2021: The Year in Albums
December 30, 2021
Cover design by Jode-Leigh Nembhard
2021 marks the 5th year anniversary of 808s & Jazz Breaks! I started the site in 2016 while I was living in Oklahoma for graduate school. While in school, I’d been reading a number of social and cultural theorists, which I didn’t particularly care for at the time, but it helped me think about music in new and broader ways. On the other hand, I’d been playing guitar for a number of years in all manner of places at that point: Jazz festivals, sidewalks, churches in the city, churches in the country, clubs, lounges etc. and developed relationships with artists, friends really, and wanted a place to document their journey.
Possibly, the most influential moment for starting the site was going to see D’Angelo in 2015. I still consider that show to be the best I’ve ever been to. I remember watching him perform and seeing a connection across time; thinking about the lineage and tradition of Black music(s) — James Brown, Sly Stone, Al Green, Parliament-Funkadelic, Prince; Gospel, Funk, Hip-Hop, R&B — it was all there on stage that night. There was a spirit of protest in the songs he performed; he was talking about something bigger than the moment. I was bursting at the seams after D’Angelo’s show, and just needed a place to put all of my thoughts. This site became that place.
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Last summer, I did an overhaul of the site, updating the layout and such (many thanks to Jode-Leigh and Malaaya Adams). During this time, I was forced to manually transfer all of the posts I’d made since starting. It was tedious, but it was also an opportunity to look back on all of the posts that’ve been made on the site — from myself and others who’ve contributed — and a chance to see how my tastes have changed or remained constant over time. (It’s like a weird way of intimately getting acquainted with your former self). So, in preparation for this year’s albums, I wanted to take a look back on my top albums over the years, and see how my interests have changed (or not) since doing my first year end review of albums:
2016
Anderson .Paak — Malibu
Solange — A Seat At The Table
Hindsight: This year is most interesting because I have the most separation from it. Looking back, my number 1 and number 2 would probably have A Seat At The Table at number 1 and Frank Ocean’s Blonde at number 2, or something like that. But also, 2016 was an absolutely stacked year. A Tribe Called Quest, Esperanza Spalding, Beyonce, KING, Childish Gambino, Radiohead, and Rihanna all released albums. A point of ironic hindsight: for many of the aforementioned artists, 2016 was the last time they’d release an album for a few years (Frank, Rihanna, Beyonce, KING, Tribe).
2017
Kendrick Lamar — DAMN.
Big KRIT— 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time
Hindsight: I miss Kendrick. I love Big Krit, but I don’t think I’ve listened to this album since (no offense to him). Oh, and I had Jay-Z’s 4:44 ranked number 3 — that certainly would not be the case today, lol. Looking back, I’d probably have Moses Sumney’s Aromanticism at number 2, and PJ Morton’s GUMBO at number 3.
2018
Kamasi Washington — Heaven and Earth
Saba — CARE FOR ME
Hindsight: I still love both of these albums. I’ve had the chance to see Kamasi Washington play a lot of these songs live since 2018, so I feel like I’ve developed a new relationship with these tunes. Saba’s CARE FOR ME is probably my favorite Rap album from the past 3-5 years. CARE FOR ME is still excellent. Saba’s exploration of grief, and all that comes with it, is some of the best songwriting I’ve come across in recent history. Ironically, I don’t listen to this album in particular as much (I’ve been much more inclined to listen to Bucket List, his debut album, of late), but it’s a hell of an album and shows an artist taking a big leap. This feels apt for a 1-2 ranking.
2019
Lucky Daye — Painted
Michael Kiwanuka — Kiwanuka
Hindsight: Mentally, I’m not too far removed from 2019, so my interests haven’t changed too much since. Also, 2019 was also an absolutely amazing year for albums: Brittany Howard, Raphael Saadiq, Solange, Kaytranada, and Tyler, The Creator all released albums. With all of that said, I still listen to Lucky Daye’s Painted and Michael Kiwanuka’s self-titled album pretty regularly; both of these albums in special to me. And in early 2020 - “the before”, if you will - I got to see both of them in concert, respectively; two shows that I consider as some of the best I’ve seen to date.
2020
Well, in 2020, I stopped ranking albums. Partly because — and i’ll gladly admit this — ranking is almost always arbitrary, at least for me. So, instead of ranking albums, in 2020 I started categorizing them and thinking about what they mean to me and how they operate in different ways. (If you need to know my number 1 and 2 from 2020 it was Lianne La Havas’ self-titled album and Ben Williams’ I Am A Man).
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There were [many] different albums that did different things for me at different times, and I’m thankful for those artists sharing their work. To commemorate the year, and the albums that touched me, I made up a bunch of categories for those albums, describing, in short, why I appreciate them.
Without any further ado — The Completely Unbiased and Wholly Comprehensive Best Albums of 2021:
Where My Bread is Buttered & My Cup is Filled
There is a particular sound, made by a collection of artists, that has resonated with me for a number of years. I can’t quite qualify that sound, but I know it when I hear it. This year, some of my favorite artists released new albums, where they tried new things (or didn’t, which is fine), and in some cases, collaborated with new people.
R+R=NOW Live
Israel & New Breed — Project LA: Alive in Los Angeles
Terrace Martin — DRONES
Jordan Rakei — What We Call Life
First Time Entry
This category is somewhat in contrast to the aforementioned section. Where the last section was about a level of familiarity and trust I feel like I’ve developed with some artists, this is more about exploration in a sense.
As such, one of the things I enjoy most about blogging is looking for new music — particularly music from people I don’t know much about. Each month, through the Plug’n Play playlist, Kevin and I scour the internet for music that moves us, but also music that may go unnoticed. Below are some albums made by artists that I’ve come to really appreciate, and serves as my entry point to them.
quickly, quickly — The Long and Short of It
Durand Jones & The Indications — Private Space
Snail Mail — Valentine
Gavin Turek — MADAME GOLD
Sam Wills — Breathe
Japanese Breakfast — Jubilee
Joyce Wrice — Overgrown
“I’m Glad We Finally Sat Down and Had A Conversation with Each Other”
You know those people from school or work — or any place of social interaction you may frequent — who you’ve seen around, and you might be familiar with, but you don’t quite know them? This category is that person in album form: bands and artists that I’ve known about but hadn’t had actually sat with in any meaningful way. This is the year I sat down with them, and I so glad that I did.
The War On Drugs — I Don’t Live Here Anymore
Nate Smith — Kinfolk 2: See The Birds
Kirby — Sis. He Wasn’t The One
Mndsgn — Rare Pleasure
From Philadelphia, With Love
Documenting the local music scene is the lifeblood of this site. The artists, producers, engineers, songwriters, and musicians that continue to make Philadelphia a truly unique place with a distinct sound are invaluable and special to me. Over the course of the year, a number of artists from Philadelphia have released new projects, all of which are incredible in their own right, and highlight the long tradition of the city’s spirit of musicianship.
Jon L. Smith — Yermo
Flanafi — The Knees Start To Go
Ikechi Onyenaka — The City Dreams EP
Larry Lambert — Uncle Bubz Beats, Vol. 2
Wino Willy — Welcome Home Brother Willy
Well, It’s Nice to See You Again
I am sensitive to the idea that art takes time. I also believe that artists should move when they feel moved. With that said, there’re some people you wait for, sometimes impatiently, but you’re happy when they finally come around. Below are some albums made by artists I’ve loved for some time, but haven’t released anything in a number of years.
Hiatus Kaiyote — Mood Valiant
Jamire Williams — But Only After You Have Suffered
John Mayer — Sob Rock
Miscellaneous Favorites I Couldn’t Think of a Category Name For
Nas — Magic
Silk Sonic — An Evening with Silk Sonic
Men I Trust — Untourable Album
A Cut Above the Rest
Some albums, for whatever reason, become special to us. It’s not quite something I can explain, but you know something’s special when you hear it. For me, there are stylistic elements that I’m often drawn to, but more than style, I’m often drawn to albums that have riveting songwriting and excellent production (instruments; I like instruments, the real ones, not the computerized ones); albums that say something about the world, and an artist taking risks, opting not for what’s en vogue, but for something a bit more idiosyncratic, and so on. Here are a few albums I not only returned to time and again, but I’m sure will be in rotation for years to come.
