In so many ways, this year has flat sucked. I’m a born optimist, and I’ve never considered that a disability, but now? I guess that I just don’t know. As long as I keep certain names off my tongue, my eye on the courts, my feet on the street and trails, my arms around my woman, and my ears on this stuff, well…I guess I will power through. Perhaps you will be tempted to try one of the following aural encouragements, and it’ll help you through, too.

TOP 50 New Releases of the First Half of 2017

(in order of my preference if the world goes up in flames tomorrow):

1. Zeal and Ardor: Devil is Fine
2. Orchestra Baobab: Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng
3. Harriet Tubman: Araminta
4. Kendrick Lamar: Damn
5. Ibibio Sound Machine: Eyai
6. Various Artists: Miracle Steps (Music from The Fourth World 1983-2017)
7. Golden Pelicans: Disciples of Blood
8. Preservation Hall Jazz Band: So It Is
9. Rhiannon Giddens: Freedom Highway
10. Mostly Other People Do The Killing: Loafer’s Hollow
11. Obnox: Niggative Approach
12. Aram Bajakian: Dalava–The Book of Transfigurations
13. Syd: Fin
14. Steve Lacy: Steve Lacy’s Demo (EP) (Not the late jazz soprano master Steve Lacy, BTW!)
15. Various Artists: Battle Hymns
16. Sampha: Process
17. Jens Lekman: Life Will See You Now
18. Thurst: Cut to the Chafe
19. Cloud Nothings: Life Without Sound
20. Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah: Ruler Rebel
21. Arto Lindsay: Cuidado Madame
22. Body Count: Blood Lust
23. Angaleena Presley: Wrangled
24. Sarah Shook and the Disarmers: Sidelong
25. Joe King Cologbo & High Grace: Sugar Daddy
26. Filthy Friends: “Any Kind of Crowd”/”Editions of You”
27. John Escreet: The Unknown
28. Various Artists: Spiritual Jazz #7—Islam
29. James Luther Dickinson: I’m Just Dead I’m Not Gone (Lazarus Edition) READ THE BOOK!
30. (The Late) Mariem Hassan: La Voz Indominata
31. Let’s Eat Grandma: I, Gemini
32. Randy Weston: African Nubian Suite
33. Alice Coltrane: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda
34. Thundercat: Drunk
35. New Pornographers: Whiteout Conditions
36. Gato Preto: Tempo
37. Paul Rutherford and Sabu Toyozumi: The Conscience
    
38. Hurray for the Riff Raff: Up for Anything
39. Various Artists: Mono No Aware
40. Karreim Riggins: Headnod Suite
41. Various Artists: Outro Tempo–Electronic And Contemporary Music From Brazil 1978-1992
42. Garland Jeffreys: 14 Steps to Harlem
43. Elliott Sharp, Mary Halvorson, and Marc Ribot: Err Guitar
44. Daddy Issues: Can We Still Hang?
45. Bob Dylan: Triplicate
46. Damaged Bug: Bunker Funk
47. Black Lips: Satan’s Graffiti or God’s Art?
48. Vagabon: The Infinite Worlds
49. Tamikrest: Tidal
50. Chuck Berry: Chuck

Note: the above is not featured on the Wayne Cochran album listed below, but it’s what you need to know to make a more informed choice.

40 Great Older Releases That I’ve Bought in ’17 That I Still Can’t Get Enough Of

1. Allison, Mose: I’m Not Talkin’—The Song Stylings of Mose Allison 1957-1972
2. Anderson, Fred, and Hamid Drake: …together again
3. Astatke, Mulatu: Mulatu of Ethiopia
4. Blythe, Arthur: Illusions
5. Bowie, David: Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles ’74)
6. Carmichael, Hoagy: Music Master
7. Case, Neko: The Tigers Have Spoken
8. Cochran, Wayne: Wayne Cochran!
9. Cohran, Philip: Armageddon
10. Coursil, Jacques: Trails of Tears
11. The Creation: Action Painting
12. Davis, Anthony: Episteme
13. DiMucci, Dion: Kickin’ Child–The Lost Album 1965
14. d/j Rupture: Minesweeper Suite
15. E: E
16. Evans, Bill: Some Other Time–The Lost Session from the Black Forest
17. Fela: The Best of Black President, Volume 2
18. Fela: Live in Detroit
19. Gibbs, Melvin: Ancients Speak (all hail Pete Cosey!)
20. Gonzalez, Dennis: Idle Wild
21. Ink Spots: These Cats Are High
22. Instant Composers Pool: Aan & Uit
23. Jamal, Ahmad: The Awakening
24. JJ DOOM: Bookhead
25. King: We Are King (would have been in my 2016 Top Ten had I been on the ball)
26. London Jazz Composers Orchestra: Theoria
27. McGann, Bernie: Playground
28. Outkast: Speakerboxx/The Love Below (that’s right—I only just NOW bought this for myself)
29. Perry, Lee Scratch: Voodooism
30. Spontaneous Music Ensemble: Face to Face
31. Stanko, Tomasz: Leosia
32. Sun Ra: The Space Age Is Here to Stay
33. This Heat: Out of Cold Storage
34. Morgan, Lee: Live at The Lighthouse (please go see this documentary on Mr. Morgan!)
    
35. Various Artists: After-School Special—The 123s of Kid Soul
36. Various Artists: Hanoi Masters–War is A Wound, Peace is a Scar
37. Various Artists: Killed by Death #5
38. Various Artists: Songs from Saharan Cell Phones, 1 & 2
39. White, Ruth: Flowers of Evil
40. Wray, Link: Beans and Fatback