2023 was a year for Afrobeats. The genre brought more excitement to the music scene and consolidated its worldwide impact, while mainstream acts sort of did their usual stuff. If I were to judge, I’d say 2023 was an average year in music that was carried by strong albums released towards the end of 2022.
After outstanding EP releases, Sam Fischer and Jp Saxe didn’t blow me away with their full-length albums, while Sam Smith and Lukas Graham released less memorable LPs compared to their previous efforts. Ed Sheeran released two albums three months apart in 2023, but the second, which sounded like the cheerful version, was not promoted, resulting in his lowest first-week album sales.
It’s been heartbreaking witnessing the dearth of album quality from my favorite artists with each album release. They either get stuck on a particular sound (Miss Taylor Swift) or they try to change their sound but it doesn’t work out so well. This makes me respect Beyonce’s artistry all the more. She’ll always remain the standard when it comes to putting out albums that don’t sound alike or feel like leftover materials from prior eras.
Despite the average quality of music in 2023, some albums and EPs saw me through the year though a number of them are deluxe editions from albums released the previous year. Here’s a rundown –
14. Gold – Cleo Sol
This album has healing abilities. The strong influence of jazz and neo-soul over inspiring lyrics that reference a higher sovereign power makes for an almost gospel album that comforts the soul. Gold was released two weeks after her third album – ‘Heaven’ (I’m not sure why she did this), but it was the more cohesive and stronger of the two albums. The track arrangement is particularly notable, as it takes the listener on a journey of restoration and hope for the morrow.
Favourite Tracks – There will be no crying, Things will get better, Please don’t end it all, Life will be
13. Stellaria – Chelsea Cutler
A feel-good indie pop album that kept me company on numerous train rides to my kitchen class. It is largely about love, but I like how light and easy the production is on the album, with distinct strings contrasting beautifully with Chelsea’s airy light voice, which makes you feel dreamy when listening to it, especially while in motion.
Favourite Tracks – Something more, Growing up is hard, Men on the moon, Your bones, If not yours, Loved by you, Hotel June, Stay anything
12. Boy alone (deluxe) – Omah Lay
Omah Lay released his debut album – ‘Boy alone’ in mid-2022, following two critically acclaimed EPs that catapulted him to prominence. While the album had the hit single – ‘Soso’, I wasn’t too impressed with the album. It’s safe to say that the deluxe edition, which was released in 2023, saved this album. Thankfully, he won’t be counted among those artists who, after releasing incredible EPs, went on to make bad LPs. It seemed that he saved the best songs for the deluxe version, and he was wise enough to place the six new tracks at the beginning of the album. These new tracks breathed new life into the record (though I’m not sure the ‘Soso remix’ was necessary). The deluxe featured another smash hit – ‘Reason’.
One thing you cannot take away from Omah Lay is his pen game; the way he pours his heart out in his lyrics is impressive, especially in the shallow lyrical heavy afrobeat genre.
Favourite Tracks – Reason, Come closer, Imagine, i, Woman, I’m a mess, Soso
11. Timeless – Davido
Davido relied on his old formula to deliver an album of hit songs that will keep your energy up and your dance shoes on throughout the album’s run. While many critics expected him to release a personal album inspired by the heartbreaking loss of his child, I believe we should respect his artistic independence and privacy. Though I wanted to witness his vulnerable side via his music, he has the right to choose what to share with the world (and at his own time).
I’ll always support art inspired by pain because it allows you to connect more intimately with the artist, but hey, if Davido decides to continue being a source of brightness and happiness for his fans, we’re all here for it. Life is difficult enough, and we can’t keep drowning in sorrowful music always. Timeless, although not demonstrating any artistic growth, still managed to excite and make us move our bodies.
Favourite Tracks – Feel, In the garden, Unavailable, Bop, Away, E pain me, Kante, Na money, U (juju), No competition
10. Mirror (deluxe) – Lauren Spencer Smith
Aside from the drawbacks of social media, I believe one positive aspect is the potential it provides for emerging artists to reach audiences they would not have been able to reach without a record deal. Lauren rose to prominence on tiktok when her song ‘Fingers crossed’ became viral after she independently released it online. After hearing ‘Fingers crossed’ on my favourite Apple Music playlist and becoming obsessed with the song, I eagerly awaited the release of Lauren’s debut album.
She’s got a massive deep voice that she’s not afraid to show on the ballad-filled album about heartbreak. This is an essentially non-skippable album that could have been stronger with only ten tracks.
Favourite Tracks – Never been in love, Love is an overstatement, Fingers crossed, Narcissist, Best friend Breakup, Too hurt to fall in love, Hey, Flowers, That part
9. Jesus Changed my life – Katy Nichole
I discovered Katy through Instagram reels. One of the standout tracks on the album – ‘God is in this story’ went viral on Instagram, and I had to find the album. Besides the album’s much-needed message of hope and prayer, I like how it blends country and rock genres. Each listen left me amazed at how wonderful gospel music is when performed as country music. This is her debut album, and I can’t wait for her sophomore album; hopefully, the curse of a great first album will not befall her.
Favourite Tracks – In Jesus name (God of possible), God is in this story, Living proof, Hold on, Take it to the cross
8. Drowning – Jessie Murph
The album’s title indicates the dark theme this album explores. Her distinctive raspy voice caught my attention. Another artist that rose to prominence owing to TikTok and YouTube. This mixtape from here is so heavy with sadness but I love it! Another remarkable feat is that she made videos for nearly, if not all, of the songs. Her voice is perfect for every song on the album, which is largely mid-tempo pop tunes with sombre lyrics that will hit you and make you stop for a minute to absorb the weight, especially on tracks like “What happened to Ryan,” “About You,” and “How Could You.”
Favourite Tracks – All tracks on the album
7. chemistry (Deluxe) – Kelly Clarkson
It’s bizarre that Kelly Clarkson isn’t as commercially successful as she once was, given that her most recent albums are mature and have more depth. Again, we can either blame radio for the decline in music quality, or we may appreciate Beyonce’s longevity more, because how many of her colleagues who started back then are still topping the charts or selling out stadiums today?
Kelly’s Chemistry album was another decent attempt that referenced her divorce. Kelly has never shied away from expressing vulnerability in her music, and this album gave us a good dose of that. Her vocals were amazing as usual, and the mix of ballads, up-tempo songs, and genre-blending added richness to the album (even though she saved some of the best songs for the deluxe edition).
Favourite Tracks – Mine, Me, Lighthouse, Rock Hudson, Red flag collector, Did you know, Roses
6. – (Deluxe) – Ed Sheeran
I love me some Ed Sheeran any day (as long as he’s not trying to rap). While I miss his folk-influenced sound from his debut album, this album sounds like he’s gone full circle after pursuing commercial pop on his last six albums to now releasing a minimally produced album that exudes melancholy.
‘Is this the end of our youth when pain starts taking over?…’ This line resonated with me on one of the album’s standout tunes – ‘End of Youth’.
One track that always makes me teary is ‘Colourblind’; the grief intertwined with gentleness on this song is incredibly powerful. On my days off, I found myself returning to this album for comfort. This was a very beautiful solemn and reflective album, although it may have been stronger if the tracklist had been shorter.
Favourite Tracks – Boat, Salt water, Eyes closed, Life goes on, End of youth, Colourblind, Borderline, Sycamore, The hills of Aberfeldy, Wildflowers, Stoned, Moving
5. Based on a true story – Wrabel
This album is more of a compilation of Wrabel’s two EPs released i 2023 – ‘Chapter of Me’ and ‘Chapter of You’, with the former being the strongest. The album also includes four new songs, which work nicely together to create a cohesive album. Wrabel is one talented artist I was lucky to stumble on; his entire discography is worth exploring.
Based on a true story provided a refreshing alternative to the commercial pop that dominated the airwaves in 2023. What stands out is his songwriting and how the lyrics deal with existential issues. If you ever find yourself questioning your purpose or fighting to find your way in life, this is the album to turn to for solace (start with these tracks – ‘we all could use some help’, ‘find it’ and ‘don’t be so hard on yourself’).
Favourite Tracks – All tracks on the album
4. A beautiful life – Christopher
Prior to seeing the movie, I had already fallen in love with the soundtrack album. I decided to check out the album after seeing a screenshot of one of the tracks on a friend’s WhatsApp status (likely Reward’s). The songs are the most interesting aspect of the film. Just in case you want to see the movie, I slept off through a few scenes and was able to follow it without feeling as if I missed any important details, showing how predictable and cheesy the movie was.
But this OST album, the talent that Christopher is…one word to describe the album – beautiful.
Favourite Tracks – A beautiful life, Hope this song is for you, Would ya, Honey I’m so high, Led me to you
3. Maverick – Kizz Daniel
It baffles me why Kizz Daniel does not receive the same recognition as Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy because if one thing is certain about him, it is that he is a hit-making machine. Aside from Davido, I believe he ranks next among artists who have consistently released full-length albums with ‘no bad songs’.
With each album release, he gets better, and Maverick proves. This is a no-skip album, and I’m impressed by how he’s held his own despite not making as much noise on social media as the aforementioned artists.
Favourite Tracks – My G, Flex, Cough, Show you off, Shu-Peru, Buga, Feran You two, Feran Mi, Rich till I die
2. Ends & Begins – Labrinth
This is the first full-length album by Labrinth that I enjoyed in its entirety. Normally, I only like one or two tracks from his albums, but this one had me hooked with no skips every time I listened to it. After I heard the song – ‘Never Felt So Alone’ with contributory vocals from Billie Eilish, I was on the watchout for the album.
Though I didn’t have high expectations, the album blew me away. It is largely electro, with well-placed interludes and an ideal track length of ten songs. One of my favourite songs of 2023 is the first track, ‘The Feels’.
Favourite Tracks – The feels, Kill for your love, Covering, 100 Miles an hour, Never felt so alone,
1. SOS – SZA
This will be the first time an album will appear on my year-end list in two years straight. SOS was released towards the end of 2022, and I had only recently begun to like it; even so, it ranked sixth on my list of top albums for that year.
This album is so good that you won’t notice the staggering 23 tracks. I had it on repeat all year. If it were the CD plate era, mine would have scratched by now given the rate at which I was replaying it. Aside from the album being sonically pleasing, the songwriting, production, and relatability of the lyrics make it one of the best albums released in the past decade. Sza outdid herself on her sophomore album, and it will be impossible to replicate it, let alone surpass it. ‘Nobody Gets Me’ and ‘Snooze’ are my top songs of the year.
SOS topped several high-profile end-of-year music lists, and many Spotify-wrapped and Apple Music replays on social media included the album on their top 5. Still, the Grammys dared to pass over it for Album of the Year. I used to assume it was just a Beyonce hate thing, but to not give this masterpiece of an album AOTY? Nah, at this point, I believe black artists ought to stop submitting their music to an establishment that continues to award less deserving albums from white artists over excellent albums by black artists.
Favourite Tracks – Kill Bill, Seek & Destroy, Love language, Blind, Snooze, Notice me, Gone girl, Smoking on my Ex pack, F2F, Nobody gets me, Conceited, Special, Far, Open Arms, I hate you
WORTHY MENTIONS
- The Show – Niall Horan
- The age of pleasure – Janelle Monae
- Easy on my eyes – Stephen Sanchez
TOP EPs of 2023
- Out of mind – Sekou
The raw emotions on Sekou’s debut album will undoubtedly transport the listener to an atmosphere of vulnerability and introspection. I dig the EP’s serene, quiet tone, with the production complementing his rich, deep voice. He is my favourite artist discovery of 2023, and I hope his debut album exposes us to much more of his awesomeness. ‘Better Man’ is the core and centerpiece of this EP, and the song holds so much weight and meaning.
2. Seasons – Lloyiso
I had been looking forward to this South African-born artist’s debut album since hearing the first track from the EP – ‘Seasons’ in 2021. Although we have gotten just an EP so far, the three-year wait was worthwhile. The album will be out ultimately, and I hope it will include only new songs. This EP is full of warmth even though it centers on lost love. You can sense the anguish of heartbreak as his voice clearly expresses his feelings throughout the songs. A stunning body of work.
3. Chapter Seven – CHPTRS
This indie band’s music never fails to captivate me. I found myself running to the EP whenever I wanted to let go of my worries and float through space. I enjoy how simple and light the songs sound, and the lyrics on this EP seemed personal to me and carried me every time I needed saving. The EP’s theme is about finding the inner fortitude to keep on with life no matter what is going on, as well as hope for the future and new possibilities.
4. Honor the light – Zara Larsson
This was a Christmas EP release and it felt like I was being wrapped with a warm blanket each time I listened to it during the festive season. This was a pleasant surprise from Larsson as I am used to her more up-tempo pop sound, to hear her go solemn and deliver stunning vocals, especially on the Silent Night track was quite refreshing.
5. Daydream – Lily Made
My babe sent me the EP title track – ‘Day-dream’ to cheer me up when I was battling to balance my two school programs. When I like a song, I go on to check out the album/EP, and if I like it, I explore all of the artist’s prior releases. This was the case for Lily. The last two tracks – ‘Sunshine’ and ‘Flaws’, were great sources of comfort whenever I needed music to embrace me.
6. Fly with me – Alyssa Bonjura
I’m not sure how I discovered Alysson, but I recall the thrill I had when I first heard the EP’s title track – ‘Fly with Me’. I think this is the first modern-day country EP I genuinely love, particularly because I am still struggling to embrace that sound. The traditional country genre is more appealing to me.
Worthy mentions
- Lovers to strangers – Chance Pena
- Camile – Joshua Golden
- Act 1 – Annie Tracy
- Friends don’t – Michael Gerow
- I felt – Victor Ray
- Shelter – Voyageur