The Best of 2023

 The YouTube playlist is ready now at THIS LINK.

Tomorrow at 9 a.m. on Radio Cobra Detroit, you can stream a one hour highlights version of the list. That same show can be heard at 10 a.m. on Sonic Coast if you don’t wake up in time. Miss them both? Later on Sunday you can catch it on Mixcloud.

THE BEST OF 2023 IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JOHN BOMMARITO

It’s that time of year again where I look back at all the releases I heard (key word there, heard) in 2023.  It’s not possible for me to hear all the records I would like to hear. Especially since my access to previewing albums for airplay has essentially disappeared. Most of these records had to be purchased – NOT THAT I AM AGAINST THAT – in fact I wish more people purchased an album from their favorite artists. It might help bring ticket prices back to earth.

Per usual, I spend time listening to each record and rate each song on a 1-10 scale. Sometimes a song gets a plus (i.e. 6+ which I suppose is equivalent to a half a point),  I suppose I should account for that somehow in the future.  Anyway….sometimes the math reveals that two or more albums have the same score. In case of a tie, that results in the next position on the chart being eliminated. For example, if two records have the same score at the number 8 spot that means there is no number 9 album of the year. Sensible, right?  Turns out this whole process and compiling this is rather time consuming!

I also tend to break things down into categories because all new releases are not created equal.  First off, my favorite reissues.  These were best of collections I acquired that were released this year:

1-BEATLES-1962-1966 (2023 EDITION)

2-BEATLES-1967-1970 (2023 EDITION)

3-HOWARD JONES-JAPANESE SINGLES COLLECTION-GREATEST HITS

4-HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS-JAPANESE SINGLES COLLECTION-GREATEST HITS

5-ONEREPUBLIC-JAPAN PARADISE

6-BEATLES-ONE-DAY SESSION FEB 11TH, 1963

7-BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN-JAPANESE SINGLES COLLECTION-GREATEST HITS

8-WHAM!-ECHOES FROM THE EDGE OF HEAVEN

9-SPINNERS-THE COMPLETE ATLANTIC SINGLES 1972-1979

 

Next up is the tricky category of COVERS albums. Tricky because this year because there are so many records where an artist covered themselves.  U2 re-recording 40 songs, John Wesley Harding re-recording his entire catalog (you needed to subscribe to this series to get these ones and more are coming), Switchfoot and Passenger celebrating the anniversary of a particular album by re-recording it.  Duran Duran mixing covers with redone versions of their own songs.  So, unfortunately this list isn’t a true “covers” record list:

1-U2-SONGS OF SURRENDER (DELUXE)

2-EVA CASSIDY WITH THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA-I CAN ONLY BE ME

3-DURAN DURAN-DANSE MACABRE

4-STRAIGHT NO CHASER-YACHT ON THE ROCKS

5-TAYLOR SWIFT-1989 (TAYLOR'S VERSION)

6-PIANO GUYS-UNSTOPPABLE

7-SWITCHFOOT-THE BEAUTIFUL LETDOWN (OUR VERSION)

8-HOUND + THE FOX-STAR SONGS - LULLABIES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

8-PASSENGER-ALL THE LITTLE LIGHTS (ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

10-OLIVIA VAN GOOR-DON'T BE MAD AT ME

11-JOHN WESLEY HARDING (WESLEY STACE)-WHY WE FIGHT (SECRET SERIES VERSION)

12-TEDDY THOMPSON-MY LOVE OF COUNTRY

13-TRANS-CANADA HIGHWAYMEN-EXPLOSIVE HITS VOL. 1

14-PAUL CARRACK & THE SWR BIG BAND-DON'T WAIT TOO LONG

15-VARIOUS-MORE THAN A WHISPER: CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF NANCI GRIFFITH

16-VAN MORRISON-ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE

17-AMOS LEE-HONEYSUCKLE SWITCHES- TRIBUTE TO LUCINDA WILLIAMS

18-CHRIS BOTTI-VOL. 1 (JAPANESE BONUS TRACK EDITION)

19-JOHN WESLEY HARDING-HERE COMES THE GROOM (SECRET SERIES VERSION)

20-JOHN WESLEY HARDING-THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. ACE (ACOUSTIC)

21-VAN MORRISON-MOVING ON SKIFFLE

22-MARC BROUSSARD-SOS VOL 4- BLUES FOR YOUR SOUL

22-JAKE SHIMABUKURO-GRATEFUL

22-WESLEY STACE-WESLEY STACE'S JOHN WESLEY HARDING (SECRET SERIES)

25-JOHN WESLEY HARDING-WHO WAS CHANGED & WHO WAS DEAD (SECRET SERIES VERSION)

26-RYAN ADAMS-NEBRASKA

27-STEWART COPELAND-POLICE DERANGED

 

And two covers Eps (6 or fewer songs):

1-MATT NATHANSON-THE LEXINGTON EP

2-JUDITH OWEN-UNAPOLOGETICALLY

 

Next it was Christmas albums, which are usually full of covers too.

1-HALLEY NEAL & SAM ROBBINS-YOU & ME ON CHRISTMAS EVE

2-GREGORY PORTER -CHRISTMAS WISH

3-DAVID FOSTER  & KATHATINE MCPHEE-CHRISTMAS SONGS (TARGET EDITION)

4-STRAIGHT NO CHASER-STOCKING STUFFER

 

…And Best Christmas EPs:

1-SAMARA JOY -A JOYFUL HOLIDAY

2-FOREST BLAKK -WAKE UP (IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME)

3-GAVIN DEGRAW -A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS

 

Regarding Best Live albums of 2023, I didn’t hear that many and as it turns out and two of them were only available to fans who subscribed to that artists Patreon of fan club (Matt Nathanson and NEEDTOBREATHE respectively):

 

1-NATHANSON, MATT-LIVE IN UNCASVILLE CT

2-NEEDTOBREATHE-THE INSIDERS VOL X

3-DAVID FORD & ANNIE DRESSNER-10 DAYS (LIVE)

 

An finally, the best albums I heard in 2023. In regards to everything you see here, I am sure there are more I would have enjoyed hearing, other reissues or covers albums or whatever that might have been higher up than some of the things I did hear, but this represents what I had time to hear and what I may have purchased throughout the year. In time, some of these records will go up and down in the ratings as I hear them more (some I owned for less than a week, so I didn’t to sped much time with them).  Unusual stuff this year in my opinion just looking at it on “paper” but it is what it is:

 

1-LEWIS CAPALDI-BROKEN BY DESIRE TO BE HEAVENLY SENT (TARGET EDITION)

2-MATCHBOX TWENTY-WHERE THE LIGHT GOES

3-TROUSDALE-OUT OF MY MIND

4-ED SHEERAN-AUTUMN VARIATIONS FAN LIVING ROOM SESSIONS

5-MAY ERLEWINE-THE REAL THING

6-ED SHEERAN-SUBTRACT (DELUXE EDITION)

7-CIAN DUCROT-VICTORY

8-NEEDTOBREATHE-CAVES

8-CAITLYN SMITH-HIGH & LOW

10-BRANDY CLARK-BRANDY CLARK

10-WILDER WOODS-FEVER/SKY

12-LORI MCKENNA-1988

13-ELEVADO-THIRTEEN PAPER CRANES

13-DELTA RAE-NEVER LOST

15-ROUGH AND TUMBLE-ONLY THIS FAR

16-SOUNDTRACK-DUELERS

17-LYNN MILES-TUMBLE WEEDY WORLD

18-ELLIS PAUL-55

18-JESSE YOUNG-SOMETHING TO SAY

20-DREW HOLCOMB AND THE NEIGHBORS-STRANGERS NO MORE

20-VERONICA SWIFT-VERONICA SWIFT

22-ED SHEERAN-AUTUMN VARIATIONS

23-LAUREN DIAGLE-LAUREN DAIGLE

23-FOO FIGHTERS-BUT HERE WE ARE

25-JOY OLADOKUN-PROOF OF LIFE

26-ADAM LABEAUX-BRAVE FACE

26-EMILI SANDE-HOW WERE WE TO KNOW (DELUXE)

26-DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE-ASPHALT MEADOWS (ACOUSTIC)

29-NOAH GUNDERSEN-IF THIS IS THE END

30-MARK ERELLI-LAY YOUR DARKNESS DOWN

30-TARA MACLEAN-SPARROW

30-MISTY LYN & THE BIG BEAUTIFUL-NARROWS

30-LOGAN LEDGER-GOLDEN STATE

34-PETER GABRIEL-I/O (DELUXE EDITION)

35-MATTEO BOCELLI-MATTEO (TARGET EDITION)

36-FRANCES LUKE ACCORD-SAFE IN SOUND

36-LINDSAY LOU-QUEEN OF TIME

38-JOANNA STERLIN-QUEEN OF WANDS

38-JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT-WEATHERVANES

40-SAM SMITH-GLORIA (TARGET EDITION)

41-HOLLER CHOIR-SONGS BEFORE THEY WROTE THEMSELVES

41-JOSEPH-THE SUN

41-NATALIE MERCHANT-KEEP YOUR COURAGE

41-GOOD LOVELIES-WE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME

41-HOZIER-UNREAL UNEARTH

46-JUDY BANKER-BONAFIDE

47-RODRIGO Y GABRIELA-IN BETWEEN THOUGHTS…A NEW WORLD

48-MATT ANDERSEN-THE BIG BOTTLE OF JOY

49-GOLDPINE-TWO

49-MEG HUTCHINSON-ALL THE WONDER/ALL THE BEAUTY

51-ROLLING STONES-HACKNEY DIAMONDS (BONUS TRACK)

51-OLIVE-4,000 MILES AWAY

53-NATIONAL-FIRST TWO PAGES OF FRANKENSTEIN

53-JOE JACKSON-MAX CHAMPION IN WHAT A RACKET!

53-NIELDS-CIRCLE OF DAYS

56-THE NATIONAL-LAUGH TRACK

57-BEN FOLDS-WHAT MATTERS MOST

57-DAVID WILCOX-MY GOOD FRIENDS

59-WILLY PORTER-THE RAVINE

59-STEVE TAYLOR-DEJA VUDU

59-RICK SPRINGFIELD-AUTO

62-GLEN HANSARD-ALL THAT WAS EAST IS WEST OF ME NOW

63-ALISON BROWN-ON BANJO

63-EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL-FUSE

65-RAUL MALO-SAY LESS

65-MIKE WARD PSYCHOSONGS-LOVE NEVER RESTS

67-DEPECHE MODE-MOMENTO MORI

67-NICKEL CREEK-CELEBRANTS

69-BARENAKED LADIES-IN FLIGHT

70-MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD-BIG BIG LOVE

71-RECORD COMPANY-THE FOURTH ALBUM

71-JOSH RITTER-SPECTRAL LINES

73-BAILEN-TIRED HEARTS

74-JON MCLAUGHLIN-(MOOD)

74-COWBOY JUNKIES-THE BARN DEMOS

74-SLEEPING AT LAST-MOTHER

74-COWBOY JUNKIES-SUCH FEROCIOUS BEAUTY

74-PRETENDERS-RELENTLESS