Here’s a few of WPKN’s programmers’ picks for 2023’s best music
Bob Anderson: “A Little Bit Of Everything”
Albums –
The Mommyheads: Coney Island Kid (Mommyheads Music)
Bettye Lavette: LaVette! (Jay-Vee)
Dylan Dunlap: 5150 (E Magnolia)
Peter Case: “Wandering Days” (Sunset Blvd)
Rhiannon Giddens: You’re The One (Nonesuch)
Black Pumas: Chronicles of a Diamond (ATO)
Roger Chapman: Life in the Pond (Ruf)
Moby (feat. Brie O’Banion): “We’re Going Wrong” (Always Centered At Night)
Stephen Ulrich: Music From This American Life (Barbes)
Daisy The Great: Tough Kid EP (S-Curve)
Bobby Rush: All My Love For You (Deep Rush)
Steve di Costanzo: “Radio Base Camp”
Albums –
Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily: Love in Exile (Verve)
Caroline Polachek: Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (Perpetual Novice)
Corinne Bailey Rae: Black Rainbows (Black Rainbows Music/Thirty Tigers)
Fatoumata Diawara: London Ko (Montuno/Wagram)
Jessie Ware: That! Feels Good! (EMI)
Lana Del Rey: Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (Interscope)
Lonnie Holley: Oh Me Oh My (Jagjaguwar)
LP Giobbi: Light Places (Counter)
Mbuso Khoza: Ifa Lomkhono (Ropeadope)
Melenas: Ahora (Trouble in Mind)
Alec Cumming: “Snap, Crackle, POP!”
Albums –
The Lemon Twigs: Everything Harmony (Captured Tracks)
Everything But the Girl: Fuse (Buzzin’ Fly)
Hello Mary: Hello Mary (Frenchkiss)
Jenny Lewis: Joy’All (Blue Note)
Ian Hunter: Defiance Part 1 (Sun)
Juniper: She Steals Candy (Fabcom!)
The Ekphrastics: Special Delivery (Harriet)
The Feelies: Some Kinda Love – Performing the Music of the Velvet Underground (Bar None)
The John Sally Ride: The Other Women (Heartpunch)
The Rolling Stones: Hackney Diamonds (Polydor)
Singles –
Barbara Manning: “Why, Why Won’t You Love Me Back” (Ba Da Bing!)
Kara Jackson: “pawnshop” (September)
The Pretenders: “Let the Sun Come In” (Parlophone)
Hannah Jadagu: “What You Did” (Sub Pop Records)
Joy Oladokun, Noah Kahan: “We’re All Gonna Die” (Verve Forecast)
Similar Kind: “Face To Face” (Factory Underground)
Sheer Mag: “Playing Favorites” (Third Man)
Ben Folds: “Winslow Gardens” (New West)
Dele Sosimi and The Estuary 21: “Mo Ṣe B’ọ́lá Tán” (Wah Wah 45s)
Beck: “Thinking About You” (Fonograph)
Del: “In Transition”
Albums –
Krasno Moore Project: Book Of Queens (Concord Jazz)
John Mellencamp: Orpheus Descending (Republic)
Raul Malo: Say Less (Mondo Mundo)
Hazlerigg Brothers: Synchronicity: An Interpretation of the album by The Police (Outer Marker)
Marty Stuart & his Fabulous Superlatives: Altitude (Snakefarm)
Juliana Hatfield: Sings ELO (American Laundromat)
Black Pumas: Chronicles Of A Diamond (ATO)
Rhiannon Giddens: You’re The One (Nonesuch)
Me’Shell NdegéOcello: The Omnichord Real Book (Blue Note)
Kevin Gallagher: “Digging In The Dirt”
Singles –
Eric Bibb: “Ridin'” (Stony Plain)
Rod MacDonald: “Cry Freedom” (Blue Flute)
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit: “If You Insist” (Southeastern)
Spoon: “Sugar Babies” (Matador)
Tracy Nelson: “Your Funeral And My Trial” (BMG)
Betty Lavette: “Hard To Be A Human” (Jay-Vee)
Jake Klar: “Driving Home Through the Country” (Jake Klar)
Joy Oladokun: “Black Car” (Verve Forecast)
Natalie Merchant: “Tower of Babel” (Nonesuch)
Los Ángeles Azules, Panteón Rococó (feat. Carlos Santana): “A Todos Los Rumberos” (UMG)
Jazz Albums
Yussef Dayes: Black Classical Music (Nonesuch)
Christian McBride’s New Jawn: Prime (Mack Avenue)
Allison Miller: Rivers in Our Veins (The Royal Potato Family)
Snazzback: Ruins Everything (Worm)
Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band: Vox Humana (Jazzheads)
Kurt Rosenwinke Group: The Remedy (Live at the Village Vanguard) (ArtistShare)
Henri Texier: An Indian’s Life (Label Bleu)
ErikTruffaz: Rollin’ (Blue Note, France)
Jacob Manz: Groove Connection (ACT)
Artemis: In Real Time (Blue Note)
Kenn Greenquist: “Dawn Patrol” & “Incunabula”
Singles –
Sheneta Nicole: “Love Languages” (Sheneta Nicole’s Music)
Ryan Gosling: “I’m Just Ken” (Atlantic)
Corrinne Bailey Rae: “New York Transit Queen” (Black Rainbows Music/Thirty Tigers)
bar italia: “que suprise” (Matador)
Swayzak: “Redfarm (Abbey Road 2023 edit)” (Lapsus)
Car Seat Headrest: “Bodys – Live at Brooklyn Steel” (Matador)
Fatback Brother Bill Curtis: “Dance Girl” (BGP)
Black Pumas: “Sauvignon” (ATO)
Al Green: “Perfect Day” (Fat Possum)
Thee Oh Sees: “Goon” (in The Red)
Albums –
Too Much Joy: All these Fucking Feelings – Deluxe Edition (Propeller Sound)
Corrinne Baily Rae: Black Rainbows (Black Rainbows Music/Thirty Tigers)
Marne Stern: The Comeback Kid (Joyful Noise)
Hamell on Trial: Bring the Kids (Saustex)
The Courettes: Boom! Dynamite (Damaged Goods)
Cleo Sol: Gold (Forever Living Originals)
Dinner Party: Enigmatic Society (Empire)
André 3000: New Blue Sun (Epic)
Bloodshot Bill: Psych-O-Billy (Goner)
Emeli Sandé: How Were We To Know (Chrysalis)
Bob Johnson: “Second Saturday Magazine”
Eliza Gilkyson: Home (Realiza)
Mary Lee Kortes: Will Anybody Know That I Was Here? The Songs Of Beulah Rowley (Lakeside Lounge)
Rod MacDonald: Rants and Romance (Blue Flute)
Nicole Zuraitus: How Love Begins (Nicole Z Music)
Sufjan Stevens: Javelin (Asthmatic Kitty)
Carla Patullo: So She Howls (The Soundry)
Tianna Esperanza: Terror (BMG)
Boygenius: The Record (Interscope)
Feist: Multitudes (Polydor)
PJ Harvey: I Inside The Old Year Dying (Partisan)
Rich Kaminsky: “Off-Beat”
The Bouncing Souls: Ten Stories High (Pure Noise)
Dead Billionaires: Disaster Preparedness Coloring Book (Possum Lick Farms)
Juniper: She Steals Candy (Confidential/Fabcom)
Los Fusiles: A Mano Armada (Family Spree)
The Pink Spiders: Freakazoid (Pure Noise)
Psychotic Youth: Happy Songs (Kool Kat)
Shonen Knife: Our Best Place (Good Charamel)
The Whiffs: Scratch ‘N’ Sniff (Dig!)
Wicked Bears: Underwater (Wiretap)
The Young Rochelles: Kicked to the Curb (Sounds Rad)
Martha Willette Lewis: “The Flux Capacitor”
Young Fathers: Heavy Heavy (Ninja Tune)
PJ Harvey: I Inside The Old Year Dying (Partisan )
Gretchen Parlato & Lionel Loueke: Lean In (Edition)
Black Pumas: Chronicles Of a Diamond (ATO)
Elisapie: Inuktitut (Bonsound)
Witch: Zango (Desert Daze)
TV Girl: Grapes Upon The Vine (Blissful Serenity Industries)
Me’Shell NdegéOcello: The Omnichord Real Book (Blue Note)
Corinne Bailey Rae: Black Rainbows (Black Rainbows Music/Thirty Tigers)
Jeremy Dutcher: Motewolonuwok (Secret City)
Michelle Morgan: “Love & Communication”
Singles –
Wednesday: “Bull Believer” (Dead Oceans)
Sir Chloe: “Leash” (Atlantic)
Lael Neale: “I Am The River” (Sub Pop)
Billie Marten: “God Above” (Fiction)
cumgirl8: “Cicciolina” (4AD)
Kevin Morby: “Triumph” (Dead Oceans)
Bully: “All This Noise” (Sub Pop)
The Drive: “Spells” (The Drive)
Slothrust: “Magic Glow” (Dangerbird)
Kalu & The Electric Joint: “Garden of Eden” (Spaceflight)
Albums –
Pile: All Fiction (Exploding in Sound)
Sweeping Promises: Good Living Is Coming For You (Feel It)
Tropical Fuck Storm: Submersive Behavior (Joyful Noise)
Anna B Savage: In|FLUX (City Slang)
Palehound: Eye on the Bat (Polyvinyl)
Mitski: The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We (Dead Oceans)
Feist: Multitudes (Polydor)
Sam Hansell: Inopia (no label, unsigned)
Cherry Glazerr: I Don’t Want You Anymore (Secretly Canadian)
Caroline Rose: The Art of Forgetting (New West)
Martha Nachman: “The Music Never Stopped”
Albums –
The Nude Party: Rides On (New West)
Jon Batiste: World Music Radio (Verve/Interscope)
Grace Potter: Mother Road (Fantasy)
Hiss Golden Messenger: Jump For Joy (Merge)
Deer Tick: Emotional Contracts (ATO)
Cat Power: Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert (Domino)
Dave Matthews Band: Walk Around The Moon (Bama Rags)
Shakey Graves: Movie Of The Week (Dualtone)
Various Artists: A Song For Leon A Tribute To Leon Russell (Primary Wave Legends)
Kurt Vile: Back To Moon Beach (Verve)
Kevin Patrick: “So Many Records So Little Time”
Singles –
Afrojack: “Polkadots (Space Ducks Remix)” (Wall)
Gina Birch: “I Play My Bass Loud” (Third Man)
Lili Chan: “Tell Me / Hakari” (Colorize/Enhanced Music)
Elkka: “DJ Friendly” (Ninja Tune)
Hot Chip, yunè pinku “Fire Of Mercy” (Domino)
James Hype, Major Lazer: “Number 1” (Stereohype)
Lou Reed: “Open Invitation” (RCA)
Rolling Stones: “Angry” (Polydor)
Skrillex, Fred again.., Flowdan: “Rumble” (OWSLA/Atlantic)
Subatomic Sound System, Lee Scratch Perry, Screechy Dan: “Lee Scratch Perry Is The Dub Organizer (New Ark Mix)” (Subatomic Sound)
Albums –
100 gecs: 10000 gecs (Dog Show/Atlantic)
Christine And The Queens: Paranoïa, Angels, True Love (Because Music)
Hollie Cook: Happy Hour In Dub (Merge)
Four Tet: Live At Alexandra Palace, London 8th And 9th May 2019 (Text)
Major Lazer: Piano Republik (Mad Decent/Columbia)
Skrillex: Quest For Fire (OWSLA/Atlantic)
Sparks: The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte (Island)
Suede: Autofiction Expanded (BMG)
Tiësto: Drive (Atlantic)
Tiësto: New Years Eve VIP (Warner Music)
Rick Petrone: “The Jazz Sound”
Albums –
Joshua Redman: Where Are We (Blue Note)
Mike Le Donne, Eric Alexander, Jeremy Pelt, Vincent Herring, Kenny Washington, Peter Washington: The Heavy Hitters (Cellar Music)
Artemis: In Real Time (Blue Note)
Eddie Henderson: Witness to History (Smoke Sessions)
Louis Hayes: Exactly Right (Savant)
Dan Wilson: Things Eternal (Mack Avenu)
Luiz Millan: Brazilian Match (Jazz Station) Jane Bunnett and Maqueque: Playing With Fire (Linus Entertainment)
Jane Bunnett and Maqueque: Playing With Fire (Linus Entertainment)
Terry Gibbs Legacy Band: The Terry Gibbs Songbook (Whaling City Sound)
Emmet Cohen: Masters Legacy Series Volume 5 Featuring Houston Person (Bandstand)
Valerie Richardson: “Radio Something”
Tracks –
Adeem the Artist: “My America” (Four Quarters)
The Courettes: “Boom! Dynamite” (Damaged Goods)
Hamell on Trial: “Hippy Shake” (Saustex)
Kristin Hersh: “Ms. Haha” (Fire)
Lonnie Holley and Sharon von Etten: “None of Us Have But A Little While” (Jagjaguwar)
Kara Jackson: “Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?” (September)
Margo Price: “Been to the Mountain” (Loma Vista)
Allison Russell: “Eve Was Black” (Birds of Chicago)
Cécile McLorin Salvant: “Mélusine” (Nonesuch)
Leo Sidran: “When the Mask Comes Off” (Bonsai Music)
Albums –
bar italia: Tracey Denim (Matador)
Boygenius: The Record (Interscope)
Hamell On Trial: Bring The Kids (Saustex)
Hauschka: Philanthropy (City Slang)
Kristin Hersh: Clear Pond Road (Fire)
Lonnie Holley: Oh Me Oh My (Jagjaguwar)
Allison Russell: The Returner (Fantasy)
Cécile McLorin Salvant: Mélusine (Nonesuch)
Ali Sethi & Nicolas Jaar: Intiha (Other People)
Yo La Tengo: This Stupid World (Matador)
Rob Silber: “Rock Therapy”
Albums –
Ian Hunter: Defiance Pt. I (Sun)
The Flashcubes: Pop Masters (Big Stir)
Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton: Death Wish Blues (Rounder)
Jethro Tull: RökFlöte (Inside Out)
Sophie B. Hawkins: Free Myself (Lightyear)
The Wood Brothers: Heart Is The Hero (Honey Jar)
Graham Parker: Last Chance To Learn The Twist (Big Stir)
The Rolling Stones: Hackney Diamonds (Polydor)
Israel Nash: Ozarker (Desert Folklore)
Joan Osborne: Nobody Owns You (Womanly Hips)
howard thompson – ‘PURE’
Albums –
Bilk: Bilk (Scruff Of The Neck)
Angel Corpus Christi: Bewitched (A&R Ent)
The Courettes: Boom! Dynamite (An Introduction to the Fabulous Courettes) (Damaged Goods)
The Drift Institute: Damages And Their Slices (Pensaments Sònics)
Hamell On Trial: Bring The Kids (Saustex)
Ian Hunter: Defiance Pt. 1 (Sun)
Mary Lee Kortes: Will Anybody Know That I Was Here? – The Songs of Beulah Rowley (Lakeside Lounge)
Lydia Loveless: Nothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way Again (Honey, You’re Gonna Be Late)
Dan Montgomery: Cast Iron Songs and Torch Ballads (Fantastic Yes)
MX-80 Sound: Better Than Life (Klanggallerie)
Amy Wachtel, The Night Nurse: “Rockers Arena”
Albums –
Black Pumas: Chronicles of a Diamond (ATO)
Burning Spear: No Destroyer (Burning Music)
Easy Star All-Stars: Ziggy Star Dub (Easy Star)
Hempress Sativa: CHARKA (Conquering Lion)
Stephen Marley: Old Soul (Ghetto Youths International)
Samory I: Strength (Easy Star)
Various Artists: If You Ask Me To…Victor Axelrod Productions for Daptone Records (Daptone)
Various Artists: Rebirth of the Cool Ruler (Greensleeves/VP)
Various Artists: Still Beating Down Babylon – Junior Byles Tribute (DubShot)
Various Artists: We Remember Bob Andy (VP)
Mike Zito:
Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit: Weathervanes (Southeastern)
Lori McKenna: 1988 (CN)
Show Of Hands: The Dog Show Sessions (Hands On Music)
Raye Zaragoza: Hold That Spirit (Rebel River)
Various Artists: More Than A Whisper: Celebrating The Music Of Nanci Griffith (Rounder)
Fanny Lumsden: Hey Dawn (Cooking Vinyl, Australia)
Steep Canyon Rangers: Morning Shift (Yep Roc)
Luke Laird, Lori McKenna & Barry Dean: The Songwriter Tapes Vol. 1 (CN)
Tommy Emmanuel: Accomplice Two (CGP)
Leon Russell: Signature Songs (Dark Horse)