The Couch Sessions

First off, I'm going to come clean. I didn't listen to every single album this year. In addition, I have a complicated internal formula around how I weigh albums, and the number one metric for me is deployability. If your album can break through the noise of my job, social media, Netflix, podcasts et al, then you have won me over. The result is a list that is highly subjective to my musical tastes but (I hope) still represents some of the best music of the year.

Faye Webster - Atlanta Millionaires Club

You know it's 2019 when hook singers from Atlanta rap labels are making indie folk music, but here we are. There are many women playing around int his space (hello Mitski, Angel Olsen), but Faye's desperate, lonely take on Gen-Z/Millenial life continued to stick with me all year.

Solange - When I Get Home

No album swung in the pendulum from Hate It to Love it more than Solange's 2019 effort. This album was polarizing, but there are efforts of brilliance throughout. Most notable are the Chassol produced "Things I Imagined G" and the amazing Gucci Mane assisted "My Skin My Logo". Yes, this album is an assembling of nonsensical ramblings, but how are we praising Frank Ocean for this and dragging Solange

Jai Paul - Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)

I was a bit uneasy about putting this here, as technically this project is from 2013. However, hear me out. The Jai Paul bootleg was the hottest thing in the blogosphere back then, but just like Jay Electronica, he disappeared. These songs were basically forgotten about, sitting on old iPods, cloud services, and hard drives. However, the reason why I'm including this project in a best of 2019 list is that they hold up. A lot has happened in 6 years, but Jai Paul has managed to stand the test of time.

Daniel Caesar - Case Study 01

Okay, let's get this out of the way. Daniel Caesar is problematic AF. He hates his Blackness and that is something that I hope he comes to terms with. This also makes some of his embraces of Blackness on this album sound mad problematic. However, he still makes some of the best traditional soul music of his generation. Just spend any time in the subways of NYC and you will here multiple renditions of Caesar's songs radiating through the air. Case Study 01 is a well-produced, worthy followup to his debut Freudian, and shows that Caesar may have some staying power if he doesn't continue to cancel himself.

Little Simz - Grey Area

2019 was a banner year for female MCs. Meghan Thee Stallion became a force, artists such as Tierra Whack held it down for the underground, and even Lizzo took the hybrid sing/rapper concept that Missy pioneered into a new direction. However, the album I kept coming back to this year is from a little known (at least in the States) UK rapper Little Simz. Her garage-tinged interpretation of NYC boom-bap hip hop continues to stick with me. The lyrics and cadence are great, but it's the production that pushes this one over the top.

James Blake - Assume Form

James Blake, the king of malaise, is...happy. He has a house in LA. He's dating one of television's rising starlets. And he gets to hang out with your favorite rappers every day. Things are going well for the kid, however, unlike some artists, the money and fame have made Blake a better producer and songwriter. Assume Form is a glorious collection of songs about love, and doubts around being worthy enough to love. Like many of Blake's projects, it's a unique take on the musical landscape, weaving in and out of dubstep, pop, and hip-hop. Just happy to see that Blake is happy this time.

Toro Y Moi - Inner Peace

Toro Y Moi has always been kind of a "love him or hate him" type of dudes. I've been a fan since his first album, however, I can acknowledge that his creative output has waned a bit. Having that said, Inner Peace is a welcome return to form. On this project, we see Toro mixes his traditional neo-disco 4:4 sound, in addition to deconstructing 808 trap beats while making it his own. If you're a Toro fan, this album is almost akin to a homecoming.

Sault - 5

No band has fascinated me more than Sault. The project, which dropped 2 albums this year, is still a mystery. Most of the production work has been pegged to London-based producer Dean “Inflo” Wynton, however, naming the rest of the collaborators has been the guessing game of the year. Is that Solange on that track? Or Santigold? Merrill Garbus from Tune Yards? Pharrell? The list goes on and on. The production is solid, with Inflo weaving effortlessly through different sub-genres in a way a subway transverses neighborhoods. The result is a serious crowd-pleaser, and one of my favorite projects of the year.

Tyler, The Creator - IGOR

This may not be Tyler's best album, but to me, it's a masterpiece. It is art. There are so many different layers and Easter eggs woven throughout this work. It's the musical equivalent of an Oscar-worthy film like Moonlight. There are so many layers to this album, from the choice of synths (spoiler, the same keynote begins and ends the album), to the shrewd use of collaborators. This is Tyler's statement album, the one that has convinced us to take him seriously as an auteur. Coincidentally, this is also Tyler's best selling album, showing that both art and commerce can mix successfully.

Honorable Mentions

Jidenna - 85 to Africa
Da Baby - Suge
Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin¿
Ari Lennox - Shea Butter Baby
Dreamville (J Cole) - Revenge of the Dreamers
Kaytranada - BUBBA
JPEGMAFIA - All My Heroes Are Cornballs
Ari Lennox - Shea Butter Baby

Albums I Never Got A Chance to Listen To

Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell
FKA Twigs - MAGDALENE
Denzel Curry - ZUU