# Music staff picks: The best albums of 2019: Photos, Video

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2019/12/19/music-staff-picks-the-best-albums-of-2019-photos-video/
- Published: 2019-12-19T19:40:56+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Last week, we shared NPR Music’s best music of 2019 in the form of nearly two 
dozen lists our staff and contributors made collaboratively. **

Today we’re handing over more private treasures. The albums listed below are personal
favorites from our staff, ranked from one to 10. The lists themselves are also presented
in order of best to worst. Just kidding. They’re listed alphabetically by the list
maker’s last name, because every strict hierarchical ranking should include at least
one element of utterly meaningless randomness.

---

## **Bob Boilen**

**1. Big Thief, **_**Two Hands**_

2. Big Thief, _UFOF_

3. Angel Olsen, _All Mirrors_

4. Better Oblivion Community Center, _Better Oblivion Community Center_

5. Aldous Harding, _Designer_

6. Lankum, _The Livelong Day_

7. Mdou Moctar, _Ilana: The Creator_

8. Kate Davis, _Trophy_

9. Joan Shelley, _Like The River Loves The Sea_

10. The Good Ones, _RWANDA, you should be loved_

---

### Rodney Carmichael

_The Blues. That’s what 2019 gave me in multitudes. Hip-hop might be my day job 
at NPR Music, but this was the first year since neo-soul’s heyday — some 20 years
ago — that I found myself much more drawn to rap’s forebears. Even the rap that 
resonated was steeped in the blues. That’s the connecting tissue running through
my personal top 10 — from the stunning debut of Baby Rose to Hiatus Kaiyote drummer
Clever Austin’s funky solo LP. If years ending in 9 tend to offer signs of the sounds
to come, the roaring ’20s stand to be soul-achingly deep._

[[

TOUCHING BASS

1. billy woods, _Terror Management_

2. Ari Lennox, _Shea Butter Baby_

3. Raphael Saadiq, _Jimmy Lee_

4. Brittany Howard, _Jaime_

5. Baby Rose, _To Myself_

6. Maxo Kream, _Brandon Banks_

7. Solange, _When I Get Home_

8. Summer Walker, _Clear_

9. Wilma Vritra, _Burd_

**10. Clever Austin, **_**Pareidolia**_

---

### Bobby Carter

[[

FOREVER LIVING ORIGINALS

1. Lucky Daye, _Painted_

2. Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, _Bandana_

**3. SAULT, **_**5**_

4. Anderson .Paak, _Ventura_

5. Ari Lennox, _Shea Butter Baby_

6. Baby Keem, _DIE FOR MY BITCH_

7. Raphael Saadiq, _Jimmy Lee_

8. Snoh Aalegra, _ugh, those feels again_

9. Men I Trust, _Oncle Jazz_

10. Rex Orange County, _Pony_

---

### Nate Chinen (WBGO)

_Radicalism and refinement. Complexity and clarity. And as one album title crisply
puts it: Old New. All of these qualities, however contradictory they might seem,
inhabit the music that struck the deepest chord for me in 2019. In fact, the common
thread running through these albums (mostly by jazz artists, with a few captivating
exceptions that kept drawing me back) might be a refusal to get pinned down. Or 
maybe it’s just a stubborn honesty of expression — however complicated it gets, 
and in whatever shape it comes._

[[

PYROCLASTIC RECORDS

**1. Kris Davis, **_**Diatom Ribbons**_

2. Tomeka Reid Quartet, _Old New_

3. Branford Marsalis Quartet, _The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul_

4. Guillermo Klein y Los Guachos, _Cristal_

5. Brittany Howard, _Jaime_

6. Angel Olsen, _All Mirrors_

7. Chick Corea Trio, _Trilogy 2_

8. The Art Ensemble of Chicago, _We Are On The Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration_

9. Bill Callahan, _Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest_

10. Matana Roberts, _Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis_

---

### Felix Contreras

_I keep mental notes about albums that speak to me each year then look back at the
end to see if there is a unifying theme. This year the albums that stood out are
deep dives into the musical DNA of each artist, from Angelique Kidjo’s adolescent
love of salsa and Celia Cruz to Carlos Santana’s base of African music (from his
first album to his latest) to iLe’s Afro Caribbean roots to Fea’s collaboration 
with their one of their punk inspirations (Alice Bag). Self reflection — even as
these artists tear down the walls of what is considered “Latin music” — made for
fine listening, from this list and beyond._

[[

VERVE

**1. Angelique Kidjo, **_**Celia**_

2. Santana, _Africa Speaks_

3. iLe, _Almadura_

4. Gaby Moreno and Van Dyke Parks, _¡Spangled!_

5. Alex Cuba, _Sublime_

6. Dayme Arocena, _Sonocardiogram_

7. Fea, _No Novelties_

8. La Santa Cecilia, _La Santa Cecilia_

9. Y La Bamba, _Mujeres_

10. Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, _On Firm Ground/Tierra Firme_

---

### Raina Douris (World Cafe)

_For me, 2019 was a year of change. I split the year between Toronto — the only 
city I’ve ever lived in, where I hosted a show on the CBC — and my new home: Philadelphia,
where I now host World Cafe. My best-of list this year reflects that move, with 
lots of Canadian representation, but also an expanding horizon that comes with being
in a new place and hosting a new program._

[[

INTERSCOPE

**1. Michael Kiwanuka, **_**Kiwanuka**_

2. Sharon Van Etten, _Remind Me Tomorrow_

3. Pup, _Morbid Stuff_

4. Vampire Weekend, _Father of the Bride_

5. Haviah Mighty, _13th Floor_

6. Lizzo, _Cuz I Love You_

7. New Pornographers, _In The Morse Code Of Brake Lights_

8. Tyler Childers, _Country Squire_

9. Angel Olsen, _All Mirrors_

10. Leif Vollebekk, _New Ways_

---

### Stefanie Fernández

[[

RVNG INTL.

**1. Helado Negro, **_**This Is How You Smile**_

2. Aymée Nuviola, _A Journey Through Cuban Music_

3. Yawners, _Just Calm Down_

4. Bad Bunny & J Balvin, _OASIS_

5. Quelle Chris, _Guns_

6. Lana Del Rey, _Norman F****** Rockwell!_

7. Daymé Arocena, _Sonocardiogram_

8. Las Nubes, _SMVT_

9. Shunkan, _Cumberland Falls_

10. Jean Dawson, _Bad Sports_

---

### Jacob Ganz

[[

MERGE RECORDS

1. Ariana Grande, _thank u, next_

2. Miranda Lambert, _Wildcard_

**3. Ex Hex, **_**It’s Real**_

4. Lankum, _The Livelong Day_

5. billy woods & Kenny Segal, _Hiding Places_

6. Aldous Harding, _Designer_

7. Brittany Howard, _Jaime_

8. Clairo, _Immunity_

9. Sturgill Simpson, _Sound & Fury_

10. Vanishing Twin, _The Age of Immunology_

---

### Lars Gotrich

_In 2019, it was crucial — life-affirming and -saving, even — to make your own noise.“
This is the sound / It moves in our bodies / It passes through time / Brings what
came before us,” Petrol Girls’ Ren Aldridge screamed at the top of a turbulent punk
record filled with compassion. That boundless philosophy resonated with me this 
year — to listen and absorb more deeply, to excavate the traces of memory in music._

[[

HASSLE RECORDS

**1. Petrol Girls, **_**Cut & Stitch**_

2. Blood Incantation, _Hidden History of the Human Race_

3. Kali Malone, _The Sacrificial Code_

4. billy woods & Kenny Segal, _Hiding Places_

5. Holly Herndon, _PROTO_

6. RAKTA, _Falha Comum_

7. Sunwatchers, _Illegal Moves_

8. Bill Orcutt, _Odds Against Tomorrow_

9. Control Top, _Covert Contracts_

10. Real Life Rock & Roll Band, _Hollerin’ the Spirit_

---

### Otis Hart

_Purple Mountains’ majesties towered over the rest of my 2019. Rest in peace, David
Cloud Berman._

[[

DRAG CITY

**1. Purple Mountains, **_**Purple Mountains**_

2. SAULT,_ 5_

3. John Luther Adams, _Become Desert_

4. Lankum, _The Livelong Day_

5. Yves Jarvis, _The Same But By Different Means_

6. Mdou Moctar,_ Ilana: The Creator_

7. Jenny Hval, _The Practice Of Love_

8. Little Simz, _GREY Area_

9. Kali Malone, _The Sacrificial Code_

10. Aldous Harding, _Designer_

---

### Jewly Hight

_The albums I couldn’t shake in 2019 were from artists who’d just discovered their
voices or arrived at newly vital ways to use them._

[[

EASY EYE SOUND / NONESUCH

1. Brittany Howard, _Jaime_

**2. Yola, **_**Walk Through Fire**_

3. Tanya Tucker, _While I’m Livin’_

4. Kalie Shorr, _Open Book_

5. Randy Houser, _Magnolia_

6. Ari Lennox, _Shea Butter Baby_

7. Jamila Woods, _LEGACY! LEGACY!_

8. iLe, _Almadura_

9. Erin Enderlin, _Faulkner County_

10. Che Apalache, _Rearrange My Heart_

---

### Robin Hilton

_A lot of artists took really big swings this year. Some completely upended their
sound. Some made epics. It felt like a year of renewal, driven by restlessness or
defiance, with a sense of urgency and resolve. The albums I loved most in 2019 captured
this spirit, often looking inward while asking big questions about identity and 
purpose. I could add a lot more to the list below (Wilco, Hand Habits, Jay Som, 
Emily Wells), but these are the 10 I revisited the most._

[[

SADDLE CREEK

1. Sharon Van Etten, _Remind Me Tomorrow_

2. Lana Del Rey, _Norman F****** Rockwell!_

3. Holly Herndon, _PROTO_

4. Microwave, _Death is a Warm Blanket_

**5. Ada Lea, w**_**hat we say in private**_

6. Weyes Blood, _Titanic Rising_

7. Tiny Ruins, _Olympic Girls_

8. Great Grandpa, _Four Arrows_

9. Molly Sarlé, _Karaoke Angel_

10. Kate Davis, _Trophy_

---

### Tom Huizenga

_These diverse albums were my daily bread, escape, drug, joy, pain and comfort this
year. Joan Shelley calmed my nerves, while SAULT shook my fanny. Ellen Reid’s Pulitzer-
winning score helped me re-think opera and Lise Davidsen proved the art of the dramatic
soprano is still alive. I got lost, madly and deeply, in both Weyes Blood’s retro-’
70s daydreams and Daniel’s Wohl’s electro-acoustic funhouse. John Luther Adams took
me on another symphonic trip while Caroline Shaw retooled the string quartet. Aldous
Harding floored me with her audacious songwriting and Andrew Combs’ tasteful vocal
stylings always inspired smiles._

[[

NO QUARTER

1. Caroline Shaw / Attacca Quartet, _Orange_

2. John Luther Adams / Seattle Syphony, _Become Desert_

3. Weyes Blood, _Titanic Rising_

**4. Joan Shelley, **_**Like the River Loves the Sea**_

5. Aldous Harding, _Designer_

6. Ellen Reid, _p r i s m_

7. Daniel Wohl, _État_

8. Lise Davidsen, _Wagner-Strauss_

9. Andrew Combs, _Ideal Man_

10. SAULT, _5_

---

### Marissa Lorusso

_Many of my favorite albums this year reminded me what it looks like when we care
for each other. Control Top provided a blueprint for resisting forces of oppression;
Mannequin Pussy and Sharon Van Etten tended to old wounds by showing compassion 
to their former selves; (Sandy) Alex G and Kim Gordon mined weird sounds to make
incisive but empathetic portraits. Palehound wrote my favorite love song in recent
memory (“Aaron”) and Big Thief gave me the cathartic ode to abjection I didn’t realize
I needed (“Not”). In a calamitous year, these albums offered hope, refuge and solidarity(
and in honor of those qualities, I’ve sorted them __**alphabetically**__ rather 
than as a ranked list)._

[[

EPITAPH

1. (Sandy) Alex G, _House of Sugar_

2. Big Thief, _Two Hands_

3. Carly Rae Jepsen, _Dedicated_

4. Control Top, _Covert Contracts_

5. Girlpool, _What Chaos Is Imaginary_

6. Kim Gordon, _No Home Record_

**7. Mannequin Pussy, **_**Patience**_

8. Palehound, _Black Friday_

9. Sharon Van Etten, _Remind Me Tomorrow_

10. Vagabon, _Vagabon_

---

### Sidney Madden

_Feeling over thinking._

[[

ARTIUM RECORDINGS

1. Tyler, The Creator, _IGOR_

2. Megan Thee Stallion, _Fever_

3. Solange, _When I Get Home_

**4. Snoh Aalegra, **_**ugh, those feels again**_

5. Baby Rose, _To Myself_

6. Raveena, _Lucid_

7. Baby Keem, _DIE FOR MY BITCH_

8. Lucky Daye, _Painted_

9. Dua Saleh, _Nūr_

10. BEAM, _95_

---

### Lyndsey McKenna

_I spent 2019 in motion. I logged more miles than ever before in advance of the 
New York City Marathon. I witnessed seven weddings in locations near and far. With
so much movement, more than any other year, I found stability in songs: From the
catharsis of Charly Bliss’ “Capacity” and the domestic warmth of Vampire Weekend’s“
Stranger,” to the empathy of HAIM’s trilogy of singles and the ebullient abandon
of Taylor Swift’s “Paper Rings,” the snapshots I loved most offered a feeling of
comfort and compassion._

[[

RISE RECORDS / LITTLE DIPPER

**1. PUP, **_**Morbid Stuff**_

2. Mannequin Pussy, _Patience_

3. Great Grandpa, _Four of Arrows_

4. Angel Olsen, _All Mirrors_

5. Ariana Grande, _thank u, next_

6. Lana Del Rey, _Norman F****** Rockwell!_

7. Charly Bliss, _Young Enough_

8. American Football, _American Football_

9. Sharon Van Etten, _Remind Me Tomorrow_

10. Pedro the Lion, _Phoenix_

---

### Lauren Onkey

_This list isn’t an argument — it’s the music I kept returning to for some solace
in 2019. It’s all built to last._

[[

LUAKA BOP

1. Brittany Howard, _Jaime_

2. Raphael Saadiq, _Jimmy Lee_

3. Our Native Daughters, _Songs of Our Native Daughters_

**4. Various Artists, **_**World Spirituality Classics 2: The Time for Peace is 
Now**_

5. Bruce Springsteen, _Western Stars_

6. The Comet Is Coming, _Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery_

7. Yola, _Walk Through Fire_

8. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, _Kingfish_

9. Santana, _Africa Speaks_

10. Van Morrison, _Three Chords and the Truth_

---

### Ann Powers

_I don’t believe in “bests” when considering the year in music. Most consensus judgments(
lists, prizes) elevate excellent albums that were also well-marketed, widely reviewed
and embraced by a significant fan base. So much else deserves your time. The albums
at the top__ list are all among my favorites, but these, perhaps less lauded in 
the general sphere of year end critical assessment, represent my more personal listening—
the music with which I found myself in inner conversation most often, apart from
anyone else’s canonizing push. I hope you enjoy another way of hearing 2019._

[[

VERVE

1. Angel Bat Dawid, _The Oracle_

2. Adia Victoria, _Silences_

3. Mereba, _The Jungle is the Only Way Out_

4. The Mekons, _Deserted_

**5. Philip Bailey, **_**Love Will Find a Way**_

6. Jazzmeia Horn, _Love and Liberation_

7. Hiss Golden Messenger, _Terms of Surrender_

8. Matthew Halsall, _Oneness_

9. Erin Enderlin, _Faulkner County_

10. Joe Henry, _The Gospel According to Water_

---

### Stephen Thompson

_It was the Year of Lizzo, whose breakthrough album was as wonderfully joyous as
it was popular — which is to say, very. But other pop stars, including Carly Rae
Jepsen and Lana Del Rey, also made ambitious, powerful records, while new voices
like Dermot Kennedy and Yola bubbled up ahead of massive breakthroughs in 2020. 
Elsewhere, folk-rock veteran Glen Hansard made his most inventive record yet, Joan
Shelley lowered our blood pressure at just the right time, Bon Iver crafted an autumnal
and sweet-natured grower, and Big Thief made two great, highlight-strewn records.
Best of the year: The Highwomen, an Americana supergroup whose first album dug deeper
and hit harder than expected, without a wrong note._

[[

ATLANTIC RECORDS

1. The Highwomen, _The Highwomen_

2. Dermot Kennedy, _Without Fear_

**3. Lizzo, **_**Cuz I Love You**_

4. Carly Rae Jepsen, _Dedicated_

5. Joan Shelley, _Like the River Loves the Sea_

6. Bon Iver, _i,i_

7. Lana Del Rey, _Norman F****** Rockwell!_

8. Glen Hansard, _This Wild Willing_

9. Yola, _Walk Through Fire_

10. Big Thief, _Two Hands_

---

### Cyrena Touros

_“I should get out more” — the opening refrain of Faye Webster’s infectious album
swam through my head this hazy summer. But get out I did; this music soundtracked
a year of perma-transit, accompanying airport layovers, empty hours on buses and
day-long walks. It’s airy, spacious, intimate, quiet and cathartic — soothing (ir)
rational fears or blasting them out the speakers when all else failed. And eternal
love to Angel Olsen, Julia Jacklin, Jenny Lewis and Cate le Bon, but the 10 albums
that follow are by artists I met for the first time in 2019, when I needed new friends
the most. Onward._

[[

DOMINO RECORDING CO.

1. Sharon Van Etten, _Remind Me Tomorrow_

2. Faye Webster, _Atlanta Millionaires Club_

3. Weyes Blood,_ Titanic Rising_

**4. Sasami,**_** Sasami**_

5. Mannequin Pussy, _Patience_

6. Stella Donnelly, _Beware of the DogsJapanes jazz,_

7. Helado Negro, _This Is How You Smile_

8. Ada Lea, _what we say in private_

9. Queen of Jeans, _If you’re not afraid, I’m not afraid_

10. The Japanese House, _Good At Falling_

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