Yep, this is it. Eight days into a very 2020-like 2021. But I gotta say again that, since, for reasons in addition to COVID-19 and the creep, this year was the worst of my life (that year in elementary when I got my ass kicked on the bus, at home plate on the playground, on the bus again, and in front of a small crowd at the park was close), MUSIC WAS ESSENTIAL, and if I hadn’t had access to any records prior to 2020, I still would have been in very high cotton. So many inspired, intelligent, defiant, creative, funny, funky, and artistically coherent slabs–an extension of my love of novels, I still listen to albums, and this roll call was proof I ain’t no dummy.

The Top 10 is my real Top 10. I was asked to submit it to a terrific Facebook group that produces poll results like the Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll used to, and I thought on it very carefully–though some friends argue there’s no difference, these are the records that meant the most to me, that I needed the most, that powered me through a minimum of 10 horrible days, rather than the 10 greatest artistic albumic achievements of the year. 11-90? I did quite a bit of thinking about those as well, 10 at a time–then, today, came back and fussed with it to get it just right and include some late ’20 releases.

Apologies to these artists who were originally on my list months ago, and who here make the Top 100 (there are a good 50-75 more strong albums) but who I must have accidentally deleted while editing in the fall: the great Southern rocker Tyler Keith, the rejuvenated Dramarama, the delightful and fearless Billy Nomates, and the gutsy Ashley McBryde. They may never see this, and even if they do, they may not care–but it matters to me.

DIG IN. 2021’s breathin’ down your neck.

BOLDED ENTRIES = Records added (or restored) to the list.

1. Kahil El’Zabar: America The Beautiful
2. Run The Jewels: 4
3. Mark Lomax II: The 400 Years Suite
4. 79rs Gang: Expect the Unexpected
5. Dezron Douglas & Brandee Younger: Force Majeure
6. Bob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways
7. Fire! Orchestra: Actions
8. SAULT: Untitled (Black Is)
9. The Third Mind: The Third Mind
10. Mars Williams: Presents an Ayler Xmas, Volume 4–Chicago vs. New York
11. Watt, Kaiser, Golia, Peet, and Hanrahan: A Love Supreme Electric
12. Spillage Village: Spilligion
13. Body Count: Carnivore
14. Jyoti: Mama You Can Bet!
15. Mike & The Moonpies: Touch of You–The Lost Songs of Gary Stewart
16. Boldy James & The Alchemist: The Price of Tea in China
17. Roisin Murphy: Roisin Machine
18. Serengeti & Kenny Segal: AJAI
19. Kesha: High Road
20. Neptunian Maximalism: Éons
21. Various Artists: An Anthology of Experimental Music from Mexico

22. Princess Nokia: Everything is Beautiful
23. Anna Högberg Attack: lena 
24. Shabaka and The Ancestors: We Are Sent Here by History
25. Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters
26. Bktherula: Nirvana
27. Belle and Sebastian: What to Look for in Summer

28. Rob Mazurek & Exploding Star Orchestra: Dimension Stardust
29. Thiago Nassif: Mente
30. Hamell on Trial: Pandemic Songs
31. Goodie Mob: Survival Kit
32. Lido Pimienta: Miss Colombia
33. James Brandon Lewis and Chad Taylor: Live in Willisau
34. Tee Grizzley: The Smartest
35. Bettye LaVette: Blackbirds
36. Elizabeth Cook: Aftermath
37. Zeal & Ardor: Wake of a Nation (EP)
38. Adulkt Life: Book of Curses
39. Princess Nokia: Everything Sucks
40. Florian Arbenz and Greg Osby: Reflections of The Eternal Line
41. Little Simz: Drop 6 (EP)
42. Dramarama: Color TV
43. The Human Hearts: Day of The Tiles (EP)
44. Charles McPherson: Jazz Dance Suites
45. X: Alphabetland 
46. Various Artists: Memphis Concrète Presents Sound in Geometry Series, Volume 1–On Triangles
47. KeiyaA: Forever, Ya Girl
48. Gard Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra: If You Listen Carefully, The Music is Yours
49. Various Artists: Music for Abandoned Cold War Places
50. Cornershop: England is a Garden
51. Moor Jewelry: True Opera
52. Various Artists: New Improvised Music from Buenos Aires
53. Mark Lomax II: The Last Concert–Ankh & The Tree of Live
54. Don Vappie & Jazz Creole: The Blue Book of Storyville
55. Mickey Guyton: Bridges (EP)
56. Aesop Rock: Spirit World Field Guide
57. Bobby Rush: Rawer Than Raw
58. Moses Sumney: grae
59. Carlos Nino and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson: Chicago Waves
60. Billy Nomates: Billy Nomates
61. Irreversible Entanglements: Who Sent You?
62. Alicia Keys: ALICIA
63. Moor Mother & Billy Woods: Brass
64. K-Michelle: All Monsters are Human
65. 75 Dollar Bill: Live at Tubby’s
66. Luke Stewart: Luke Stewart Exposure Quintet
67. SAULT: Untitled (Rise)
68. Drakeo the Ruler: Quit Rappin’
69. Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids: Shaman!
70. Juice WRLD: Legends Never Die
71. Black Thought: Streams of Thought 3–Cane and Abel
72. Swamp Dogg: Sorry You Couldn’t Make It
73. Ashley McBryde: Never Will
74. Tyler Keith: The Last Drag
75. City Girls: City on Lock
76. Serengeti: With Greg from Deerhoof
77. Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia
78. Asher Gamedze: Dialectic Soul
79. Jinx Lennon: Border Schizo Fffolk Songs for the F****d
80. Julianna Barwick: Healing is a Miracle
81. No Age: Goons Be Gone
82. James Brandon Lewis: Molecular 
83. Junglepussy: Jp4
84. JD Allen: Toys / Die Dreaming
85. Hot Country Knights: The “K” is Silent
86. Ill Scholars: Ill Scholars
87. Cortex: Legal Tender
88. Mr. Wrong: Create a Place
89. Lori McKenna: The Balladeer
90. The Necks: Three
91. Chloe x Halle: Ungodly Hour
92. Steve Earle: Ghosts of West Virginia
93. Teodross Avery: Harlem Stories–The Music of Thelonious Monk
94. Rina Sawayama: Sawayama
95. Bette Smith: The Good, The Bad, and The Bette
96. Kali Uchis: Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)
97. Al Bilali Soudan: Tombouctou
98. Dehd: Flower of Devotion
99. Jeff Parker: Suite for Max Brown
100. Jeannie Seely: An American Classic

REISSUES AND ARCHIVAL FINDS

1. Various Artists: Daora–Underground Sounds of Urban Brazil
2. Wussy: Ghosts
3. Uncle Victor Chukwu: Akalaka / The Power
4. Luiz Carlos Vinhas: O Som Psicodelico De LCV
5. Charles Mingus: Mingus @ Bremen 1964 & 1975
6. Thelonious Monk: Palo Alto
7. Sonny Rollins: Rollins in Holland
8. Sharhabil Ahmed: The King of Sudanese Jazz
9. Oneness of Juju: African Rhythms 1970-1982
10. King Ubu Orchestru: Concert at Town Hall—Binaurality Live
11. Various Artists: Hanging Tree Guitars
12. Pylon: Pylon Box
13. Lee Scratch Perry w / Seskain Molenga & Kalo Kawongolo: Roots from the Congo
14. Various Artists: How the River Ganges Flows: Sublime Masterpieces of Indian Violin 1933-1952
15. Hallelujah Chicken Run Band: Take One
16. Various Artists: Saint Etienne Presents Songs for the Fountain Coffee Room
17. Milford Graves & Don Pullen: The Complete Yale Concert
18. Various Artists: Sumer is Icumen In–The Pagan Sound of British and Irish Folk 1966-1975
19. Junior Byles: Beat Down Babylon
20. Various Artists: Soul Love Now–The Black Fire Records Story 1975-1993
21. Various Artists: Turn Me Loose, White Man, Or, Appropriating Culture–How to Listen to American Music 1900-1960 (Allen Lowe, compiler)
22. Various Artists: Southeast of Saturn–Michigan Shoegaze / Dream Pop / Space Rock
23. Various Artists: Excavated Shellac–An Alternate History of the World’s Music
24. The Awakening: Hear, Sense, and Feel
25. Black Unity Trio: Al-Fatihah
26. Peter Stampfel & The Bottlecaps: Demo ’84
27. Lon Moshe and The Southern Freedom Arkestra: Love is Where the Spirit Lies
28. Various Artists: Stone Crush–Memphis Modern Soul 1977-1987
29. Various Artists: Soul Jazz Records Presents Black Riot–Early Jungle, Rave, and Hardcore
30. Prince: Sign ‘o The Times (Deluxe Edition)
31. Various Artists: Cool Cats Invasion (Highlife, Juju, and Palm Wine Music from Nigeria and Ghana)
32. Little Richard: Southern Child
33. Fela: Perambulator
34. Various Artists: Black Ark Players / Black Ark in Dub
35. Hiroshi Yoshimura: Green
36. Milton Nascimento: Maria Maria
37. Riley (featuring Gary Stewart): Grandma’s Roadhouse
38. The Ibrahim Khalil Shihab Quartet: Spring
39. Walter Bishop, Jr.: Coral Keys
40. Horace Tapscott: Ancestral Echoes