Best Of 2013.

2013 was not only one of the most exceptional years for new music in recent memory, it also managed to be one of the most incredible and transformative years in my own adult life.  So much went down…a band came together; a band fell apart.  False friends showed their transparency and desperation; true friends were truer than ever before.  Dolly got a new job; I started teaching again…both of us finally finding the accolades and potential for upward mobility that we’d been working towards for such a long time.  I left behind the set of tunes I’d written for one band; I wrote and recorded a whole new album’s worth of material for another band a month later.  I started gardening; I found peace and meditation in the soil, in the earth, in my heart.  I went walking by myself every day in my neighborhood; I went hiking with family in my old stomping grounds, in the Colorado Rockies.  I mourned and cried and loved and laughed—as one always does simply because that’s the way it is—but it has been years since I’ve been able to look back upon the last twelve months at the end of their cycle, and feel so incredibly fulfilled.  Here’s a brief snapshot of what spoke to me musically during this wonderfully complex 365 days, stuff that I bumped on stereos from the Olympic Peninsula to the Continental Divide to right here at home, in Southwest Washington.  Love to all y’all out there…hope the end of 2013 finds you well, let’s keep it moving in 2014!

1.  Janelle Monae—“Electric Lady.”  Monae moves more directly into modern R&B with this release, but keeps in place her penchant for experimentalism and intricate lyrics, while guest stars like Erykah Badu, Miguel and Prince (!) liven up the mix with their own unique talents.  Certainly the record that I was awaiting most eagerly this year, and it did not disappoint.

2.  Elvis Costello & The Roots—“Wise Up Ghost.”  Bringing together the very best of what both artists do individually, this collaborative album works surprisingly well, with Costello’s dense, intellectual lyrics the perfect foil for The Roots’ expert, edgy musicianship.  There’s a sinister and smooth undertone to the sound they create together, and it’s fantastic.

3.  Los Amigos Invisibles—“Repeat After Me.”  The now-veteran disco-funk combo from Venezuela returns with another gem of a record, ranging in sound from Motown shuffles to Latin-funk-fusion to disco-funk-psychedelia.  Guitarist Jose Luis Pardo produces, and his instincts help the group to create what may very well be their best album yet.

4.  Jose James—“No Beginning No End.”  This album is so damn sexy it’ll make any couple lock up their doors and turn down the lights the minute it’s on the stereo.  Jose James’ voice is pure silk, while his grooves reinvent the whole jazzy neo-soul vibe, adding new elements to what had become a somewhat overplayed sound.  Subtle brilliance.

5.  Coultrain—“Jungle Mumbo Jumbo.”  Surreal, modern psychedelic soul from Coultrain, the mastermind behind The Hawthorne Headhunters.  Coultrain deals here in heavily spaced-out textures and tones, while his careening, caressing voice adds precise, soulful detail to each track.  A trip worth taking.

6.  Hiatus Kaiyote—“Tawk Tomahawk.”  One of the more interesting soul-based records I’ve heard in a while, from Australia’s Hiatus Kaiyote.  Somewhere in between Stepney’s Rotary Connection and D’Angelo, this group has a curious chemistry that somehow sounds retro and new all at the same time.

7.  Bilal—“A Love Surreal.”  Bilal pulls back on some of the more scattershot impulses of his previous “Airtight’s Revenge” to create a leaner, more focused variation on “Revenge’s” visionary expansiveness.  Bilal’s voice is still the greatest weapon in his musical arsenal, one of the most versatile vocal styles in all current music.  Mandatory listening.

8.  Charles Bradley—“Victim Of Love.”  Vintage retro-soul from NYC’s Daptone/Desco crew, fronted by long-time soul-singing pro Charles Bradley.  Bradley’s scratchy vocals ride atop the ‘60’s/’70’s-styled grooves in a beautiful, understated way that guarantees this record instant classic status.  Past and present merge; all that’s left is undiluted soul.

9.  Omar—“The Man.”  Omar is definitely the man.  This British soul artist has been making music for twenty years now, yet he remains woefully underrated, and if there’s any justice in the world, the fierce, heavy jazz-funk-latin-fusion of “The Man” will finally give him the exposure he deserves.  Don’t sleep on this—one of 2013’s least heard but best soul albums.

10.  Kendra Morris—“Mockingbird.”  I confess.  I am in love with this album and, by proxy, with Kendra Morris.  She takes what could be just another tired set of covers and makes songs heard ten thousand times sound completely rejuvenated, with her powerful vocals positively dominating each cut.  Maybe my favorite record this year.

11.  Black Milk—“No Poison No Paradise.”  For my money, this is the best thing producer/rapper Black Milk has done up to this point, and everything he’s done has been good.  Deeply soulful beat-craft that defies expectations by laying meaningful, heady lyrics amidst the already rich, hard-hitting soundscapes Black Milk is so adept at putting together.

12.  Daft Punk—“Random Access Memories.”  The most mainstream pop entry you’ll find on my year-end list, but I can’t front, this album is the biz.  From the ubiquitous radio smash “Get Lucky” to more interesting, less-played deep cuts like “Giorgio By Moroder” and “Lose Yourself To Dance,” this record is awesome, AND Nile Rogers plays guitar on it!

13.  William Onyeabor—“Who Is William Onyeabor?”  Dazzling, percussive, futuristic, funky electro from Nigeria’s William Onyeabor.  This music was all made in the late ‘70’s/early ‘80’s, but it stands apart from its time, as its singular combination of synths, drum machines and more traditional African musical elements is a whole separate genre unto itself.  Check it.

14.  Sly & The Family Stone—“Higher.”  This lavish, four-disc boxed set is a must for Sly fans, and offers rare and previously unreleased treasures among the many Sly classics that make up the bulk of the material.  One of the twentieth century’s most forward-thinking and influential artists, Sly gets the due he deserves with this career-spanning collection.

15.  Donny Hathaway—“Never My Love.”  A four-disc set devoted to Donny also.  The unreleased material here isn’t the greatest—Donny’s daughter Lalah has come forward saying as much, and I can see why she felt that stuff shouldn’t have been put out—but everything else here is crucial, and the full disc of alternate takes from the “Live!” sessions is stunning.

16.  Various Artists—“Purple Snow:  Forecasting The Minneapolis Sound.”  OK, so I’m cheating a bit with this last one—I have it but haven’t listened to it yet.  However, c’mon now…two discs of pre-Prince-breakthrough funk and soul grooves from Minneapolis circa the 1970’s?  You know this is gonna be amazing.