The Best Non-Jazz Albums of 2018

Initial draft collected on Nov. 19, 2018. The file will be updated as additional worthy records are found (although updating may lag behind the official 2018 list). Last year's list was never frozen (OK, let's say it was frozen on Nov. 19, 2018). There also exists a parallel list of The Best Jazz of 2018.

Note: numbering of lists (aside from A/A-) is only temporary, to make it easier for me to tally up stats.

[*] 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 2017 (and in rare cases earlier) records that I discovered after last year's freeze date, but I've only included such records if they were so little known that they received less than five points in the 2017 metacritic file. These are marked, e.g., -17, after the label.

New Music

1. The Ex: 27 Passports (Ex)
Dutch group, career approximately parallels the Mekons starting from similar postpunk and politics, but where the Mekons dabbled with country, the Ex took an interest in jazz and Africa. Still, Arnold de Boer's vocals retain their punk bark, and drummer Katherina Bornefeld is as welcome a change of pace as Moe Tucker. As for the guitarists, they've never before cranked out such driving thrash -- even when they were trying to drown out Ken Vandermark in Lean Left. Can't say much for the words yet, but they've always been right on. [**]

2. Maria Muldaur: Don't You Feel My Leg: The Naughty Bawdy Blues of Blue Lu Barker (The Last Music Company)
A veteran of Jim Kweskin's 1960s Jug Band, went on to a duo with husband Geoff, then a solo act, starting with one of my favorite early-1970s singles -- seemed like a one-shot, but over the 1980s and 1990s the blues saved her bacon, and she struck gold with a Memphis Minnie tribute in 2001, Richland Woman Blues. She's traded in sex for some time now, but one can imagine her saving Barker for her 70s. Backed by Dave Torkanowsky's hot dixieland band, suggested by Barker's New Orleans roots if not by her music. **

3. Bettye LaVette: Things Have Changed (Verve)
Soul singer, cut an album for Motown in 1982, a second album in 1991, a third in 2000 in Europe where she finally started to find some traction. Did an album of Brit Rock songs in 2010 which seemed like a waste, but turned to Dylan here, much more impressively. Probably helps that she steers away from songs you recognize -- mostly from the '80s, I gather. Gives them more charge and depth than Dylan ever did. **

4. Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer (Bad Boy)
Third album, continuing her evolution from dancing android to flesh and blood pop star, conscious enough to opine that "everything is sex, except sex is power." Her funk channels Prince rather than George Clinton and James Brown, so it slides off the one, aiming for something more slippery. **

5. Amy Rigby: The Old Guys (Southern Domestic)
Possibly the best singer-songwriter in America for the decade 1996-2005, a period bracketed by two A records (Diary of a Mod Housewife and Little Fugitive, nothing much lower in between. Then she married Eric Goulden (aka Wreckless Eric) and cut three duo albums with him -- two better than anything he'd done before. First solo album in 13 years, doesn't rank with her best but at least four songs make me want to come back, everything else I enjoy -- her voice, of course, but also some of the hardest guitar she's ever employed. **

6. John Prine: The Tree of Forgiveness (Oh Boy)
First record of new songs since 2005's Fair and Square, with its pointed anti-Bush songs. Still, no (even oblique) mention of Trump this time: just a batch of scrimpy songs about love and death, mostly the latter. He practically looks dead on the cover, and his throat-cancer-damaged voice has deteriorated even further, making this hard to listen to at first. Still, you get used to all that, and start noticing his little tics of wit. By the end, he's in heaven, and rather than mourning you're wishing you could come along for the ride. **

7. Shopping: The Official Body (FatCat)
British post-punk band, third album, Rachel Aggs plays guitar and sings, bassist and drummer also sing some. Songs are tight, clean, have a rhythm and tone similar to that of such classic post-punk bands as Wire, Gang of Four, and Joy Division. That's pretty good. **

8. No Age: Snares Like a Haircut (Drag City)
Noise pop duo, guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt, fifth album, everything they've done so far makes a strong impression, although none of it has stuck with me. Every time I've played this album I've heard non-obvious echoes of a Go-Betweens song. One thing I'm sure of is that I'll never play anything else and find it reminds me of No Age. Still, the sound here moves way beyond noise, with an undeniable vitality. After three plays I enjoy every moment of it. But after three days I doubt I'll remember any of it. **

9. Riton + Kah-Lo: Foreign Ororo (Riton Time)
British DJ, Henry Smithson, started recording in 1999 but first time I've bumped into his, the breakthrough here the addition of Nigerian singer-rapper (songwriter?) Faridah Seriki. Beats skew toward grime, accent too but a bit less, starts with a hit and pads it out superbly. **

10. Parquet Courts: Wide Awake! (Rough Trade)
Previously the most consistent Velvets-rooted alt/indie band in the land, here they try to mix things up to sometimes odd effect, not least by employing Dangermouse as producer. Still, half or more of the songs come through as loud and clear as anything this year. Not impossible that deeper exposure will tie up the rough edges. **

11. Lyrics Born: Quite a Life (Mobile Home)
Tom Shimura, Bay Area rapper, tenth album, quite possibly the biggest big beat anywhere, explodes on the first cut, delivers an even bigger band on the second. Not sure I approve of the glosses on James Brown and the Rolling Stones, but they sure are glossy. Nor do I care to wallow in the cancer story, but they all sort of work out in the end. **

12. Cardi B: Invasion of Privacy (Atlantic)
Rapper Belcalis Almanzar, first album after two Gangsta Bitch Music mixtapes and a chart-topping single, "Bodak Yellow," that won last year's Pazz & Jop song category. Big investment here: scads of songwriters, producers, guests, yet consistent, hooky, unpredictable. **

13. Willie Nelson: Last Man Standing (Legacy)
New songs, working harder to prove he ain't dead yet than he has in quite some time. Gives him a new perspective on life. **

14. Jean Grae & Quelle Chris: Everything's Fine (Mello Music Group)
Rap duo, Tsidi Ibrahim (daughter of Abdullah Ibrahim and Sathima Bea Benjamin) and Gavin Tennille -- reports are they are engaged or married. Underground beats, often recycling to the title refrain. More his raps than hers, but his sly offhand delivery has never been better framed. **

15. Lori McKenna: The Tree (CN/Thirty Tigers)
Singer-songwriter, folk division, with possibly the clearest, most immediately appealing batch of songs in a twenty-year career. Does tail off a bit toward the end. **

16. Czarface/MF Doom: Czarface Meets Metal Face (Silver Age)
The former originally a 2013 album by 7L & Esoteric (George Andrinopoulos and Seamus Ryan, 7 albums 1999-2010) and Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck, now joined into a "supergroup," now with four subsequent albums. Needless to say, their comic book/underground rap fusion was right up Doom's alley -- indeed, MF stands for "Metal Face." Of course, I'm not properly following the plot, but even at my superficial level this is great fun. **

17. Kali Uchis: Isolation (Virgin EMI)
Pop singer, born in Colombia but raised in Virginia, real name Karly Loaiza, her stage name seems to have been a childhood nickname. First album after a mixtape. Doesn't really fit under any of the assigned genres (hip hop, Latin, funk/soul; I've also seen bossa nova, reggaeton, and trip hop mentioned). Joe Levy tried "vintage and futuristic." Not especially glitzy, but it does grow on you, not like anything you'd expect, but still cozy comfortable. **

18. Pistol Annies: Interstate Gospel (RCA Nashville)
Country supergroup, although only Miranda Lambert was well known before their 2011 debut. Group went on hiatus after their 2013 album, with Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley as well as Lambert releasing pretty good solo albums. Still, this is a group effort, with nearly all songs jointly credited. **

19. Becky Warren: Undesirable (self-released)
Nashville singer-songwriter, second album after 2016's excellent War Surplus. This lacks that album's overarching concept, but extends its sensibility. Rocks harder, too. Occasionally reminds me of Lucinda Williams. **

20. Tierra Whack: Whack World (self-released, EP)
Fifteen song-bits in fifteen minutes, seemed too short and fragmented to be more than a curiosity, but the accompanying video made its point, and didn't seem rushed at all. Still, I promoted this on two further spins of just the audio. **

21. Kate Nash: Yesterday Was Forever (Girl Gang)
English singer-songwriter, also acts, which kept her busy the last five years, between albums three and four. This one seems more scattered, but all four are terrific. **

22. Mary Gauthier: Rifles & Rosary Beads (In the Black)
Folk singer, has some good records under her belt, co-wrote these songs with veterans and spouses with their peculiar experiences and their usual rationalizations for their "service" -- no jingoism here let alone bloodlust, nothing that challenges my anti-military instincts, but I come away with little interest or empathy, no matter how remarkable the social realism. [PS: On further reflection, I was a bit harsh. The multiple writers make this less consistent than Becky Warren's War Surplus, but diversity has its merits and charms.] **

23. Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore: Downey to Lubbock (Yep Roc)
Two aging and never more than marginal stars in the alt-Americana niche -- though from my vantage point each has a half-dozen essential albums, especially if you factor in former groups, the Blasters and the Flatlanders -- trying to prop each other up, stretching two new Alvin songs out with mostly obscure covers -- the few you readily recognize seem most desperate, but great songs out in the end. Especially when sung by great voices, and bolstered by a lot of guitar. **

24. Rolling Blackouts C.F.: Hope Downs (Sub Pop)
Australian guitar band, from Melbourne, released a couple of widely praised EPs, picked up by influential alt/indie label Sub Pop, with this their first LP. Their guitar jangle is mesmerizing, with faint echoes of the Go-Betweens, and the lyrics I notice smart (though not as touching). Still, impressive. **

25. Laurie Anderson/Kronos Quartet: Landfall (Nonesuch)
Audio for some form of visual presentation, Anderson's usual work mode, reportedly linked to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy. Music seems less expansive than her best, the string quartet as much anchor as vehicle. Would be neither here nor there but for the spoken word, which is fascinating even at its most elliptical. **

26. Confidence Man: Confident Music for Confident People (Heavenly)
Dance pop quartet, fronted by a man and woman in white with pseudonyms, backed by two people totally in black, faces hidden behind hoods. Don't know where they're from -- one source says Missoula, MT, another Melbourne down under, their label website only showing UK dates. Reminds me of various things, especially from 1980s new wave disco, which doesn't offer great promise for future efforts, but for now those are all things I enjoy, and there's something to be said for living in the moment. **

27. Anderson .Paak: Oxnard (Aftermath/12 Tone Music)
Working his way up the California coastline, perhaps on his way to Big Sur to complete his transformation into hippiedom (or underground literary renown). I haven't sorted this all out -- doubt I ever will -- but it's as fetching as his previous one. **

28. Elza Soares: Deus É Mulher (Deckdisc)
Brazilian samba singer, discography goes back to 1960 although I didn't notice her until 2016's A Mulher Do Fim Do Mundo). The back catalog may be worth a trawl, but moving forward, at 80 she's clearly not intent on fitting into anyone else's genre. Raps some, rocks more. **

29. Coyote Poets of the Universe: Strange Lullaby (Square Shaped, 2CD)
Country-ish group from Denver, sixth album since 2003, a big one even if you discount a half-dozen striking covers -- the haunting "Wayfaring Stranger" is probably my favorite, the maudlin "Long Black Veil" took the longest to sink in. Singer Melissa Gates has a few Janis Joplin moments, still mesmerizing when she doesn't. The male singer (Andy O or Gary Hoover) is less striking, but poets need to get their words in.

30. Young Fathers: Cocoa Sugar (Ninja Tune)
Scottish trio, two black (one born in Liberia, the other second generation from Nigeria). I initially filed them as hip-hop, but they sing more than rap. I never warmed to their two previous albums or two earlier mixtapes, but this is pretty solid all around and not much like anything else. **

31. Eric Church: Desperate Man (EMI Nashville)
Country singer-sonwriter, seemed headed for rock stardom a few years back, sporting one of the loudest bands in Nashville. Dials it back a bit here, giving the songs more air and resonance, leaning toward Steve Earle territory. Happy to hear more of that. **

32. Blueprint: Two-Headed Monster (Weightless)
Rapper/producer Albert Shepard, from Columbus, Ohio, got noticed for his Rhymesayers debut (1988 in 2005) but ignored for a steady stream of self-released albums since 2003. Guest shots here include Slug, Mr Lif, and Aceyalone. "Good Guys Get Ignored"? That's a shame. **

33. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80: Black Times (Strut)
Youngest son of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, wound up running his legendary father's band -- fitting because he's a dead ringer, playing alto sax, singing, writing and leading irresistibly bouncy political rants. If they run shorter than his father's side-long essays, that's because he has even more to complain about, and hope for. **

34. The Goon Sax: We're Not Talking (Wichita)
Second-generation Go-Betweens, three singer-songwriters (only one a direct descendant), Riley Jones making a big difference on this sophomore album. Also the production, which fleshes out guitar-bass-drums with violin-viola-trumpet. **

35. Kyle: Light of Mine (Atlantic)
Rapper Kyle Thomas Harvey, from Ventura, CA, first studio album after a couple of mixtapes. Has a charming light touch both rapping and singing. **

36. Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba: Routes (Twelve/Eight)
Senegalese kora master, based in North Carolina, plus his American band, which does a pretty fair rendering of the deep Mande roots while adding to the leader's cosmopolitanism. He, in turn, approximates into a kinder, gentler Youssou N'Dour. **

37. The Coup: Sorry to Bother You: The Soundtrack (UMGRI Interscope)
Boots Riley, Oakland rapper, called his first group the Mau Mau Rhythm Collective, changing the name to the Coup in 1992. We last heard from him in 2012 on Sorry to Bother You, a title Riley recycled for his film debut this year. I don't know much about the movie ("a bananas satirical comedy about code-switching and exploitative capitalism"), but his soundtrack offers nine in-your-face pop songs, with Tune-Yards adding jangly noise to the infectious "Hey Saturday Night," Janelle Monáe adding cyborg cool to two more songs, and guest raps from Killer Mike and E-40. Short (35:46), tight, explosive. **

38. Noname: Room 25 (self-released)
Chicago rapper Fatima Warner, "debut album" following her "debut mixtape" Telefone, which sure sounded like an album to me -- both are self-released downloads, but Telefone was the one that also came out on vinyl. This didn't make much of an impression at first, but developed notably on second spin, then trailed off a bit when the guests showed up. Barely (hopefully). **

39. Robbie Fulks/Linda Gail Lewis: Wild! Wild! Wild! (Bloodshot)
Jerry Lee's sister is 12 years his junior, 15 years older than Fulks. She cut two albums in 1969 (one with Jerry Lee), then nothing until 1990, when she found a rockabilly market in Europe. She's been touring hard ever since, with 20+ albums up through 2015's Hard Rockin' Woman. She met Fulks in Sweden through a common publicist, and one thing led to another. I'm not finding any credits: are these old songs, or do they just sound that way? is that Linda on the piano? Either way, great fun. And while I'm a sucker for rockabilly, the change-of-pace pieces work just as well. **

40. K.A.A.N.: Subtle Meditation (Redefinition)
Rapper Brandon Perry, from Maryland, acronym stands for Knowledge Above All Nonsense, Wikipedia lists this as his first album, after 17 mixtapes (since 2014). Underground like MF Doom. **

41. Gift of Gab: Rejoice! Rappers Are Rapping Again! (Giftstribution Unlimited, EP)
Blackalicious rapper Timothy Parker, has solo projects going back to 1994. Six cuts, 21:16, most superb (especially "The Gentrification Song", "Aspire"). **

42. Dessa: Chime (Doomtree)
Singer-songwriter from Minnesota, degree in philosophy, started out in a hip-hop collective and mostly rapped on her debut, mostly sings on her fourth album here. One of the year's best pop albums, probably too mature to become a star in that idiom, but I don't know what more you could ask for. **

43. John Kruth & La Società dei Musici: Forever Ago (Ars Spoletium)
Singer-songwriter, main instrument mandolin, which gets him filed under folk but he's studied in India, married a woman from Croatia, and recorded this one with a group in Spoletto, Italy. I'm ambivalent about the early songs -- maybe just can't pigeonhole them -- but this gets a big lift from "Checkers with My Cat," and while I haven't fully parsed it yet, "The Old Communist" is a marvelous piece of songcraft. **

44. Chromeo: Head Over Heels (Big Beat/WEA)
Dance pop duo, David Macklovitch ("Dave 1") and Patrick Gemayel (P-Thugg), from Montreal, "the only Arab/Jewish partnership since the dawn of human culture," fifth album since 2004. Not sure why so many critics dismiss this as retro. I find their big beat dance grooves more fun than bubblegum. **

45. Ry Cooder: The Prodigal Son (Fantasy)
Three clever originals, the rest obscure covers, mostly blues/gospel, four by three gents known as Blind -- Willie Johnson, covering all the bases, doubles up. Took several plays to sink in, and still feels a little slick, but hardly glib. **

46. Mdou Moctar/Elite Beat: Mdou Moctar Meets Elite Beat in a Budget Dancehall (Boomarm Nation)
Only thing I know about Elite Beat is that he/it involves Jesse Munro Johnson, who also does business as Gulls. No band credits, although the sharp metallic guitar is certainly Moctar's (a Tuareg from Niger), cutting a swath through the extended keyb/drum vamps. Three "raw, unedited, live recordings" (38:12), no voices to speak of. **

47. Bali Baby: Baylor Swift (Twin, EP)
Atlanta rapper, 20, "grew up listening to Lana Del Rey, memorizing all the songs on the Rock Band video game." Looks like she has a couple of mixtapes and a bunch of singles since 2016, with this meant as a commercial ploy. Sketchy, but pretty hooky, with eight tracks adding up to 26:39. **

48. Thiago Nassif: Três (Foom)
Brazilian, first album, sings, plays guitar, bass, synth, with scattered guests, notably Arto Lindsay, who produced here, while Nassif co-produced Lindsay's 2017 album Cuidado Madame. Picks up where Lindsay's badly bent postpunk tropicalia leaves off. **

49. Marie Davidson: Working Class Woman (Ninja Tune)
French-Canadian electronica, fourth album, also part of darkwave duo Essaie Pas. She talks her way through this -- I can't really follow it all, can't even assure you it's all in English, but "Work It" could be a hit, and even when she goes dark she offers more edge than gloom. **

50. The Mekons 77: It Is Twice Blessed (Slow Things)
Reunion of the band's original 1977 lineup, with for-the-duration members Jon Langford and Tom Greenhalgh, plus four others (Kevin Lycett, Mark White, Andy Corrigan, Ros Allen) -- not sure when they left, probably not far into the 1980s. Closer to their punk roots, a time when they weren't yet the great country-ish band they became in the mid-1980s, but their vintage post-punk sound hits the spot today, as does their heartfelt politics. **

51. Mandy Barnett: Strange Conversation (Dame Productions/Thirty Tigers)
Country singer, first claim to fame came in 1995 when she starred in a Patsy Cline tribute, but didn't follow up her superb 1998 I've Got a Right to Cry until 2011, and this is the first I've noticed in 20 years. Covers of pop obscurities, most terrific -- my pick is the doo-wop of "It's All Right (You're Just in Love)," originally by the Tams. Christgau's favorite is a rockabilly piece called "The Fool." The only one I immediately recgonized was from Sonny & Cher. Archivalism on a par with prime Ry Cooder. **

52. Lupe Fiasco: Drogas Wave (1st & 15)
Second part, still scattered but gives you more to think about. Much more. **

53. Spiritualized: And Nothing Hurt (Fat Possum)
British space rock band, formed in 1990, only continuous member is guitarist-singer Jason Pierce (aka J. Spaceman), although keyboardist John Coxon (Spring Heel Jack) has been in nearly as long. Not sure about spacey, but stretched out grooves alternately provoke and comfort -- among the former, "The Morning After" is the most stirring prog rock jam I've heard in a long time. **

54. Aceyalone & DJ Fatjack: 43rd & Excellence (That Kind of Music)
Underground rapper Eddie Hayes, started in 1995, attracted some attention for 2001's Accepted Eclectic but little notice lately, despite regular releases. Love the easy flow here, as well as the scratch-sample beats. Can't find anything on his producer-partner. **

55. Lily Allen: No Shame (Parlophone)
Change of pace record after three aces -- the last two tops on my 2009 and 2014 annual lists -- eschewing the "euphoric choruses and monstrous drops" that put Sheezus over the top, aiming for more of "an audio diary." Three singles I sampled early on Napster were underwhelming, but the first official one, "Trigger Bang," is just fine. But she got help there, and indeed two other songs with feat. guests stand out. Elsewhere, takes a while to sink in that the voice in "Three" is her daughter's. And while the last two songs are catchy enough, they're vamps built on obvious clichés. I've given this a lot of time, and I'm disappointed, but I still adore her. And lately I've found myself with a couple of her songs wedged in my cranium. Only other record this month I can say that for is Between the Buttons, and it had a 50 year head start. **

56. Future: Beast Mode 2 (Epic/Freebandz)
Classified as a retail mixtape, name checks a 2015 mixtape. Low key but catchy "sing-rap blues." **

57. Sly & Robbie Meet Nils Petter Molvaer Feat. Eivind Aarset and Vladislav Delay: Nordub (Okeh)
Risks too many cooks, although reggae's premier rhythm section usually work within the borders of the Norwegian trumpeter's jazztronica -- the main difference being the extra resonance of acoustic drums. Aarset is Molvaer's usual guitarist, so I'm not sure why he gets billing while keyboardist/producer Jan Bang doesn't -- probably because Delay's electronics seek to square the circle. **

58. Jeffrey Lewis: Works by Tuli Kupferberg (1923-2010) (Don Giovanni)
I think I first first ran into Kupferberg when Grove Press published a very slim book of his, 1001 Ways to Beat the Draft (1966). It offered advice I could have used at the time, but as I recall wasn't all that useful. Nor was what I thought of as his sequel, 1001 Ways to Live Without Working (actually written in 1961). I probably read some of his poetry, but unlike his buddy Ed Sanders -- they formed a rock group in 1964 called the Fugs -- nothing especially memorable. Still, he was a hero to several generations of folkie-anarchists, including Lewis and his older fiddle player here, Peter Stampfel. Lewis allows himself leeway to "interpret and/or "misinterpret" Kupferberg's songs. The music palpably picks up when Kupferberg/Lewis stole it from someone talented (e.g., "I Wanna Hold Your Foot"), and the large-scale sing-alongs tidy his oeuvre up about as much as one could hope. **

Also added the following 2017 albums after freezing the 2016 year-end file:

1. Girma Bèyènè & Akalé Wubé: Éthiopiques 30: "Mistakes on Purpose" (Buda Musique)
Ethiopian, no recording dates but seems to be recent. Bèyènè plays piano and sings, somewhat talky; Akalé Wubé is a band, with sax, trumpet, guitar, bass, and drums, plus some guests drop in. Their relaxed flow doesn't sound all that African, but that's just how unique they are -- and note that the horns can on occasion slip into jazzy dissonance. **

2. Anna Tivel: Small Believer (Fluff and Gravy)
Singer-songwriter from Portland, plays guitar and violin, fourth album, has a producer who spruces up the sound without clutter or distraction. A lovely album, I find myself hanging on every word. **

3. Marvin Pontiac: The Asylum Tapes (Strange and Beautiful)
Fictional artist invented by Loung Lizards saxophonist John Lurie. His back story started with birth in Mali in 1932, mother Jewish from New Rochelle, father a west African who abandoned him, grew up in Chicago playing blues harmonica, copying Little Walter; went nuts, believing he had been abducted and probed by aliens; hit and killed by a bus in 1977. Pontiac first appeared in our world when Lurie released his Greatest Hits in 2000. Not much sax here; mostly guitar and growl. Can't claim it's as good as Beefheart, but if you miss him you might welcome a kindred spirit. **

4. Youssou N'Dour: Raxas Bercy 2017 (self-released)
Not sure this even counts as a thing: a concert tape dumped out on YouTube, what in ancient times was called a bootleg and generally ignored by respectable critics, but nowadays is just data, the original source apparently the artist himself. Still, good luck trying to come up with a usable copy -- I'm not sure mine qualifies on that account either. As live N'Dour concerts go, this does live up to his stellar reputation, and I especially like the sharp attack on the drums. **

5. Wu-Tang: The Saga Continues (eOne)
Released in October, the group name shortened to note the absence of U-God (some legal issues, royalties maybe), conspicuously produced by Mathematics, pretty much universally ignored (68 at Metacritic on 13 reviews, only one EOY list appearance I've noted, and 100th place at that). I can't say I've ever been much of a fan, and indeed disliked the whole 1990s gangsta fad, but time changes everything, not least how one perceives those who haven't changed. They're old school now, their beats/samples sound great, giving their tales of drug dealing an air of literature, and their defense of black masculinity a quest for dignity and power (albeit with a whiff of sexism). **

Honorable Mention

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

  1. 6lack: East Atlanta Love Letter (LoveRenaissance/Interscope) **
  2. A.A.L. (Against All Logic): 2012-2017 (Other People) **
  3. Abhi the Nomad: Marbled (Tommy Boy) **
  4. American Aquarium: Things Change (New West) **
  5. Aphex Twin: Collapse EP (Warp, EP) **
  6. Baloji: 137 Avenue Kaniama (Bella Union) **
  7. MC Paul Barman: (((Echo Chamber))) (Mello Music Group) **
  8. Courtney Barnett: Tell Me How You Really Feel (Mom + Pop Music) **
  9. Bombino: Deran (Partisan) **
  10. Camp Cope: How to Socialise & Make Friends (Run for Cover) **
  11. Car Seat Headrest: Twin Fantasy (Matador) **
  12. The Carters: Everything Is Love (Parkwood/Roc Nation) **
  13. Rosanne Cash: She Remembers Everything (Blue Note) **
  14. Neneh Cherry: Broken Politics (Smalltown Supersound) **
  15. Frankie Cosmos: Vessel (Sub Pop) **
  16. CupcakKe: Ephorize (self-released) **
  17. CupcakKe: Eden (self-released) **
  18. Denzel Curry: TA1300 (Loma Vista) **
  19. Chuck D as Mistachuck: Celebration of Ignorance (SpitSLAM) **
  20. DaBaby: Blank Blank (South Coast Music Group, EP) **
  21. Dream Wife: Dream Wife (Lucky Number) **
  22. Jason Eady: I Travel On (Old Guitar) **
  23. Open Mike Eagle: What Happens When I Try to Relax (Auto Reverse, EP) **
  24. Marianne Faithfull: Negative Capability (BMG) **
  25. Flatbush Zombies: Vacation in Hell (Glorious Dead) **
  26. Sue Foley: The Ice Queen (Stony Plain) **
  27. Grupo Mono Blanco: ¡Fandango! Sones Jaroches de Veracruz (Smithsonian Folkways) **
  28. Helena Hauff: Qualm (Ninja Tune) **
  29. Hieroglyphic Being: The Red Notes (Soul Jazz) **
  30. Hinds: I Don't Run (Mom + Pop) **
  31. Jon Hopkins: Singularity (Domino) **
  32. Idles: Joy as an Act of Resistance (Partisan) **
  33. Imarhan: Temet (City Slang) **
  34. The Internet: Hive Mind (Columbia) **
  35. JLin: Autobiography [Music From Wayne McGregor's Autobiography] (Planet Mu) **
  36. Roy Kinsey: Blackie: A Story by Roy Kinsey (Not Normal) **
  37. Rich Krueger: NOWThen (Rockin'K Music) **
  38. Lil Baby & Gunna: Drip Harder (Quality Control) **
  39. Lithics: Mating Surfaces (Kill Rock Stars) **
  40. Roc Marciano: RR2: The Bitter Dose (Marci) **
  41. Marlowe: Marlowe (Mello Music Group) **
  42. Masta Ace & Marco Polo: A Breukelen Story (Fat Beats) **
  43. Meek Mill: Championships (Maybach Music Group/Atlantic) **
  44. Shawn Mendes: Shawn Mendes (Island) **
  45. Metric: Art of Doubt (Metric/BMG) **
  46. Nicki Minaj: Queen (Young Money/Cash Money) **
  47. Miss Red: K.O. (Pressure) **
  48. Molly Tigre: Molly Tigre (Very Special) **
  49. Murs: A Strange Journey Into the Unimaginable (Strange Music) **
  50. Orquesta Akokán (Daptone) **
  51. Pusha T: Daytona (GOOD/Def Jam, EP) **
  52. Kristo Rodzevski: The Rabbit and the Fallen Sycamore (Much Prefer)
  53. Rolo Tomassi: Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It (Holy Roar) **
  54. Saba: Care for Me (Saba Pivot) **
  55. Hama Sankare: Ballébé: Calling All Africans (Clermont Music) **
  56. Serengeti: Dennis 6e (People) **
  57. Shannon Shaw: Shannon in Nashville (Easy Eye Sound/Nonesuch) **
  58. Amanda Shires: To the Sunset (Silver Knife) **
  59. Skee Mask: Compro (Ilian Tape) **
  60. Sophie: Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides (MSMSMSM/Future Classic) **
  61. Tal National: Tantabara (Fat Cat) **
  62. Tallawit Timbouctou: Hali Diallo (Sahel Sounds) **
  63. Sheck Wes: Mudboy (Cactus Jack/GOOD Music/Interscope) **
  64. Barrence Whitfield & the Savages: Soul Flowers of Titan (Bloodshot) **
  65. Wreckless Eric: Construction Time & Demolition (Southern Domestic) **
  66. Wussy: What Heaven Is Like (Shake It) **

Also added the following 2017 albums after freezing the 2017 year-end file:

  1. Methodist Hospital: Giants (self-released) **
  2. Leikeli47: Wash & Set (Hardcover/RCA) **
  3. Tom Zé: Sem Você Não A (Circus) **

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. James Brown & the Famous Flames: The Federal & King Singles As & BVs 1956-61 (Acrobat, 2CD)
Fifty-seven songs, so half as many singles, 4-5 per year, a dozen on the r&b charts, including his first ("Please Please Please") and one more ("Try Me") before 1960 ("Think"). Those hits justly stand out, but his voice and innate sense of rhythm are consistent -- not yet the star he would become, but well on his way. **

2. I'm Not Here to Hunt Rabbits (Piranha)
Various artists compilation from Botswana, a patch of desert between South Africa and Zimbabwe, which gives you a rough set of bearings for the music. No idea whether these pieces are new or old. More laid back than mbaqanga, not unlike the drift inland from Senegal and Nigeria to Mali. **

3. Liz Phair: Girly-Sound to Guyville: The 25th Anniversary Boxset (1991-93, Matador, 3CD)
Classic album on first disc, demo cassettes crammed into two more, and actually cheaper on CD than MP3. **

4. Joan Jett: Bad Reputation [Music From the Original Motion Picture] (1976-2016, Legacy)
Various artists, but thirteen tracks attributed to Jett (10 "& the Blackhearts"), two earlier cuts from her earlier teenaged tenure with The Runaways, two more tracks from Bikini Kill (1992, with Jett) and FEA (2016, on Jett's label). Seems to me like Fit to Be Tied (1997) is still a better best-of, but the longer spread here might be a plus. Digital adds a live "Smells Like Teen Spirit" -- was tempted to dock it for that, but I guess not. **

5. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!! And Rights!! (FOLC)
Madrid [Spain] label, never heard of them [HT: Phil Overeem] but they have an even hundred albums on Bandcamp, none by anyone I've ever heard of, nor do I know any of the 14 groups here, nor do I have any idea when any of this was recorded -- most of it could date back to the 1950s (rockabilly, doo wop, hot and heavy boogie) but probably doesn't, and not just due to the bits of punk (most but not all is in English). Title is another disconnect: sounds like more males than females, not that you can tell these days. Only doubt I don't have is the bit about fun. **

6. Two Niles to Sing a Melody: The Violins & Synths of Sudan (1970s-80s, Ostinato)
Mostly recorded in Khartoum before the 1989 coup turned the nation toward Salafi Islam and against pop music, although it's possible some tracks were recorded later, in exile -- this label doesn't offer discographical details. Closer to Ethiopia than to Egypt, more emphasis on groove, also on cheese. **

7. Professor Rhythm: Professor 3 (1991, Awesome Tapes From Africa)
From South Africa, Thami Mduli's third album, six very rhythmic tracks (28:40), reminds me of pennywhistle or township jive, some catchy instrumentals, some adding even catchier vocals. Somewhat earlier than last year's Awesome find, Bafana Bafana. **

8. Neil Young: Roxy: Tonight's the Night Live (1973, Reprise)
A live set immediately following the recording of one of Young's most extraordinary albums, one that would sit on the shelf nearly two years before its June 1975 release. Nine of the album's twelve songs appeared here, along with "Walk On" (introduced for the encore as an "old song," but was a 1974 single from On the Beach). Not sure that the live album offers anything extra, the reprise is even stronger than on the album, and I've had songs from this stuck in my head all week. **

Also added the following 2017 albums after freezing the 2017 year-end file:

1. Anna Domino: East and West + Singles (1984, Les Disques du Crépuscle)
Singer-songwriter, an army brat born in Tokyo, grew up in Ann Arbor, Firenze, and Toronto before winding up in New York and getting signed to a Belgian label. Five-cut debut, 22:55. Hard to peg. Christgau tried "hypnotic with no cosmic aspirations." CD reissue adds three increasingly catchy singles and a demo, getting us to a respectable 38:19. **

Honorable Mention

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

  1. African Scream Contest 2 (Analog Africa) **
  2. Kwi Bamba: Kwi Bamba & L'Orchestre De Gama Berema (1997, Ouch!) **
  3. Black Panther: The Album (Music From and Inspired By) (Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope) **
  4. Tyler Childers: Live on Red Barn Radio I & II (2013-14, Hickman Holler -EP) **
  5. Dur Dur of Somalia: Volume 1, Volume 2 & Previously Unreleased Tracks (1986-87, Analog Africa, 2CD) **
  6. Asnake Gebreyes: Ahadu (1988, Buda Musique) **
  7. The Louvin Brothers: Love and Wealth: The Lost Recordings (Modern Harmonic, 2CD) **
  8. Orchestre Abass: De Bassari Togo (1972, Analog Africa, EP) **
  9. Liz Phair: The Girly-Sound Tapes (1991, Matador) **
  10. Otis Redding: Dock of the Bay Sessions (1967, Rhino) **
  11. The Rough Guide to the Best Country Blues You've Never Heard (1927-36, World Music Network) **
  12. A Tribe Called Quest: Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller (1989-91, Jive/Legacy) **

Also added the following 2017 albums after freezing the 2017 year-end file:

  1. Mulatu Astatke: Mulatu of Ethiopia (1972, Strut) **
  2. Don Drummond: Don Cosmic (1960-65, Studio One) **

Notes

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

  1. 3hattrio: Lord of the Desert (Okehdokee) ** [B+(**)]
  2. 700 Bliss: Spa 700 (Halcyon Veil/Don Giovanni, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  3. The 1975: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships (Dirty Hit/Polydor) ** [B]
  4. Ace of Cups: Ace of Cups (High Moon) ** [B]
  5. Amen Dunes: Freedom (Sacred Bones) ** [B+(*)]
  6. Alice Bag: Blueprint (Don Giovanni) ** [B+(*)]
  7. Amnesia Scanner: Another Life (Pan) ** [B+(*)]
  8. Courtney Marie Andrews: May Your Kindness Remain (Fat Possum/Mama Bird) ** [B+(*)]
  9. Archivist & Fugal: Undertow (BleeD, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  10. Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (Domino) ** [C+]
  11. Armand Hammer: Paraffin (Backwoodz Studioz) ** [B+(**)]
  12. Art Brut: Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out (Alcopop!) ** [B+(**)]
  13. Asleep at the Wheel: New Routes (Bismeaux) ** [B+(*)]
  14. Atmosphere: Mi Vida Local (Rhymesayers Entertainment) ** [B+(**)]
  15. August Greene: August Greene (Fat Beats) ** [B+(**)]
  16. Daniel Avery: Song for Alpha (Phantasy Sound/Mute) ** [B}(*)]
  17. Baco Exu Do Blues: Bluesman (self-released) ** [B+(**)]
  18. Bad Bunny: X 100PRE (Rimas Entertainment) ** [B+(*)]
  19. Bali Baby: Resurrection (Twin, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  20. Marcia Ball: Shine Bright (Alligator) ** [B+(*)]
  21. J Balvin: Vibras (Universal Latino) ** [B+(**)]
  22. Beach House: 7 (Sub Pop) ** [B+(**)]
  23. Beak>: >>> (Temporary Residence) ** [B+(*)]
  24. Berry: Everything, Compromised (Joyful Noise) ** [B-]
  25. The Beths: Future Me Hates Me (Carpark) ** [B+(*)]
  26. Bhad Bhabie: 15 (BHAD Music) ** [B+(**)]
  27. Big Freedia: 3rd Ward Bounce (Asylum Worldwide, EP) ** [B]
  28. Black Foxxes: Reiði (Spinefarm) ** [B]
  29. Blood Orange: Negro Swan (Domino) ** [B+(**)]
  30. Kadhja Bonet: Childqueen (Fat Possum) ** [B-]
  31. The Bottle Rockets: Bit Logic (Bloodshot) ** [B+(*)]
  32. Boy Azooga: (One) (Two) (Kung Fu!) (Heavenly) ** [B+(*)]
  33. R.L. Boyce: Rattlesnake Boogie (Waxploitation) ** [B+(*)]
  34. Boygenius: Boygenius (Matador, EP) ** [B]
  35. Toni Braxton: Sex & Cigarettes (Def Jam) ** [B+(**)]
  36. The Breeders: All Nerve (4AD) ** [B+(*)]
  37. Leon Bridges: Good Thing (Columbia) ** [B+(*)]
  38. Brockhampton: Iridescence (RCA) ** [B+(**)]
  39. Brothers Osborne: Port Saint Joe (EMI Nashville) ** [B]
  40. Bruce: Sonder Somatic (Hessle Audio) ** [B+(**)]
  41. BTS: Love Yourself: Tear (Big Hit) ** [B]
  42. Burna Boy: Outside (Atlantic) ** [B+(*)]
  43. Busdriver: Electricity Is on Our Side (Temporary Forever) ** [B-]
  44. David Byrne: American Utopia (Nonesuch) ** [B]
  45. Camila Cabello: Camila (Syco/Epic) ** [B+(**)]
  46. Mariah Carey: Caution (Epic) ** [B]
  47. Brandi Carlile: By the Way, I Forgive You (Low Country Sound/Elektra) ** [B-]
  48. Dillon Carmichael: Hell on an Angel (Riser House) ** [B+(*)]
  49. Playboi Carti: Die Lit (AWGE/Interscope) ** [B+(*)]
  50. Neko Case: Hell-On (Anti-) ** [B+(*)]
  51. Cavern of Anti-Matter: Hormone Lemonade (Duophonic) ** [B+(**)]
  52. Lando Chill: Black Ego (Mello Music Group) ** [B+(*)]
  53. The Chills: Snow Bound (Fire) ** [B+(**)]
  54. Chloe x Halle: The Kids Are Alright (Parkwood/Columbia) ** [B+(**)]
  55. Christine and the Queens: Chris (Because Music) ** [B+(**)]
  56. Chvrches: Love Is Dead (Glassnote) ** [B+(*)]
  57. City Girls: Period (Quality Control) ** [B]
  58. City Girls: Girl Code (Quality Control) ** [B]
  59. Cloud Nothings: Last Building Burning (Carpark) ** [B+(**)]
  60. The Coathangers: Live (Suicide Squeeze) ** [B+(**)]
  61. Brent Cobb: Providence Canyon (Low Country Sound/Elektra) ** [B+(**)]
  62. J. Cole: KOD (Roc Nation) ** [B+(**)]
  63. Elvis Costello & the Imposters: Look Now (Concord) ** [B-]
  64. Elysia Crampton (Break World, EP) ** [B+(*)]
  65. Rodney Crowell: Acoustic Classics (RC1) ** [B+(*)]
  66. Cypress Hill: Elephants on Acid (BMG) ** [B+(**)]
  67. Lucy Dacus: Historian (Matador) ** [B+(*)]
  68. Daphne & Celeste: Daphne & Celeste Save the World (Balatonic) ** [B]
  69. Fatoumata Diawara: Fenfo: Something to Say (Shanachie) ** [B+(**)]
  70. DJ Koze: Knock Knock (Pampa) ** [B]
  71. Double Dee & Steinski: Lesson 4: The Beat (self-released, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  72. Dem Atlas: Bad Actress (Rhymesayers) ** [B]
  73. Eminem: Kamikaze (Aftermath/Shady/Interscope) ** [B+(**)]
  74. The English Beat [Dave Wakeling]: Here We Go Love (Here We Go) ** [B-]
  75. Erin Rae: Putting on Airs (Single Lock) ** [B+(*)]
  76. Fat Tony: 10,000 Hours (self-released) ** [B+(*)]
  77. FAVX: Welfare (Miel de Moscas/Burger, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  78. Fickle Friends: You Are Someone Else (Polydor) ** [B+(**)]
  79. First Aid Kit: Ruins (Columbia) ** [B]
  80. Kinky Friedman: Circus of Life (Echo Hill) ** [B+(*)]
  81. George FitzGerald: All That Must Be (Double Six) ** [B+(**)]
  82. Florence + the Machine: High as Hope (Virgin EMI) ** [B+(*)]
  83. Ezra Furman: Transangelic Exodus (Bella Union) ** [B+(**)]
  84. Gaika: Basic Volume (Warp) ** [B+(*)]
  85. Billy F Gibbons: The Big Bad Blues (Concord) ** [B+(*)]
  86. Freddie Gibbs: Freddie (ESGN/Empire, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  87. Ginkgoa: One Time (self-released, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  88. The Go! Team: Semi-Circle (Memphis Industries) ** [B+(**)]
  89. Gorillaz: The Now Now (Parlophone) ** [B-]
  90. Ariana Grande: Sweetener (Republic) ** [B]
  91. Grouper: Grid of Points (Kranky, EP) ** [B]
  92. Gwenno: Le Kov (Heavenly) ** [B+(**)]
  93. Hamell on Trial: The Night Guy at the Apocalypse: Profiles of a Rushing Midnight (Saustex) ** [B+(*)]
  94. Clay Harper: Bleak Beauty (self-released) ** [B+(*)]
  95. Tim Hecker: Konoyo (Kranky) ** [B]
  96. Joshua Hedley: Mr. Jukebox (Third Man) ** [B]
  97. G Herbo & Southside: Swervo (Machine/Epic/Cinematic/150 Dream Team/808 Mafia) ** [B+(*)]
  98. Haley Heynderickx: I Need to Start a Garden (Mama Bird) ** [B+(**)]
  99. Hieroglyphic Being: The Replicant Dream Sequence (Moog Recordings Library) ** [B+(*)]
  100. Will Hoge: My American Dream (Thirty Tigers/EDLO, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  101. Lonnie Holley: MITH (Jagjaguwar) ** [B]
  102. Homeboy Sandman & Edan: Humble Pi (Stones Throw, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  103. Hookworms: Microshift (Domino) ** [B+(*)]
  104. Julia Holter: Aviary (Domino) ** [B]
  105. Hop Along: Bark Your Head Off, Dog (Saddle Creek) ** [B+(*)]
  106. Hot Snakes: Jericho Sirens (Sub Pop) ** [B]
  107. Nipsey Hussle: Victory Lap (All Money In/Atlantic) ** [B+(*)]
  108. The Jayhawks: Back Roads and Abandoned Motels (Legacy) ** [B]
  109. Mick Jenkins: Pieces of a Man (Cinematic) ** [B+(*)]
  110. J.I.D: DiCaprio 2 (Dreamville/Interscope) ** [B+(*)]
  111. Cody Jinks: Lifers (Rounder) ** [B+(*)]
  112. Wilko Johnson: Blow Your Mind (Chess) ** [B+(**)]
  113. Anthony Joseph: People of the Sun (Heavenly Sweetness) ** [B+(*)]
  114. Juice WRLD: Goodbye & Good Riddance (self-released) ** [B+(*)]
  115. Khalid: Suncity (RCA, EP) ** [B+(*)]
  116. Khruangbin: Con Todo El Mundo (Dead Oceans) ** [B+(*)]
  117. Kids See Ghosts [Kanye West/Kid Cudi]: Kids See Ghosts (GOOD/Def Jam, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  118. Hayley Kiyoko: Expectations (Empire/Atlantic) ** [B+(*)]
  119. Femi Kuti: One People One World (Knitting Factory) ** [B+(*)]
  120. Rich Krueger: Life Ain't That Long (Rockink) ** [B+(**)]
  121. Leikeli47: Acrylic (Hardcover/RCA) ** [B+(**)]
  122. Ravyn Lenae: Crush (Atlantic, EP) ** [B+(*)]
  123. Adrianne Lenker: Abysskiss (Saddle Creek) ** [B+(*)]
  124. Jinx Lennon: Grow a Pair!!! (Septic Tiger) ** [B+(*)]
  125. Let's Eat Grandma: I'm All Ears (Transgressive) ** [B+(*)]
  126. Lil Baby: Harder Than Ever (Quality Control) ** [B+(**)]
  127. Lil Wayne: Tha Carter V (Young Money/Republic) ** [B+(**)]
  128. Lykke Li: So Sad So Sexy (RCA) ** [B+(*)]
  129. Lotic: Power (Tri Angle) ** [B]
  130. Loretta Lynn: Wouldn't It Be Great (Legacy) ** [B+(**)]
  131. Mad Crush: Mad Crush (Upon This Rock, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  132. Ahmoudou Madassane: Zerzura (Sahel Sounds) ** [B+(**)]
  133. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks: Sparkle Hard (Matador) ** [B+(*)]
  134. Maribou State: Kingdoms in Colour (Counter) ** [B+(*)]
  135. Amber Mark: Conexão (Virgin EMI, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  136. Ashley McBryde: Girl Going Nowhere (Warner Nashville) ** [B+(**)]
  137. Paul McCartney: Egypt Station (Capitol) ** [B-]
  138. Melody's Echo Chamber: Bon Voyage (Fat Possum) ** [B]
  139. Migos: Culture II (Quality Control/Motown/Capitol, 2CD) ** [B+(**)]
  140. MIKE: Black Soap (Lex, EP) ** [B+(*)]
  141. MIKE: Renaissance Man (Lex) ** [B+(*)]
  142. Mac Miller: Swimming (REMember Music/Warner Bros.) ** [B+(*)]
  143. Rhett Miller: The Messenger (ATO) ** [B+(**)]
  144. Parker Millsap: Other Arrangements (Okrahoma) ** [B+(*)]
  145. Father John Misty: God's Favorite Customer (Sub Pop) ** [B]
  146. Mitski: Be the Cowboy (Dead Oceans) ** [B]
  147. Ashley Monroe: Sparrow (Warner Nashville) ** [B-]
  148. Kelly Moran: Ultraviolet (Warp) ** [B+(*)]
  149. Whitey Morgan and the 78's: Hard Times and White Lines (Whitey Morgan Music) ** [B+(*)]
  150. Rae Morris: Someone Out There (Atlantic) ** [B+(*)]
  151. Van Morrison and Joey DeFrancesco: You're Driving Me Crazy (Legacy) ** [B+(**)]
  152. Van Morrison: The Prophet Speaks (Exile) ** [B+(**)]
  153. Mount Eerie: Now Only (PW Elverum & Sun) ** [B+(*)]
  154. Mr. Fingers: Cerebral Hemispheres (Aleviated) ** [B+(**)]
  155. Muncie Girls: Fixed Ideals (Buzz) ** [B+(**)]
  156. Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour (MCA Nashville) ** [B]
  157. Nas: Nasir (Mass Appeal/Def Jam, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  158. Rico Nasty: Nasty (Sugar Trap) ** [B+(**)]
  159. Meshell Ndegeocello: Ventriloquism (Naïve) ** [B+(*)]
  160. Tami Neilson: Sassafrass! (Outside Music) ** [B+(**)]
  161. Willie Nelson: My Way (Legacy) ** [B+(**)]
  162. Danielle Nicole: Cry No More (Concord) ** [B+(*)]
  163. Objekt: Cocoon Crush (PAN) ** [B+(**)]
  164. Ohmme: Parts (Joyful Noise) ** [B+(**)]
  165. Old Crow Medicine Show: Volunteer (Columbia Nashville) ** [B+(*)]
  166. Old Man Saxon: The Pursuit (Pusher, EP) ** [B+(*)]
  167. Oneohtrix Point Never: Age Of (Warp) ** [B+(*)]
  168. Parliament: Medicaid Fraud Dogg (C Kunspyruhzy) ** [B]
  169. Grant Peeples & the Peeples Republik: Settling Scores Vol. II (Gatorbone) ** [B+(**)]
  170. Phonte: No News Is Good News (Foreign Exchange) ** [B+(**)]
  171. Popcaan: Forever (Mixpak) ** [B+(**)]
  172. Post Malone: Beerbongs & Bentleys (Republic) ** [B+(**)]
  173. Prefuse 73: Sacrifices (Lex) ** [B]
  174. Princess Nokia: A Girl Cried Red (Rough Trade, EP) ** [B+(*)]
  175. Proc Fiskal: Insula (Hyperdub) ** [B+(**)]
  176. Psymun: All Killer No Filler (self-released, EP) ** [B+(*)]
  177. Joey Purp: Quarterthing (self-released) ** [B+(**)]
  178. Charlie Puth: Voicenotes (Atlantic) ** [B+(*)]
  179. Rae Sremmurd: SR3MM (Ear Drummer/Interscope, 3CD) ** [B]
  180. RAM: RAM 7: August 1791 (Willibelle) ** [B]
  181. Allen Ravenstine: Waiting for the Bomb (Morphius/ReR Megacorp) ** [B+(*)]
  182. Rejoicer: Energy Dreams (Stones Throw) ** [B+(**)]
  183. Bebe Rexha: Expectations (Warner Brothers) ** [B+(*)]
  184. Rival Consoles: Persona (Erased Tapes) ** [B+(*)]
  185. Robyn: Honey (Konichawa/Interscope) ** [B+(**)]
  186. Jay Rock: Redemption (Top Dawg/Interscope) ** [B+(*)]
  187. Rosalía: El Mal Querer (Sony Music) ** [B]
  188. Caroline Rose: Loner (New West) ** [B]
  189. Jeff Rosenstock: Post- (Polyvinyl) ** [B+(*)]
  190. Ross From Friends: Family Portrait (Brainfeeder) ** [B+(**)]
  191. Royce Da 5'9": Book of Ryan (EOne) ** [B+(*)]
  192. Rüfüs Du Sol: Solace (Reprise) ** [B+(*)]
  193. Boz Scaggs: Out of the Blues (Concord) ** [B+(*)]
  194. Travis Scott: Astroworld (Epic/Grand Hustle) ** [B+(**)]
  195. Ty Segall: Freedom's Goblin (Drag City) ** [B]
  196. Ty Segall & White Fence: Joy (Drag City) ** [B+(*)]
  197. Serpentwithfeet: Soil (Secretly Canadian) ** [B]
  198. Shad: A Short Story About a War (Secret City) ** [B+(*)]
  199. Shame: Songs of Praise (Dead Oceans) ** [B]
  200. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers: Years (Bloodshot) ** [B+(*)]
  201. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers: On Audiotree Live (Audiotree, EP)
  202. Paul Simon: In the Blue Light (Legacy) ** [B]
  203. Troye Sivan: Bloom (Capitol) ** [B]
  204. Sleaford Mods: Sleaford Mods (Rough Trade, EP) ** [B]
  205. Sleep: The Sciences (Third Man) ** [B+(*)]
  206. Sloan: 12 (Yep Roc) ** [B]
  207. Caitlyn Smith: Starfire (Monument) ** [B]
  208. Jorja Smith: Lost & Found (FAMM) ** [B+(**)]
  209. Snail Mail: Lush (Matador) ** [B+(*)]
  210. SOB X RBE: Gangin (Empire) ** [B-]
  211. Soccer Mommy: Clean (Fat Possum) ** [B+(**)]
  212. Speedy Ortiz: Twerp Verse (Carpark) ** [B+(*)]
  213. Bruce Springsteen: Springsteen on Broadway (Columbia, 2CD) ** [B+(**)]
  214. Vince Staples: FM! (Def Jam, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  215. Sunflower Bean: Twentytwo in Blue (Mom + Pop) ** [B+(*)]
  216. Superchunk: What a Time to Be Alive (Merge) ** [B+(**)]
  217. Superorganism: Superorganism (Domino) ** [B+(**)]
  218. Swamp Dogg: Love, Loss, and Auto-Tune (Joyful Noise) ** [B]
  219. Earl Sweatshirt: Some Rap Songs (Tan Cressida/Columbia, EP) ** [B]
  220. Ebo Taylor: Yen Ara (Mr. Bongo) ** [B+(**)]
  221. Teyana Taylor: KTSE [Keep That Same Energy] (GOOD Music/Def Jam, EP) ** [B]
  222. Tracey Thorn: Record (Merge) ** [B+(**)]
  223. Tirzah: Devotion (Domino) ** [B+(**)]
  224. Sidi Touré: Toubalbero (Thrill Jockey) ** [B+(**)]
  225. Tropical Fuck Storm: A Laughing Death in Meatspace (Tropical Fuck Storm/Mistletone) ** [B+(**)]
  226. Yves Tumor: Safe in the Hands of Love (Warp) ** [B]
  227. Tune-Yards: I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life (4AD) ** [B]
  228. Turning Jewels Into Water: Which Way Is Home? (FPE, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  229. Turnstile: Time & Space (Roadrunner) ** [B+(*)]
  230. Jeff Tweedy: Warm (dBpm) ** [B+(**)]
  231. Underworld & Iggy Pop: Teatime Dub Encounters (Caroline, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  232. U.S. Girls: In a Poem Unlimited (4AD) ** [B+(**)]
  233. Valee: GOOD Job, You Found Me (GOOD Music, EP) ** [B+(**)]
  234. Kate Vargas: For the Wolfish & Wandering (self-released) ** [B+(*)]
  235. Leon Vynehall: Nothing Is Still (Ninja Tune) ** [B+(**)]
  236. Colter Wall: Songs of the Plains (Young Mary's) ** [B+(**)]
  237. The Weeknd: My Dear Melancholy (XO/Republic, EP) ** [B+(*)]
  238. Kanye West: Ye (Def Jam/GOOD Music, EP) ** [B+(*)]
  239. Dee White: Southern Gentleman (Easy Eye Sound/Warner Music Nashville) ** [B+(**)]
  240. Jack White: Boarding House Reach (Third Man/Columbia) ** [B-]
  241. Kelly Willis: Back Being Blue (Premium) ** [B+(*)]
  242. Jamie Lin Wilson: Jumping Over Rocks (self-released) ** [B+(**)]
  243. Luke Winslow-King: Blue Mesa (Bloodshot) ** [B+(*)]
  244. Wye Oak: The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs (Merge) ** [B+(*)]
  245. The Xcerts: Hold on to Your Heart (Raygun) ** [B]
  246. Years & Years: Palo Santo (Polydor) ** [B]
  247. Zeal and Ardor: Stranger Fruit (MVKA) ** [B+(*)]

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

  1. Gboyega Adelaja: Colourful Environment (1979, Odion Livingstone) ** [B+(**)]
  2. Big Star: Live at Lafayette's Music Room (1973, Omnivore) ** [B+(*)]
  3. A Certain Ratio: acr:set (1980-94, Mute) ** [B+(*)]
  4. Stella Chiweshe: Kasahwa: Early Singles (1974-83 [2018], Glitterbeat) ** [B+(**)]
  5. Gene Clark: Gene Clark Sings for You (1967, Omnivore) ** [B]
  6. Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard: Sing Me Back Home: The DC Tapes, 1965-1969 (Free Dirt) ** [B+(**)]
  7. The Gladiators: Symbol of Reality (1982, Omnivore) ** [B+(**)]
  8. Gumba Fire: Bubblegum Soul & Synth-Boogie in 1980s South Africa (Soundway) ** [B+(**)]
  9. Jimi Hendrix: Both Sides of the Sky (Legacy) ** [B+(**)]
  10. Millie Jackson: Exposed: The Multi-Track Sessions Mixed by Steve Levine (1972-79, Ace) ** [B]
  11. King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller (BMG, 2CD) ** [B+(**)]
  12. Tommy McCook & the Agrovators: Super Star/Disco Rockers (1977, Pressure Sounds) ** [B+(**)]
  13. Onda De Amor: Synthesized Brazilian Hits That Never Were (1984-94) (Soundway) ** [B+(**)]
  14. Oneness of Juju: African Rhythms (1975, Strut) ** [B+(*)]
  15. Prince: Piano and a Microphone 1983 (NPG/Warner Bros.) ** [B]
  16. Bruce Springsteen: The Live Series: Songs of the Road (1977-2013, Columbia) ** [B+(*)]
  17. Joe Strummer: 001 (Ignition, 2CD) ** [B+(**)]
  18. Outlaws & Armadillos: Country's Roaring '70s (1971-79, Legacy, 2CD) ** [B+(**)]
  19. Asnakech Worku: Asnakech (1975, Awesome Tapes From Africa) ** [B+(**)]

New non-jazz records I haven't heard estimated to have a 2% (or better) chance of making the A-list if/when I finally hear them:

  1. Big Ups: Two Parts Together (Exploding in Sound)
  2. Charles Bradley: Black Velvet (Dunham)
  3. Action Bronson: White Bronco (Empire)
  4. Kasey Chambers: Campfire (Essence Music Group)
  5. Chicago Farmer: Quarter Past Tonight (self-released)
  6. Deafheaven: Ordinary Corrupt Human Love (Anti-)
  7. Drake: Scorpion (Cash Money/Republic)
  8. Fantastic Negrito: Please Don't Be Dead (Cooking Vinyl)
  9. Fucked Up: Dose Your Dreams (Merge)
  10. Steve Hauschildt: Dissolvi (Ghostly International)
  11. John Hiatt: The Eclipse Sessions (New West)
  12. Jonghyun: Poet/Artist (SM Entertainment)
  13. Roc Marciano: Behold a Dark Horse (Marci)
  14. J Mascis: Elastic Days (Sub Pop)
  15. Metro Boomin': Not All Heroes Wear Capes (Republic)
  16. MNEK: Language (Virgin EMI)
  17. Mudhoney: Digital Garbage (Sub Pop)
  18. Ought: Room Inside the World (Merge)
  19. Natalie Prass: The Future and the Past (ATO)
  20. Santigold: I Don't Want: The Gold Fire Sessions (Downtown)
  21. Screaming Females: All at Once (Don Giovanni)
  22. Tove Styrke: Sway (Sony)
  23. Richard Thompson: 13 Rivers (New West)

Reissued non-jazz records I haven't heard estimated to have a 2% (or better) chance of making the A-list if/when I finally hear them:

  1. Autechre: NTS Sessions 1-4 (Warp)
  2. Basa Basa: Homowo (1978-79, Vintage Voudou)
  3. Belle & Sebastian: How to Solve Our Human Problems (Parts 1-3) (Matador)
  4. Congo Revolution: African Latin Jazz and Funk Sounds From the Two Congos (1957-73) (Soul Jazz)
  5. Dur Dur of Somalia: Volume 1, Volume 2 & Previously Unreleased Tracks (Analog Africa)
  6. Slim Gaillard: Groove Juice: The Norman Granz Recordings + More (Verve, 2CD)
  7. George Jones & the Jones Boys: Live in Texas 1965 (Ace)
  8. Kamal Keila: Habibi Funk 008: Muslims and Christians (Habibi Funk)
  9. Oneness of Juju: African Rhythms (1975, Strut)
  10. Sonny Boy Williamson: The Complete Trumpet Ace and Checker Singles 1951-62 (Acrobat)
  11. Asnakech Worku: Asnakech (Awesome Tapes From Africa)
  12. Feelin\' Right Saturday Night: The Ric & Ron Anthology (Craft)
  13. Listen All Around: The Golden Age of Central and East African Music (Dust-to-Digital)
  14. The Rough Guide to Ethiopian Jazz (World Music Network)
  15. Two Niles to Sing a Melody: The Violins & Synths of Sudan (Ostinato)