The Albums That Got Us Through 2020
We’ll save you the soliloquy, and get right to it:
(skip to the bottom for the full playlist)
“Sonically, this album was very cathartic. Gaidaa’s songwriting is so imaginative and authentic, and I really love it when her voice hits those lush lower notes, her tone is like butter.”
Favorite tracks: Falling higher, Still Water, I Like Trouble
2. Rose in The Dark x Cleo Sol
“The timeless musicality and vocals are very reminiscent of some of my favorite classic soul artists like Angela Bofill, and Patrice Rushen but sound refreshing all the same. I would love to hear this project live but you know... COVID.”
Favorite tracks: When I’m In Your Arms, Why Don’t You, Rose in The Dark
3 & 4. Untiled (Black is) / Untitled (Rise) x Sault
“I can’t think of any projects more timely for this year than these two albums. They spoke to Black pain, weariness, and resilience in a way that felt mores insightful than preachy. A lot of the drums used on this project had an ancestral feel to them and the use of strings was extremely effective in giving it cinematic energy. The interludes also spoke to the difficult emotions many Black people grappled with this year while maintaining a musically rich sound.”
Favorite Tracks: Hard Life, Wildfires, Sorry Ain’t Enough, Why We Cry Why We Die, Free, Uncomfortable
5. The Angel You Don’t Know x Amaarae
“I first discovered Amaarae as a featured artist on one of my favorite music submissions of the year ‘NASA’ by Rvdical The Kid. I became entrenched upon my first listen to her first full-length project which is a mixture of afro-fusion, R&B, electronic, alté, and alternative hip hop. I love her animated voice and how effortlessly she glides over the track. I enjoy artists who can fuse multiple genres together and make them sound like a whole new sound”
Favorite Tracks: Fancy, Feel A Way, Céline
6. Last Year Was Weird, Vol 2. x Tkay Maidza
“This album had a lot of surprises on it. It’s a mixture of fun-loving R&B, raging nu-metal, and 808 thumping house tracks. While there’s not much fusion in the array of genres, I appreciate her ability to showcase her eclectic range.”
Favorite tracks: Shook, 24K, Don’t Call Again
7. Honey For Wounds x Ego Ella May
“This is a great self-love soundtrack. The pensiveness of this album is tempered by Ego Ella May’s jazzy vocals and even-keeled instrumentation. A very relaxing vibe to listen to during downtime or moments of solitude.”
Favorite tracks: Girls Don’t Always Sing About Boys, Table For One, Song For Bobby
8. Jaguar x Victoria Monét
“This album is oozing with sensuality, sexuality, and confidence. I love the lush vocal arrangements and the production which taps into nostalgia without being lazy or gimmicky. If you're feeling insecure, put on some lingerie, pour a glass of wine, turn this album on and you'll be feeling like a Savage Fenty brand ambassador”
Favorite tracks: Moment, Touch Me, Go There With You
9. Extra, Extra! x Lou Phelps
“ My boyfriend who is a Kaytranada fanboy put me onto this album. Haven’t heard a hip hop EP with such a fun, laid back like this in a minute. Lou’s big bro Kaytranada came through with the dancey vibes but you also get a bit of that classic boom bap energy that an old head like me loves”
Favorite tracks: Party in LA, Nike Shoe Box, Smiling
Pulp (Director’s Cut) x Ambré
"Ambré takes you deep into her world with sounds of a sweet lullaby, and a pulp garden full of hallucinating trips on a journey towards discovering love, vulnerability, and purpose. Overdosing on ‘Pulp’ has become a nightly ritual for me, no surprise as to why Ambré is my top artist of 2020."
Favorite tracks: free drugs, LUCIADA(EGODEATH), gucci slides
2. A Written Testimony x Jay Electronica
Jay Electronica's debut album, once heralded a myth by many, has finally seen the light of day, 10 years later. It sounds godly, rich in ancestral wisdom, paralleled with classic Hov features throughout. This album to me raps a soulful tune of Black enlightenment, and feels like a really lavish ode to the Nation of Islam.
Favorite tracks: Universal Soldier, Flux Capacitor, The Blinding
3. In Search of Lost Time x Protoje
"The Jamaican OG delivers a sonically wise lesson on life, what it means to live in our truths and light in search of happiness and prosperity as a free spirit. This album at many times served as a soundtrack to my life, a saving grace from my own insecurities and struggles amidst a very unsettling year."
Favorite tracks: In Bloom, Deliverance, Like Royalty
4. I Shine, U Shine x RIMON
"Amsterdam-based artist RIMON delivered a sonically pleasing project shortlisted with a blend of melancholy neo-soul/R&B influenced melodies. This project evokes raw relatable emotions and centers the beauty of the imperfect for full display. With each listen the lyrics pierced my heart and filled my memory of love lost and love found."
Favorite tracks: Out Of My Way, Got My Back, Downtown
"Jah9's Note to Self, is a call to channel your divine form. Reggae has long been a genre that speaks to a higher force and existence. With the wild year we experienced, this project served as a guideline on how to battle those inner demons and live life to your fullest potential through faith."
Favorite tracks: Love Has Found I, Ma'at, New Race
"The title is self-explanatory. Duckwrth gave us all that we deserved and dropped a bomb ass feel-good record. SuperGood gave me all the contemporary neo-funk grooves I've come to love about Duckwrth. Listening to this project made it easy to tune out all the noise of 2020 and just dance my sorrows away."
Favorite tracks: Quick, Coming Closer, Super Bounce
"Brandy, now indie and seasoned in the industry, answers to no one and that's made clear with her experimental R&B sounds on B7. This project is fearless and sounds so different from previous Brandy albums, but delivers in that same angelic aesthetic and powerhouse vocals we've come to love. B7 is criminally underrated in my opinion and will stand the test of time. "
Favorite tracks: Rather Be, Borderline, Say Something
8. It Is What It Is x Thundercat
"Thundercat delivers another soothing jazzy-bassline record. This album feels cathartic, experiential in a sense, almost as if I'm listening to a score from an intergalactic movie set in some futuristic utopia. Best enjoyed with a spliff and/or glass of wine."
Favorite tracks: Black Qualls, DragonBall Durag, Unrequited Love
9. The ExPerience x Lila Iké
"This captivating debut EP from rising reggae siren Lila Iké will make anyone a believer. Her journey is compelling, spiritually guided, a modern tale of romance - the highs and lows of navigating young love. The way Lila belts out these reggae-R&B infused chunes pon ya head top is mesmerizing and sets the standard for Jamaica's new generation"
Favorite tracks: Forget Me, Where I'm Coming From, Thy Will
“‘grae’, a two part album, explores the complexities of identity. Moses Sumney never quite submits to the boundaries society aims to box us in. ‘grae’ is undefined in sound, Moses gracefully flows from one end of the artistic spectrum to another without landing anywhere too long. What I love most about listening to this album besides Mose's falsetto is the high level of self-awareness, the screams of escapism, and determination to exist in free agency. "
Favorite tracks: Cut Me, Polly, Lucky Me
“After another year with no new SZA album, discovering UMI was a godsend. Her voice has that same angelic raspiness and lyrics that sit with you long after the first listen. What sets her and this record apart is how UMI’s lyrics recognize her own faults and the faults of others in a way that is so graceful that it never comes across as self-deprecating or accusatory. Listening to Introspection, you can’t help but introspect your life the way UMI does on this album.”
Favorite tracks: Introspection, Open Up, Pretty Girl hi!
“This electropop duo’s vocalist, Tessa Cavanna, has a voice reminiscent of the late artists Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones, and with their neo-soul, 90’s inspired sound being so colorful, it’s impossible to get sick of listening to this album.”
Favorite tracks: Keep On, It Might Take a Woman, My Boy
3. Who Cares? x Abby Jasmine
“Released during the reclusive days of stay-at-home orders, Jasmine’s tracks on her sophomore album made me nostalgic for parties that were once filled with smoke, close friends, and good music. Her brutally honest lyrics, progressive production, and her overall confidence were comforting during a year of instability and empty dancefloors.”
Favorite tracks: Stay With Me, Artificial Lover, Groovy
4. Texas Sun x Khruangbin & Leon Bridges
“Two Texan artists came together and were able to use Bridge’s soulful and textured tone and the fluidity of the psychedelic-funk trio Khruangbin's sound, to create a desolate Texas landscape. Listening to the EP feels like driving with all the windows rolled down, feeling the sun’s heat on your skin.”
Favorite tracks: Texas Sun, Midnight, C-Side
5. They Call Me Disco x Ric Wilson & Terrace Martin
“In a year of so much grief, it is refreshing to hear music that sounds like it was as fun to make as it was to listen to. Wilson and Martin’s rhythmically dynamic collaboration prefaced a summer filled with social media’s fascination and nostalgia for the glittery freeness of the 70’s while still fitting into their respective genres of hip-hop and R&B.”
Favorite track: Don’t Kill the Wave, Move Like This, Chicago Bae
Dinner Party x Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper. 9th Wonder, & Kamasi Washington
"These Four legendary musicians came together and gave us an album full of beautiful vocals over smooth, jazzy, soul instrumentals."
Favorite tracks: Freeze Tag, LUV U, Love You Bad
2. Burden of Proof x Benny The Butcher
"This album feels like a vintage east coast rap album. Hit-Boy’s luxury production matched with Benny’s grimey delivery is everything a classic rap fan would ever need."
Favorite tracks: One Way Flight, Burden of Proof, War Paint
3. Sin Miedo x Kali Uchis
"I didn’t know how I would take to an album primarily in Spanish, but Kali’s intoxicating and seductive vibe still found a way to draw me in."
Favorite tracks: Telepatia, //aguardiente y limón %ᵕ‿‿ᵕ%, Quiero Sentirme Bien
4. Fuck The World x Brent Fayaiz
"Brent Faiyaz’s personality is what makes this album so great. His cool and confident approach to tracks make for a unique spin on modern R&B and it’s honestly very refreshing."
Favorite tracks: Clouded, Been Away, Let Me Know
LISTEN TO THE FULL PLAYLIST BELOW
Like this post? Support our writers by buying us a coffee
turnnoffyourmind
discoholicmusic
pixelskylines
yousharknotpass
areudirty
kaledo-art
ellievsbear
