Music Tracking 2023

These are 2023 releases that I've taken note of, listed alphabetically by artist, with VA comps at the bottom. My grades, where available, are in brackets at the end of the line (stars in B+ range, ~ indicates the grade is for a previous release of the album). Lines in blue indicate that I have a physical copy (albeit sometimes just a promo CDR); in green are records that I graded based on a Rhapsody stream or other such source. Most records have release dates and a brief generic note.

Unheard records are prioritized 0-3 (graded records are 4-5). The prioritization is based subjectively on personal interests, reviews I've noticed, reviewers I particularly respect, what I know about the artists, etc. Roughly speaking: 0 is something I have no reason to consider (default page omits 0); 1 has been noted as having some cred somewhere; 2 is something I have some specific reason to search out; 3 is something I'll listen to ASAP.

Option selectors:

Genre switches (selection not implemented yet):

New Releases

  • Matt Andersen: The Big Bottle of Joy (Sonic) [03-10] - blues [**]
  • William Bell: One Day Closer to Home (Wilbe) [04-14] - r&b [**]
  • Eric Bibb: Ridin' (Stony Plain) [03-24] - blues [***]
  • Selwyn Birchwood: Exorcist (Alligator) [06-09] - blues [*]
  • Blind Boys of Alabama: Echoes of the South (Single Lock) [08-25] - gospel
  • Rory Block: Ain't Nobody Worried: Celebrating Great Women of Song (Stony Plain -22) [2022-10-07] - blues [**]
  • Blue Moon Marquee: Scream, Holler & Howl (Ilda) [09-09] - blues [*]
  • Joe Bonamassa: Tales of Time (J&R Adventures) [04-14] - blues [B-]
  • Joe Bonamassa: Blues Deluxe Vol 2 () - blues
  • Muireann Bradley: I Kept These Old Blues (Tompkins Square) [12-08] - blues [***]
  • Anthony Brown & Group Therapy: Affirmations () [11-03] - gospel
  • Gail Caesar: Guitar Woman Blues (Music Maker) [01-06] - blues [**]
  • Cash Box Kings: Oscar's Motel (Alligator) [03-17] - blues [**]
  • Clarence "Bluesman" Davis: Shake It for Me (Music Maker) [05-26] - blues [A-]
  • Chris Duarte: Ain't Giving Up (Provogue) [04-14] - blues [*]
  • William Lee Ellis: Ghost Hymns (Yellow Dog) [06-23] - blues [***]
  • Robert Connelly Farr: Pandora Sessions (self-released) [11-19] - blues [***]
  • Robert Finley: Black Bayou (Easy Eye Sound) [10-27] - blues [**]
  • Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton: Death Wish Blues (Rounder) [05-19] - blues [**]
  • Sue Foley: Live in Austin Vol 1 (Stony Plain) [10-27] - blues [**]
  • Ruthie Foster: Healing Time (Blue Corn Music -22) [2022-11-18] - blues [B]
  • Gov't Mule: Peace . . . Like a River (Concord) [06-16] - blues [B-]
  • Tom Hambridge: Blu Ja Vu (Quarto Valley) - blues
  • Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter: Saved! (Perpetual Flame Ministries) [10-20] - gospel
  • Christone "Kingfish" Ingram: Live in London (Alligator -2CD) [10-13] - blues [*]
  • Eric Johanson: The Deep and the Dirty (Ruf) [07-28] - blues [*]
  • Jeremiah Johnson: Hi-Fi Drive By (Ruf -22) [2022-10-21] - blues [B]
  • Durand Jones: Wait Til I Get Over (Dead Oceans) [05-05] - r&b [*]
  • Edgar Jones: Reflections of a Soul Dimension () [04-28] - British r&b
  • Sass Jordan: Bitches Blues (Stony Plain -21) [2021-06-03] - blues [*]
  • Yazmin Lacey: Voice Notes (On Your Own/Believe) [03-03] - r&b [**]
  • Aynsley Lister: Along for the Ride (Straight Talkin' -22) [2022-11-11] - blues [B]
  • Taj Mahal: Savoy (Stony Plain) [04-28] - blues [A-]
  • Dom Martin: Buried in the Hail (Forty Below) [09-22] - blues-rock [*]
  • Coco Montoya: Writing on the Wall (Alligator) [09-01] - blues [B]
  • Nat Myers: Yellow Peril (Easy Eye Sound) [06-23] - blues [A-]
  • Tracy Nelson: Life Don't Miss Nobody (BMG) [06-09] - blues [**]
  • Ole Lonesome: Tejas Motel (Gulf Coast) - blues
  • Parchman Prison Prayer: Some Mississippi Sunday Morning (Glitterbeat) [09-15] - gospel [**]
  • Popa Chubby: Live at G Bluey's Juke Joint NYC (Gulfcoast) - blues
  • Shelton Powe: Shelton Powe (Music Maker -22) [2022-11-04] - blues [**]
  • John Primer: Teardrops for Magic Slim: Live at Rosa's Lounge (Blues House) [02-24] - blues [***]
  • Ishmael Reed and the West Coast Blues Caravan of All-Stars: Blues Lyrics by Ishmael Reed (Reading Group) [08-05] - blues [A-]
  • Robert Jon & the Wreck: Ride Into the Light (Journeyman) - blues
  • Dex Romweber: Good Thing Goin' (Propeller Sound) [05-05] - blues rock [*]
  • Bobby Rush: All My Love for You (Deep Rush/Thirty Tigers) - blues [**]
  • Jeffrey Scott: Going Down to Georgia on a Hog (Music Maker) [03-03] - blues [***]
  • Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band: Dirt on My Diamonds Volume 1 (Provogue) [11-17] - blues [B]
  • Jimi "Primetime" Smith & Bob Corritore: The World in a Jug (Vizztone/SWMAF) [02-10] - blues [***]
  • Teskey Brothers: The Winding Way (Ivy League) - blues
  • Ally Venable: Real Gone (Ruf) [03-23] - blues [*]
  • Joe Louis Walker: Weight of the World (Forty Below) [02-17] - blues [B]
  • Walter Wolfman Washington: Feels So at Home (Tipitina's Record Club) - blues [*]
  • When Rivers Meet: Aces Are High (One Road) - blues

Reissues, Etc.

  • William Bell: Never Like This Before: The Complete 'Blue' Stax Singles 1961-1968 (Kent Soul -22) [2022-05-27] - blues [**]
  • William Bell: The Man in the Street: The Complete 'Yellow' Stax Solo Singles 1968-1974 (Kent) [02-24] - blues [**]
  • Sugar Boy Crawford: Hey Now! New Orleans Classics 1953-1958 (Jasmine) - r&b
  • The Famous Davis Sisters: The Singles Collection 1949-1962 (Acrobat -2CD) [07-12] - gospel
  • Henry Gray: In Session: I'm a Lucky, Lucky Man (Jasmine -22) [2022-12-15] - r&b
  • John Lee Hooker: Burnin' (Craft) - blues
  • John Lee Hooker: Alone: Live at Hunter College 1976 (BMG) - blues
  • Sax Mallard: In Session: The Mojo 1946-1954 (Jasmine) [02-17] - r&b
  • Brother Joe May: Singles, Album Tracks and Live Recordings 1949-1962 (Acrobat -4CD) [03-19] - gospel
  • John Mayall's Bluesbreakers: Live in 1967: Volume Three (Forty Below) - blues
  • Eli "Paperboy" Reed: Hits and Misses: The Singles (Yep Roc) - blues
  • Fenton Robinson: Somebody Loan Me a Dime (1974, Alligator) [06-02] - blues [~A-]
  • Al Smith: In Session 1952-1958: Fooling Around Slowly (Jasmine) [03-17] - r&b
  • Muddy Waters Blue Band Featuring Otis Spann: Live Paris 1968 (Lantower) [05-24] - blues [**]
  • Muddy Waters: Hollywood Blues Summit: Live at the Ash Grove July 30, 1971 (Liberation Hall) - blues
  • Birthright: A Black Roots Music Compendium (Craft) [02-17] - gospel
  • Black Diamond Express [Matchbox Bluesmaster Series] (Matchbox Bluesmaster -6CD) [03-01] - blues
  • The Black Gospel Ladies: I Walked Out in Jesus Name 1947-1970 (Narroway -3CD) [03-14] - gospel
  • Gospel: Female Gospel Groups 1940-1962 (Fremeaux & Associes) - gospel
  • Holy Church of the Ecstatic Soul: A Higher Power: Gospel, Funk & Soul at the Crossroads 1971-83 (Soul Jazz) [04-22] - gospel [*]
  • Miami Sound: Rare Funk & Soul From Miami, Florida 1967-1974 (Soul Jazz) - funk [**]
  • Playing for the Man at the Door: Field Recordings From the Collection of Mack McCormick 1958-1971 (Smithsonian Folkways) [02-22] - blues
  • The R&B No 1s of the 40s (Acrobat) - r&b [A-]
  • The Rough Guide to Railroad Blues (World Music Network -22) [2022-12-02] - blues
  • Shake That Thing: The Blues in Britain 1963-1973 (Cherry Red) - blues
  • Soul'd Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection (1972, Craft -12LP) [02-24] - soul
  • Tell Everybody! 21st Century Juke Joint Blues From Easy Eye Sound (Easy Eye Sound) [08-11] - blues [**]

Priority Counts

  • Priority 1: 27
  • Priority 2: 3
  • Priority 3: 0
  • Priority 4: 50
  • Priority 5: 1

Total: 81