funkateer (Bootzilla/Roc Nation) **
24. Charley Crockett: Dollar a Day (Lone Star Rider/Island) **
25. Rodney Crowell: Airline Highway (New West) **
26. Lucrecia Dalt: A Danger to Ourselves (RVNG Intl) **
27. Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band: New Threats From the Soul (Sophomore Lounge/Tough Love) **
28. Decius: Decius Vol. II (Splendour & Obedience) (The Leaf Label) **
29. DJ Dadaman & Moscow Dollar: Ka Gaza (Nyege Nyege Tapes) **
30. DJ Shaun-D: From Bubbling to Dutch House (Nyege Nyege Tapes) **
31. DJ Travella: Twende Dance Classics (Nyege Nyege Tapes, EP) **
32. Djrum: Under Tangled Silence (Houndstooth) **
33. Doseone & Height Keech: Wood Teeth (Hands Made, EP) **
34. Double Virgo: Shakedown (Year0001) **
35. Chandler Dozier: Bakersfield East (self-released, EP) **
36. Joe Ely: Love & Freedom (Rack 'Em) **
37. R.A.P. Ferreira & Kenny Segal: The Night Green Side of It (Ruby Yacht/Alpha Pup) **
38. Fines Double: Espejismo (self-released) **
39. Debby Friday: The Starrr of the Queen of Life (Sub Pop) **
40. From the Dirt: Colored Edge of Memory (self-released) **
41. Galactic and Irma Thomas: Audience With the Queen (Tchoup-Zilla) **
42. Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson: What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow (Nonesuch) **
43. Margaret Glaspy: The Golden Heart Protector (ATO, EP)
44. Rose Gray: Louder, Please (PIAS) **
45. Ghais Guevara: Goyard Ibn Said (Fat Possum) **
46. Buddy Guy: Ain't Done With the Blues (Silvertone/RCA) **
47. Heartworms: Glutton for Punishment (Speedy Wunderground) **
48. Hieroglyphic Being: Dance Music 4 Bad People (Smalltown Supersound) **
49. The High & Mighty: Sound of Market (Eastern Conference) **
50. The Hives: The Hives Forever Forever the Hives (PIAS) **
51. Homeboy Sandman & Illingsworth: Dancing Tree (self-released, EP) **
52. Ale Hop & Titi Bakorta: Mapambazuko (Nyege Nyege Tapes) **
53. Michael Hurley: Broken Homes and Gardens (No Quarter) **
54. Jenny Hval: Iris Silver Mist (4AD) **
55. JID: God Does Like Ugly (Dreamville/Interscope) **
56. Kaytranada: Ain't No Damn Way! (RCA) **
57. Lola Kirke: Trailblazer (One Riot) **
58. Jim Kweskin: Doing Things Right (Jalopy) **
59. Lady Gaga: Mayhem (Interscope) **
60. Jens Lekman: Songs for Other People's Weddings (Secretly Canadian) **
61. Jinx Lennon: The Hate Agents Leer at the Last Isle of Hope (Septic Tiger) **
62. Olivia Ellen Lloyd: Do It Myself (self-released) **
63. Tony Logue: Dark Horse (Jenny Ridge Productions) **
64. Lolo [Mamah Diabate/Jabel Kanuteh/Stefano Pilia/Marco Zanotti]: Lolo (Black Sweat) **
65. Andy Fairweather Low: The Invisible Bluesman (Last Music) **
66. M(h)aol: Something Soft (Merge) **
67. Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo': Room on the Porch (Concord Jazz) **
68. Jako Maron: Mahavélouz (Nyege Nyege Tapes) **
69. Tate McRae: So Close to What (RCA) **
70. Mexstep & Principe Q: Tráfico (Puro Unity, EP) **
71. Mdou Moctar: Tears of Injustice (Matador) **
72. Kelly Moran: Don't Trust Mirrors (Warp) **
73. Maren Morris: Dreamsicle (Columbia) **
74. Bob Mould: Here We Go Crazy (Granary Music) **
75. Youssou N'Dour: Éclairer Le Monde - Light the World (self-released) **
76. Nao: Jupiter (Little Tokyo) **
77. Napoleon Da Legend & Giallo Point: F.L.A.W. (Legendary) **
78. Navy Blue: The Sword & the Soaring (Freedom Sounds) **
79. PAL: Under Your Radar (self-released, EP) **
80. Ken Pomeroy: Cruel Joke (Rounder) **
81. PremRock: Did You Enjoy Your Time Here . . . ? (Backwoodz Studioz) **
82. Preservation & Gabe 'Nandez: Sortilège (Backwoodz Studioz) **
83. Princess Nokia: Girls (Artist House) **
84. Red River Dialect: Basic Country Mustard (Hinterground) **
85. Rio Da Yung OG: F.L.I.N.T. (Feeling Like I'm Not Through) (MINE Enertainment/Empire) **
86. Saint Etienne: International (Heavenly) **
87. Saint Pierre: Luck and Gravity (Mutchcrud Music) **
88. Samia: Bloodless (Grand Jury) **
89. Scowl: Are We All Angels (Dead Oceans) **
90. Self Esteem: A Complicated Woman (Polydor) **
91. Sherelle: With a Vengeance (Method 808) **
92. Kalie Shorr: My Type (Pound It Out Loud, EP) **
93. Shygirl: Club Shy Room 2 (Because Music, EP) **
94. Slash Need: Sit & Grin (self-released) **
95. Slick Rick: Victory (Mass Appeal) **
96. Songhoy Blues: Héritage (Transgressive) **
97. Sprints: All That Is Over (City Slang/Sub Pop) **
98. Antony Szmierek: Service Station at the End of the Universe (Mushroom Music) **
99. The Third Mind: Right Now! (Yep Roc) **
100. Ross Thorn: Ross Thorn Tries Fitting In (Casa De Copas) **
101. Diala Thukzin: 031 Studio Camp 2.0 (Dlala) **
102. Vega7 the Ronin/Machacha: The Ghost Orchid (Copenhagen Crates) **
103. Viagra Boys: Viagr Aboys (Shrimptech/YEAR0001) **
104. Morgan Wade: The Party Is Over (Recovered) (Ladylike/Sony) **
105. Kelsey Waldon: Every Ghost (Oh Boy) **
106. Reggie Watkins: Rivers (BYNK)
107. Jesse Welles: Under the Powerlines (October '24-December '24) (self-relesed) **
108. Tommy Womack: Live a Little (Schoolkids) **

Also added the following older albums after freezing the 2024 year-end file:

1. The Castellows: A Little Goes a Long Way (Warner Music Nashville, EP '24) **
2. Dieuf-Dieul De Thiès: Dieuf-Dieul De Thiès (Buda Musique) **
3. Six Sex: Satisfire (Dale Play, EP '24) **
4. Thalin, Cravinhos, VCR Slim, Pirlo & Iloveyouangelo: Maria Esmeralda (Sujoground '24) **
5. Jesse Welles: Hells Welles (self-released '24) **

Reissues/Historic Music

The standard for historic music is a record where everything was recorded 10+ years ago, regardless of whether it's ever been in print before. Some past lists may have treated previously unreleased music as new (regardless of actual age), but I've never been able to manage that distinction consistently. This category also includes compilations of previously released music, including straight reissues, although my selection is very erratic.

1.		John Lee Hooker: The Standard School Broadcast Recordings (1973, BMG) Major bluesman, born (1912?) to sharecroppers in Mississippi, left home for Memphis, wound up in Detroit in the 1940s, recording his first hits in 1948-49, and plying his trade up to his death in 2001, recording duets and guest spots with anyone who would have him, which by then was pretty much everyone (cf. The Best of Friends). While fans came and went, he managed to sound ancient and primeval in the 1950s, and even more so in the 1990s. This is a previously unreleased studio session, recorded in San Francisco, with piano-bass-drums backup (notable is his 20-year-old son, Robert Hooker, on piano), playing long, relaxed versions of 8 songs (58:17), some reworked classics and some jams. It was commissioned for "a groundbreaking educational program sponsored by Standard Oil (later Exxon)," only three of which were broadcast. Less intense, but as satisfying as anything he ever recorded. **
2.		Edna Martinez Presents Picó: Sound System Culture From the Colombian Caribbean (1950s-70s, Strut) Colombian DJ, based in Berlin, curated these dance tracks -- I hear there's a "detailed booklet," but haven't seen it, leaving me with no more than impressions that the music dates from the 1950s to 1970s, and while played by Colombian sound systems called "picós," the music is more likely African (especially Congolese) than local. (One review also notes Jamaican soca, Ghanaian highlife, Arab disco, and various Caribbean forms, like jibaro, descarga, rhumba, mambo, and gwo ka, as well as salsa, cumbia, and champeta). **
3.		Joseph Kamaru: Heavy Combination 1966-2007 (Disciples) A major Kenyan musician (1939-2018), ethnically Kikuyu, style Benga, although he's broader than that, with "afro-funk, disco grooves, and folk style laments." Remastered by a grandson also named Joseph Kamaru, who is now based in Berlin and records as KMRU. **
4.		Studio: West Coast (2006, Ghostly International) Swedish electronica duo, Dan Lissvik and Rasmus Hägg, reissue of their only album, although they had singles 2001-07 and a couple of compilations. Album proper has six very strong songs (57:45), on CD or vinyl, with the digital tacking on six bonus tracks -- mostly redundant versions. Just judging the former. **
5.		Zig-Zag Band: Chigiyo Music Kings 1987-1998 (Analog Africa) "Trailblazers of Zimbabwe's Chigiyo Sound," which I've seen described as "a vibrant fusion of reggae, traditional rhythms, brass arrangements and mbira-inspired guitar," with "raw, soulful Shona vocals." Discogs lists three 1989-92 albums by this group. This finds its groove, and keeps the energy up. **
6.		The Bitter Ends: The Bitter Ends (2022, Trouble in River City) St. Louis garage rock band, although I'd pinpoint their origins in 1960s punk, still richer melodically than 1970s punk or 1980s hardcore because they listened to AM and knew a hook when they stole one, but were definitely heading toward a rowdier and noisier future, with no real sense of how postmodernism would relativize everything. Most of this would fit right into Nuggets. Originally self-released, so technically a reissue. **
7.		Scrapper Blackwell: Mr. Scrapper's Blues (1962, Craft) Blackwell and Leroy Carr recorded their last session together in February, 1935, and split up on bad terms. Carr died a couple months later, and Blackwell didn't record again until 1958, when the rediscovery of long dormant blues singers like Skip James, Son House, and Mississippi John Hurt was just getting underway. This is his best-preserved session, shortly before his own death, a solo performance which nicely shows off his distinctive guitar and vocals, and includes a bit of him on piano. **
8.		X-Cetra: Summer 2000 [Y2K 25th Anniversary Edition] (2000, Numero Group) Pre-teen girl group from Santa Rosa, CA, three 11-year-olds, one just 9, singing over trip-hop tracks by Achim Treu, produced by Robin O'Brien (mother of two members, with a real but obscure discography of her own, centered around home taping experiments). Original 8-song CDR is expanded here to 11 songs, 28:21. As I understand it, they aimed for something like the Spice Girls, but what I hear is closer to Kleenex/Liliput. **
9.		Luke Bell: The King Is Back (2013-16, All Blue/Thirty Tigers) Country singer-songwriter, more western than southern, died young (32 in 2022), leaving three albums 2012-16, plus now this 28-track collection of engaging and entertaining scraps. Could be trimmed down, but he was an interesting character while he lasted. **

Also added the following older albums after freezing the 2024 year-end file:

1.		Blind Gary Davis: Harlem Street Singer (1960, Craft) Blues singer-guitarist (1896-1972), from South Carolina, lost his eyesight as a child, moved to North Carolina in the 1920s, was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1933, with most of his later recordings credited to Reverend Gary Davis, a title reinforced by his uniquely oratorical style of singing. His early recordings are worth seeking -- see The Complete Early Recordings of Rev. Gary Davis (1935-40, Yazoo) -- but he recorded some in the 1950s (Pure Religion and Bad Company, from 1957, is perhaps his most famous) and much more in the folk-blues boom of the 1960s. This was the first of several albums on Prestige's Bluesville label, and he's in especially imposing form here. **
2.		Champeta w/Edna Martinez: Diblo Dibala Special (NAS) Website shows 25 programs currated and introduced by DJ Martinez, exploring the Colombian "champeta": "rhythms and influences are said to have arrived with the sailors from West Africa in the 1960s and 70s." This one focuses on the Congolese soukous star (b. 1954; best known in US for Loketo's Super Soukous (1989), but probably includes other artists, in a continuous mix aside from the branding. It's really terrific, probably improved by the editing, but is it real? Not as far as I can tell, which makes it hard to recommend, but it's still hard to deny. **

Honorable Mention

Additional non-jazz rated B+(***), listed alphabetically.

1. African Jazz Invites O.K. Jazz (1961-70, Planet Ilunga) **
2. Big L: Harlem's Finest: Return of the King (Mass Appeal) **
3. Electric Satie: Gymnopédie '99 (1998, In Sheep's Clothing) **
4. Homeboy Sandman: Rich 2.5 (self-released) **
5. Ibex Band: Stereo Instrumental Music (1976, Muzikawi) **
6. Mazinga: Chinese Democracy Manifest: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (Rubber Wolf?) **
7. Mac Miller: Balloonerism (2014, REMember Music/Warner) **
8. Moskito: Idolar (2001, Awesome Tapes From Africa) **
9. Alick Nkhata: Radio Lusaka (Mississippi) **
10. Grace Potter: Medicine (2008, Hollywood) **
11. Roots Rocking Zimbabwe: The Modern Sound of Harare Townships 1975-1980 (Analog Africa) **
12. Spectacular Diagnostics: Raw Game [Ten Year Edition] (2015, Vinyl Digital) **
13. Atef Swaitat: Palestinian Bedouin Psychedelic Dabka Archive (1970s, Majazz Project/Palestinian Sound Archive) **
14. Sweet Rebels: The Golden Era of Algerian Pop-Raï: The Ecstatic Electro Sound of Original Raï Cassettes 1986-1991 (We Want Sounds) **
15. Hiroshi Yoshimura: Flora (1987, Temporal Drift) **
16. Neil Young: Oceanside Countryside (1977, Reprise) **

Also added the following older albums after freezing the 2024 year-end file:

1. Nahawa Doumbia: Vol. II (1982, Awesome Tapes From Africa) **
2. John Lee Hooker: The Charcot Sessions (1969, Southern Echoes) **

Notes

Additional new non-jazz records rated B+(**) or below (listed alphabetically by artist).

1. 2hollis: Star (Interscope) ** [B+(**)]
2. Addison Rae: Addison (As Long as I'm Dancing/Columbia) ** [B+(*)]
3. Tunde Adebimpe: Thee Black Boltz (Sub Pop) ** [B+(**)]
4. Adult Mom: Natural Causes (Epitaph) ** [B+(**)]
5. Africa Express: Africa Express Presents . . . Bahidorá (World Circuit) ** [B+(*)]
6. Algernon Cadwallader: Trying Not to Have a Thought (Saddle Creek) **
7. Allo Darlin': Bright Nights (Slumberland) ** [B+(**)]
8. Ammar 808: Club Tounsi (Glitterbeat) ** [B+(**)]
9. Fly Anakin: (The) Forever Dream (Lex) ** [B+(*)]
10. Annahstasia: Tether (Drink Sum Wtr) ** [B+(*)]
11. Ichiko Aoba: Luminiscent Creatures (Hermine) ** [B+(*)]
12. Arcade Fire: Pink Elephant (Columbia) ** [B+(*)]
13. Willow Avalon: Southern Belle Raisin' Hell (Assemble Sound/Atlantic) ** [B+(**)]
14. Aya: Hexed! (Hyperdub) ** [B]
15. Baths: Gut (Basement's Basement) ** [B]
16. Beach Bunny: Tunnel Vision (AWAL) ** [B+(**)]
17. Benefits: Constant Noise (Invada) ** [B+(**)]
18. Yaya Bey: Do It Afraid (Drink Sum Wtr) ** [B+(*)]
19. Justin Bieber: Swag (Def Jam) ** [B]
20. Justin Bieber: Swag II (Def Jam) ** [B-]
21. Gina Birch: Trouble (Third Man) ** [B+(**)]
22. Black Country, New Road: Forever Howlong (Ninja Tune) ** [B]
23. Black Milk & Fat Ray: Food From the Gods (Computer Ugly/Fat Beats) ** [B+(**)]
24. Robert Sarazin Blake: Let the Longing Run Wild & Free (Same Room) ** [B+(**)]
25. Blawan: SickElixir (XL) ** [B+(*)]
26. Blockhead: It's Only a Midlife Crisis if Your Life Is Mid (Future Archive) ** [B+(**)]
27. Blondshell: If You Asked for a Picture (Partisan) ** [B+(**)]
28. Blood Orange: Essex Honey (RCA/Domino) ** [B+(*)]
29. Bon Iver: Sable, Fable (Jagjaguwar) ** [B+(*)]
30. Benjamin Booker: Lower (Fire Next Time/Thirty Tigers) ** [B+(**)]
31. Bright Eyes: Kids Table (Dead Oceans, EP) ** [B+(*)]
32. The Bug: Implosion (Pressure) ** [B+(*)]
33. Ethel Cain: Perverts (Daughters of Cain) ** [B]
34. Call Super: A Rhythm Protects One (Dekmantel) ** [B+(**)]
35. Car Seat Headrest: The Scholars (Matador) ** [B+(**)]
36. Cardi B: Am I the Drama? (Atlantic) ** [B+(**)]
37. Brandi Carlile & Elton John: Who Believes in Angels? (Mercury) ** [B-]
38. Caroline: Caroline 2 (Rough Trade) ** [B]
39. Mackenzie Carpenter: Hey Country Queen (Valory Music) ** [B+(*)]
40. Loyle Carner: Hopefully! (EMI/Universal) ** [B+(**)]
41. Carrier: Rhythm Immortal (Modern Love) ** [B+(*)]
42. Erika de Casier: Lifetime (Independent Jeep Music) ** [B+(**)]
43. Central Cee: Can't Rush Greatness (CC4L/Columbia) ** [B+(**)]
44. Sarah Mary Chadwick: Take Me Out to a Bar/What Am I, Gatsby? (Kill Rock Stars) ** [B]
45. Brìghde Chaimbeul: Sunwise (Tak:til) ** [B+(*)]
46. Che: Rest in Bass (10K) ** [B+(**)]
47. Eric Church: Evangeline vs. the Machine (UMG Nashville) ** [B+(*)]
48. Circuit des Yeux: Halo on the Inside (Matador) ** [B]
49. Hannah Cohen: Earthstar Mountain (Bella Union/Congrats) ** [B+(*)]
50. Edwyn Collins: Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation (AED) ** [B+(**)]
51. Bobby Conn: Bobby's Place (Tapete) ** [B+(*)]
52. Hollie Cook: Shy Girl (Mr Bongo) ** [B+(**)]
53. Kara-Lis Coverdale: From Where You Came (Smalltown Supersound) ** [B]
54. Charley Crockett: Lonesome Drifter (Son of Davy) ** [B+(**)]
55. Cymande: Renascence (BMG) ** [B+(**)]
56. Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful (MCEO/Columbia) ** [B+(**)]
57. Jesse Daniel: Son of the San Lorenzo (Lightning Rod) ** [B+(**)]
58. Matt Daniel: The Poet (self-released) ** [B+(**)]
59. Rich Dawson: End of the Middle (Weird World/Domino) ** [B]
60. De La Soul: Cabin in the Sky (Mass Appeal) ** [B+(**)]
61. Deafheaven: Lonely People With Power (Roadrunner) ** [B+(*)]
62. Olivia Dean: The Art of Loving (Capitol/Polydor) ** [B+(*)]
63. Deena: This Is the Time (self-released, EP) ** [B+(*)]
64. Deftones: Private Music (Reprise) ** [B-]
65. Grey DeLisle & Friends: It's All Her Fault: A Tribute to Cindy Walker (Brooklyn Basement) ** [B+(**)]
66. Destroyer: Dan's Boogie (Merge) ** [B+(**)]
67. The Devil Makes Three: Spirits (New West) ** [B+(*)]
68. Dickson & Familiar: All the Light of Our Sphere (Sounds Familiar) [B+(**)]
69. Dijon: Baby (R&R/Warner) ** [B+(*)]
70. Divorce: Drive to Goldenhammer (Gravity/Capitol) ** [B+(*)]
71. McKinley Dixon: Magic, Alive! (City Slang) ** [B+(**)]
72. DJ Haram: Beside Myself (Hyperdub) ** [B+(**)]
73. DJ K: Radio Libertadora! (Nyege Nyege Tapes) ** [B+(**)]
74. DJ Koze: Music Can Hear Us (Pampa) ** [B+(**)]
75. Djo: The Crux (AWAL) ** [B+(*)]
76. Doja Cat: Vie (Kemosabe/RCA) ** [B+(**)]
77. Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. & the Wild Magnolias: Chip Off the Old Block (Strong Place Music) ** [B+(*)]
78. Stella Donnelly: Love and Fortune (Dot Dash) ** [B+(**)]
79. Doodlebug and 80 Empire: A Galactic Love Supreme (Gladiator) ** [B]
80. Doseone/Steel Tipped Dove: All Portrait, No Chorus (Backwoodz Studioz) ** [B+(**)]
81. Doves: Constellations for the Lonely (EMI North) ** [B+(*)]
82. Baxter Dury: Allbarone (Heavenly) ** [B+(*)]
83. Early James: Medium Raw (Easy Eye Sound) ** [B]
84. Eddy Current Suppression Ring: Shapes and Forms (Cool Death, EP) ** [B+(*)]
85. Kathleen Edwards: Billionaire (Dualtone) ** [B+(**)]
86. Effie: Pullup to Busan 4 More Hyper Summer It's Gonna Be a Fuckin Movie (Sound Republica, EP) ** [B]
87. El Michaels Affair: 24 Hr Sports (Big Crown) ** [B-]
88. Brian Eno & Beatie Wolfe: Lateral (Verve/Opal) ** [B+(*)]
89. Mark Ernestus' Ndagga Rhythm Force: Khadim (Ndagga) ** [B+(**)]
90. Silvana Estrada: Vendrán Suaves Lluvias (Glassnote) ** [B+(*)]
91. Evidence: Unlearning Vol. 2 (Rhymesayers Entertainment) ** [B+(*)]
92. Ex_libris: Ex_Libris 001 (Ex_libris, EP) ** [B+(**)]
93. Ex_libris: Ex_Libris 0021 (Ex_libris, EP) ** [B+(**)]
94. Ex-Vöid: In Love Again (Tapete) ** [B+(*)]
95. The Expert: Vivid Visions (Rucksack) ** [B+(**)]
96. Carter Faith: Cherry Valley (MCA Nashville) ** [B+(**)]
97. Fatboi Sharif & Driveby: Let Me Out (Deathbomb Arc) ** [B+(*)]
98. Sam Fender: People Watching (Polydor) ** [B+(*)]
99. Feeo: Goodness (AD 93) ** [B]
100. FKA Twigs: Eusexua (Young/Atlantic) ** [B+(*)]
101. Folk Bitch Trio: Now Would Be a Good Time (Jagjaguwar) ** [B]
102. Food House: Two House (self-released) ** [B]
103. Hannah Frances: Nested in Tangles (Fire Talk) ** [B]
104. Franz Ferdinand: The Human Fear (Domino) ** [B+(*)]
105. Florence + the Machine: Everybody Scream (Polydor/Republic) ** [B+(*)]
106. Robbie Fulks: Now Then (Compass) ** [B]
107. Ms. Ezra Furman: Goodbye Small Head (Bella Union) ** [B+(**)]
108. Fust: Big Ugly (Dear Life) ** [B+(*)]
109. Geese: Getting Killed (Partisan) ** [B]
110. GFOTY: Influenzer (Girlfriend) ** [B+(*)]
111. Ghostface Killah: Supreme Clientele 2 (Mass Appeal) ** [B+(*)]
112. Freddie Gibbs & the Alchemist: Alfredo 2 (ESGN/ALC) ** [B+(*)]
113. John Glacier: Like a Ribbon (Young) ** [B+(*)]
114. Don Glori: Paper Can't Wrap Fire (Mr Bongo) ** [B]
115. Alison Goldfrapp: Flux (A.G.) ** [B+(**)]
116. S.G. Goodman: Planting by the Signs (Slough Water/Thirty Tigers) ** [B+(**)]
117. Steve Gunn: Daylight Daylight (No Quarter) ** [B+(**)]
118. Gwenno: Utopia (Heavenly) ** [B+(*)]
119. Kat Hasty: Time of Your Life (Jackie Java/Thirty Tigers) ** [B+(**)]
120. Tim Hecker: Shards (Kranky) ** [B+(**)]
121. Joshua Hedley: All Hat (New West) ** [B+(**)]
122. Heems: A Hundred Alibis (Veena, EP) ** [B-]
123. HHY & the Kampala Unit: Turbo Meltdown (Nyege Nyege Tapes) ** [B+(**)]
124. Lilly Hiatt: Forever (New West) ** [B+(*)]
125. Nyron Higor: Nyron Higor (Far Out) ** [B+(*)]
126. HiTech: Honeypaqq Vol. 1 (Loma Vista) ** [B+(*)]
127. Homeboy Sandman & Yeyts.: Corn Hole Legend (self-released, EP) ** [B+(*)]
128. Homeboy Sandman & Brand the Builder: Manners (self-released, EP) ** [B+(*)]
129. The Horrors: Night Life (Fiction/Universal) ** [B+(**)]
130. Horsegirl: Phonetics On and On (Matador) ** [B+(**)]
131. Hotline TNT: Raspberry Moon (Third Man) ** [B]
132. Hunx and His Punx: Walk Out on This World (Get Better) ** [B-]
133. Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals: A City Drowned in God's Black Tears (Phantom Limb) ** [B+(**)]
134. Jade: That's Showbiz Baby! (RCA) ** [B+(**)]
135. Hannah Jadagu: Describe (Sub Pop) ** [B+(*)]
136. Nicholas Jamerson: The Narrow Way (Cloverdale) ** [B+(**)]
137. James K: Friend (AD93) ** [B+(**)]
138. Japanese Breakfast: For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) (Dead Oceans) ** [B+(*)]
139. Jasmine.4.T: You Are the Morning (Saddest Factory/Dead Oceans) ** [B]
140. Jazzwrld & Thukuthela: The Most Wanted (Waltz Music Group/Empire) ** [B+(**)]
141. Cody Jinks: In My Blood (Late August) ** [B+(*)]
142. Jess Jocoy: Cul-De-Sac Kid (self-released) ** [B+(**)]
143. Josiah the Gift & Machacha: The Happening (BarsOverBs) ** [B+(**)]
144. Larry June, 2 Chainz & The Alchemist: Life Is Beautiful (The Freeminded/ALC/Empire) ** [B+(**)]
145. Jupiter & Okwess: Ekoya (Airfono) ** [B+(*)]
146. Larry Keel/Jon Stickley: Larry Keel & Jon Stickley (self-released, EP) [B]
147. Salif Keita: So Kono (No Format) ** [B+(**)]
148. Tyler Keith: I Confess (Black & Wyatt) ** [B+(*)]
149. KeiyaA: Hooke's Law (XL) ** [B+(*)]
150. Kelela: In the Blue Light (Warp) ** [B+(**)]
151. Killah Priest & Purpose: Abraxas 2 (Proverbs) ** [B+(*)]
152. Kingdom Molongi: Kembo (Nyege Nyege Tapes) ** [B-]
153. Knowledge the Pirate: The Round Table (Pimpire/Trouble Chest Entertainment) ** [B+(**)]
154. Kokoroko: Tuff Times Never Last (Brownswood) ** [B]
155. Alison Krauss & Union Station: Arcadia (Down the Road) ** [B+(**)]
156. Kronos Quartet and the Hard Rain Collective: Hard Rain (Red Hot Org, EP) ** [B+(**)]
157. Mon Laferte: Femme Fatale (Sony Music Latin) ** [B+(**)]
158. Zara Larsson: Midnight Sun (Summer House/Epic) ** [B+(*)]
159. The Last Dinner Party: From the Pyre (Island) ** [B-]
160. Laufey: A Matter of Time (AWAL) ** [B+(**)]
161. Cate Le Bon: Michelangelo Dying (Mexican Summer) ** [B+(**)]
162. Jim Legxacy: Black British Music (XL) ** [B+(*)]
163. Ute Lemper: Pirate Jenny (The Audiophile Society) ** [B+(*)]
164. Adrianne Lenker: Live at Revolution Hall (4AD) ** [B+(**)]
165. Nick León: A Tropical Entropy (TraTraTrax) ** [B+(*)]
166. Lifeguard: Ripped and Torn (Matador) ** [B]
167. Lil Wayne: Tha Carter VI (Young Money/Republic) ** [B+(*)]
168. Little Simz: Lotus (Little Simz) ** [B+(*)]
169. Kedr Livansky: Myrtus Myth (2MR) ** [B]
170. Lizzo: My Face Hurts From Smiling (Nice Life/Atlantic) ** [B+(*)]
171. Lorde: Virgin (Republic) ** [B]
172. Los Thuthanaka: Los Thuthanaka (self-released) ** [B+(**)]
173. Demi Lovato: It's Not That Deep (Island) ** [B+(*)]
174. Manic Street Preachers: Critical Thinking (Columbia) ** [B+(*)]
175. Maruja: Tír na nÓg (Music for Nations, EP) ** [B+(**)]
176. Maruja: Pain to Power (Music for Nations) ** [B]
177. MC BF & DJ Yuzak: Bebeto E Romário (Mandelão, EP) ** [B+(**)]
178. Juliet McConkey: Southern Front (Soggy Anvil) ** [B+(*)]
179. Mean Mistreater: Do or Die (Dying Victims Productions) ** [B+(*)]
180. John Michel/Anthony James: Egotrip (Loudmouth) ** [B+(**)]
181. Michi: Dirty Talk (Stones Throw) ** [B+(*)]
182. Miffle: Goodbye, World (self-released) ** [B+(*)]
183. Rhett Miller: A Lifetime of Riding by Night (ATO) ** [B+(**)]
184. Ela Minus: Día (Domino) ** [B+(**)]
185. Model/Actiz: Pirouette (True Panther/Dirty Hit) ** [B+(**)]
186. Mobb Deep: Infinite (Mass Appeal) ** [B]
187. Mogwai: The Bad Fire (Rock Action) ** [B+(*)]
188. Momma: Welcome to My Blue Sky (Lucky Number/Polyvinyl) ** [B+(**)]
189. Monaleo: Who Did the Body (Stomp Down/Columbia) ** [B+(**)]
190. MonoNeon: You Had Your Chance - Bad Attitude (Floki Studios) ** [B+(*)]
191. Ashley Monroe: Tennessee Lightning (Mountainrose Sparrow) ** [B+(*)]
192. Gurf Morlix: A Taste of Ashes (Rootball) ** [B+(**)]
193. Van Morrison: Remembering Now (Exile/Virgin) ** [B+(**)]
194. Mourning [A] BLKstar: Flowers for the Living (Don Giovanni) ** [B+(**)]
195. Nazar: Demilitarize (Hyperdub) ** [B+(*)]
196. Nerves Baddington: Driving Off Cliffs (Apt. B Productions) ** [B+(**)]
197. Elizabeth Nichols: Tough Love (Pulse, EP) ** [B+(**)]
198. The Nightingales: The Awful Truth (Fire) ** [B+(*)]
199. NMIXX: Blue Valentine (JYP Entertainment) ** [B+(**)]
200. Ninajirachi: I Love My Computer (NLV) ** [B+(**)]
201. Niontay: Fada<3of$ (10k) ** [B+(*)]
202. Billy Nomates: Metalhorse (Invada) ** [B+(**)]
203. Nourished by Time: The Passionate Ones (XL) ** [B]
204. Nova Twins: Parasites & Butterflies (Marshall) ** [B+(**)]
205. Oklou: Choke Enough (True Panther/Because Music) ** [B+(**)]
206. Oneohtrix Point Never: Tranquilizer (Warp) ** [B+(**)]
207. The Onions: Return to Paradise (Hitt) ** [C+}
208. Jake Owen: Dreams to Dream (Good Company) ** [B+(**)]
209. The Oxys: Casting Pearls Before Swine (Cleopatra) ** [B+(**)]
210. Panda Bear: Sinister Grift (Domino) ** [B+(*)]
211. Pé: Æzæl: Eternity of Nonexistence (Tokinogake) ** [B]
212. Perfume Genius: Glory (Matador) ** [B]
213. Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band: Honeysuckle (Family Owned) ** [B+(**)]
214. Pink Siifu: Black'!Antique (Dynamite Hill) ** [B+(*)]
215. PinkPantheress: Fancy That (Warner, EP) ** [B+(*)]
216. Robert Plant: Saving Grace (Nonesuch) ** [B+(*)]
217. Playboi Carti: [I Am] Music (AWGE/Interscope) ** [B+(**)]
218. Ploy: It's Later Than You Think (Dekmantel) ** [B+(**)]
219. Porridge Radio: The Machine Starts to Sing (Secretly Canadian, EP) ** [B+(*)]
220. Sam Prekop: Open Close (Thrill Jockey) ** [B+(*)]
221. Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke: Tall Tales (Warp) ** [B+(**)]
222. The Prize: In the Red (Anti Fade) ** [B+(**)]
223. Pulp: More (Rough Trade) ** [B+(*)]
224. PUP: Who Will Look After the Dogs? (Rise) ** [B+(*)]
225. Jesika von Rabbit: Bunnywood Babylon (Dionysus) ** [B+(**)]
226. Reneé Rapp: Bite Me (Interscope) ** [B+(**)]
227. Recognize Ali & Stu Bangas: Guerilla Dynasty 3 (1332/Brutal Music/Greenfield Music) ** [B+(**)]
228. Cleo Reed: Cuntry (self-released) ** [B+(*)]
229. Jane Remover: Revengeseekerz (DeadAir) ** [B+(*)]
230. Jonathan Richman: Only Frozen Sky Anyway (Blue Arrow) ** [B+(*)]
231. Joanne Robertson: Blurrr (AD 93) ** [B+(*)]
232. Rosalía: Lux (Columbia) ** [B+(*)]
233. Juana Rozas: Tanya (Sony Music Argentina) ** [B+(**)]
234. Bobby Rush/Kenny Wayne Shepherd: Young Fashioned Ways (Deep Rush/Thirty Tigers) ** [B+(**)]
235. Shame: Cutthroat (Dead Oceans) ** [B]
236. Big A Sherrod: Torchbearer of the Clarksdale Sound [Listener's Circle Vol. 72] (Music Maker, EP) ** [B+(**)]
237. Sharp Pins: Radio DDR (K/Perennial Death) ** [B+(*)]
238. Sharp Pins: Balloon Balloon Balloon (K/Perennial) ** [B+(*)]
239. Nick Shoulders: Refugia Blues (Gar Hole) ** [B+(**)]
240. ShrapKnel & Mike Ladd: Saisir Le Feu (Fused Arrow) ** [B+(**)]
241. Shrunken Elvis: Shrunken Elvis (Western Vinyl) ** [B+(**)]
242. Jaysun Silver: No Excuses! (self-released) ** [B+(*)]
243. Skaiwater: #mia (GoodTalk/Capitol, EP) ** [B+(*)]
244. Skrillex: Fuck U Skrillex U Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!! <3 (Atlantic/Owsla) ** [B-]
245. Skrillex: Hit Me Where It Hurts X (OWSLA/Atlantic, EP) ** [B]
246. Slikback: Attrition (Planet Mu) ** [B+(*)]
247. Smerz: Big City Life (Escho) ** [B+(**)]
248. Maria Somerville: Luster (4AD) ** [B+(*)]
249. Sparks: MAD! (Transgressive) ** [B-]
250. Split System: No Cops in Heaven/Pull the Trigger (Legless, EP) ** [B+(**)]
251. Squid: Cowards (Warp) ** [B+(*)]
252. Peter Stampfel, Friends & Daughters: Song Shards: Soul Jingles, Stoic Jingles, Vintage Jingles, Prayers and Rounds (Jalopy) ** [B-]
253. Stereolab: Instant Holograms on Metal Film (Duophonic/Warp) ** [B+(*)]
254. Laura Stevenson: Late Great (Really) ** [B+(*)]
255. Bartees Strange: Horror (4AD) ** [B+(*)]
256. Suede: Antidepressants (BMG) ** [B+(*)]
257. Superchunk: Songs in the Key of Yikes (Merge) ** [B+(**)]
258. Swans: Birthing (Young God/Mute) ** [B]
259. Earl Sweatshirt: Live Laugh Love (Tan Cressida/Warner) ** [B+(*)]
260. Teyana Taylor: Escape Room (Taylormade/Def Jam) ** [B]
261. These New Puritans: Crooked Wing (Domino) ** [B+(*)]
262. They Are Gutting a Body of Water: Lotto (Julia's War/ATO) ** [B+(*)]
263. The Third Mind: Live Mind (Yep Roc) ** [B+(*)]
264. Zach Top: Ain't in It for My Health (Leo33) ** [B+(**)]
265. Tortoise: Touch (International Anthem) ** [B+(**)]
266. The Tubs: Cotton Crown (Trouble in Mind) ** [B+(*)]
267. Tune-Yards: Better Dreaming (4AD) ** [B+(*)]
268. Turnpike Troubadours: The Price of Admission (Bossier City) ** [B+(*)]
269. Turnstile: Never Enough (Roadrunner) ** [B+(*)]
270. Molly Tuttle: So Long Little Miss Sunshine (Nonesuch) ** [B+(**)]
271. Jeff Tweedy: Twilight Override (dBpm) ** [B+(**)]
272. William Tyler: Time Indefinite (Psychic Hotline) ** [B+(*)]
273. Tyler, the Creator: Don't Tap the Glass (Columbia) ** [B+(*)]
274. Kali Uchis: Sincerely, (Capitol) ** [B+(**)]
275. UFO Fev & Body Bag Ben: Thousand Yard Stare (1332) ** [B+(**)]
276. Um, Jennifer?: Um Comma Jenner Question Mark (Final Girl) ** [B+(**)]
277. Akira Umeda & Metal Preyers: Clube Da Mariposa Mórbida (Nyege Nyege Tapes) ** [B+(*)]
278. Us3: Soundtrack (Us3) ** [B]
279. Sharon Van Etten: Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory (Jagjaguwar) ** [B+(*)]
280. Vlure: Escalate (Music for Nations) ** [B+(**)]
281. Colter Wall: Memories and Empties (La Honda) ** [B+(**)]
282. Jennifer Walton: Daughters (Local Action) ** [B]
283. Sunny War: Armageddon in a Summer Dress (New West) ** [B+(*)]
284. The War and Treaty: Plus One (Mercury/UMG Nashville) ** [B-]
285. The Weather Station: Humanhood (Fat Possum) ** [B+(*)]
286. Jesse Welles: Middle (self-released) ** [B+(**)]
287. Jesse Welles: Pilgrim (self-released) ** [B+(**)]
288. Jesse Welles: Devil's Den (self-released) ** [B+(*)]
289. Jesse Welles: With the Devil (self-released) ** [B+(**)]
290. Wet Leg: Moisturizer (Domino) ** [B+(**)]
291. Hayley Williams: Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party (Post Atlantic) ** [B+(**)]
292. Saul Williams: Saul Williams Meets Carlos Niño & Friends at TreePeople (International Anthem) ** [B+(**)]
293. Steven Wilson: The Overview (Fiction) ** [B+(*)]
294. Jessica Winter: My First Album (Lucky Number) ** [B+(**)]
295. WNC WhopBezzy/70th Street Carlos: Out the Blue (WNC) ** [B+(**)]
296. Wolf Alice: The Clearing (Columbia/RCA) ** [B+(*)]
297. Beatie Wolfe & Brian Eno: Liminal (Verve/Opal) ** [B+(**)]
298. Beatie Wolfe & Brian Eno: Luminal (Verve/Opal) ** [B+(**)]
299. Carolyn Wonderland: Truth Is (Alligator) ** [B+(**)]
300. Wretch 32: Home? (AWAL) ** [B+(**)]
301. Y: Y (Hideous Mink, EP) ** [B+(*)]
302. Yeule: Evangelic Girl Is a Gun (Nini.. rbs da Tune) ** [B+(**)]
303. Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek: Yarin Yoksa = If There Is No Tomorrow (Big Crown) ** [B+(*)]
304. Lola Young: I'm Only F**king Myself (Island/Day One) ** [B+(**)]
305. Neil Young: Coastal: The Soundtrack (Reprise) ** [B+(*)]