Favorite 50 Albums of the Quarter Century

(2001)

One of the most impressive debuts of the century so far. In addition to vocals and piano, she wrote and produced most of the album.

(2001)

I think of Björk's recordings more as "aural art" than mere music. Her other notable (and challenging) albums of this century included Medulla (2004), Biophilia (2011), and Vulnicura (2015).

(2002)

"My hi-fi is waiting for a new tune

My glass is waiting for some fresh ice cubes

I'm just sitting here waiting for you

To come on home and turn me on.”

The perfect album for when you’re in a quiet mood, or need help getting to a quiet mood.

(2002)

Ms. Mann has had a consistently good solo career, with other albums like 2000's Bachelor No. 2 or, The Last Remains of the Dodo and 2017's Mental Illness.

(2002)

”Lost track of how far I've gone

How far I've gone, how high I've climbed

On my back's a sixty pound stone

On my shoulder, a half-mile line…”

This was Bruce’s comeback and reunion with the E Street Band, after laying low for most of the 90s. As the story goes, shortly after 9/11 a driver spotted Bruce and called to him out the window, “We need you now.” Bruce answered the call with this 9/11-themed album. I will never forgive the Grammys for giving the Album of the Year award to Come Away With Me (as good as that album was) instead of this.

(2004)

This sounds like an undiscovered classic soul album from the early 70s…with no skips!

(2005)

Sara Tavares is my favorite musical discovery of this century. She’s based in Portugal, but her ancestry is from the island nation of Cape Verde, and her music reflects that mixed heritage.

The love and joy in her voice transcends any language barrier. Her upbeat songs will lift your soul, and her ballads will soothe it.

(2005)

I’ve been so glad to see her slow, steady climb to stardom. I discovered her with her second album, 2007’s The Story, and went back to find that her debut was just as good.

(2005)

This is chant music and the songs are Sanskrit mantras. But you don't need to be into meditation, yoga, or eastern mysticism to let her music put you into a relaxed and peaceful state. Her voice is heavenly and the production is exquisite. Her other worthwhile albums are Love Is Space (2000) and Embrace (2002).

(2006)

Sure, they could have trimmed this down to a single CD, but you gotta hand it to them for being so prolific. Same with 2002’s By The Way which was a single album with 16 songs clocking in at 68 minutes.

(2006)

”Bona fide is the old deal

Fake is the new real.”

It’s impossible to categorize this genre-hopping album, but the thing holding it all together is Smith's powerful and soulful voice. The arrangements are packed with quirky interludes and unexpected twists and turns. It's a shame her career never went anywhere after this impressive debut. It's probably because they didn't know how to market her, since she wouldn't fit in a box.

(2007)

The most unlikely pairing since Bowie and Crosby. Their voices blend perfectly on this excellent album of obscure covers produced by T-Bone Burnett.

(2007)

She's from Uzbekistan and has worked with Peter Gabriel. Wonderful voice.

(2007)

Moody and atmospheric, with Bjorkesque vocals.

(2007)

From AllMusic: "Global Jazz, Worldbeat, Acappella, African Traditions, Afro-Pop, International Fusion, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock"

Her 2008 follow-up, ReCreation was also good and even more challenging.

(2008)

I discovered this album after hearing a track on the UnderCurrents radio program (www.undercurrentsradio.net) and then listening to the rest of the album on Spotify. The app’s "related artists" feature led me on a journey of discovery of other modern Latin and World artists, most notably Sara Tavares. This album has modern takes on genres such as samba, bossa nova, jazz, and reggae, combining traditional acoustic instrumentation and percussion with spacy state-of-the-art (for 2008) production and effects.

(2008)

This debut was so promising; too bad her follow-ups weren't any good!

(2008)

Yes, THAT Al Green. A perfect comeback record that retains his classic sound.

(2008)

From AllMusic.com: "She has fashioned a new sound from the tenets of Malian folk forms with her unique blend of guitars (electric and acoustic), n'gouni, classical harp, and kora, all layered in staggered rhythms with snares, a full drum kit, and percussion...The taut weave of instruments above the rhythms creating an intoxicating tapestry of root sounds that somehow transcend their basic tonalities and become something new... There isn't a weak moment on Tchamantché...Highly recommended."

(2008)

Lizz Wright, with her smooth contralto, is the best jazz/blues/soul vocalist of the century who you've never heard of.

(2009)

Smooth, silky, sensual jazz/pop with African influences.

(2009)

If there was one unknown artist I could recommend the most highly, it would be Sara Tavares. After discovering these two albums I wanted to hear more, but as late as 2017 I was disappointed that she hadn’t released any new music. It turns out that the reason for her lack of output was that she was battling a brain tumor, which she finally succumbed to in 2023. She has now joined the ranks of artists whose flame burned bright for much too short of a time. My hope is that perhaps now her music might be finally discovered by the English-speaking world.

(2010)

It's impossible to pick a single representative song from this album. She spans more genres and styles on a single album than anyone since Queen or (dare I say?) the Beatles!

(2010)

This album is a whole lot of fun, until you get to the devastating "I'm In Here."

(2010)

The "Put Your Records On" singer came out with this surprisingly eclectic album that includes a few solid rock 'n roll tracks.

(2011)

"When the thunder calls for me

Next time, I'll be braver

I'll be my own savior

Standing on my own two feet..."

The great songs just keep coming one after another. THIS is the Adele album that deserved its Album of the Year Grammy, not the one before or after!

(2011)

This album was even more rocking and more fun than their 2010 breakthrough Brothers.

(2011)

You don't need to understand Portuguese to enjoy these 70 minutes of danceable Latin funk.

(2011)

"Two tours served never once has he cried

The same can't be said for his brand new bride

Bills pile up with no hand to hold

It takes a lot of lovin' comin' out of the cold."

An acoustic-based, understated singer-songwriter with a soulful voice, Amos Lee is like a 21st century James Taylor, but even Sweet Baby James himself never released an album with nine solid back-to-back tracks like this one.

(2012)

Hard to categorize, but AllMusic.com calls him "a jazz singer for the hip-hop generation who combines many passions into a unique brand of vocal jazz." His 2014 follow-up While You Were Sleeping was also excellent and even more eclectic.

(2014)

When this album came out I saw them at the 700-person Westcott Theater in Syracuse. Last year they played Madison Square Garden. I was glad to see them find their audience without the help of any hit singles.

(2014)

Jazz/pop chanteuse Somi wrote this concept album about her time in Nigeria, supplementing her American band with African guest musicians to create what she calls "New African jazz."

(2014)

This album felt like a follow up / continuation / improvement upon his 2002 album Sea Change. It's as mellow as your favorite early-70s singer-songwriter, but as spacy as Dark Side of the Moon. This was the album Kanye said didn't deserve its Grammy, but later recanted after actually listening to it.

(2015)

Prog Rock for the 21st century. This concept album was inspired by the news story of the 38-year-old London woman who died alone in her apartment and wasn't noticed for over two years. It's being adapted into a stage production.

(2015)

”How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a

Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten

spot in the Caribbean by providence,

impoverished, in squalor,

grow up to be a hero and a scholar?”

Here's what I posted on Facebook after first listening to it in November 2015. I maintain that the cast album stands as classic on its own, without even needing to see the stage show.

"Listened to the soundtrack to Hamilton from start to finish on our drive to Boston yesterday, all 2.5 hours of it. Believe the hype. Believe the superlatives. IT'S THAT GOOD...It's so dense, so ambitious, so audacious, but it WORKS. I've never liked rap, or even most hip-hop, but it all works. I was only able to follow a fraction of the story, the words, the references, etc. so it is definitely a work that requires repeated listenings to fully digest. I say 'listenings' because tickets to see the show will be unobtainable for years to come."

(2015)

An amazing debut by the best male vocalist of the century so far.

(2015)

An impressive debut (featuring "Rise Up") but with so many other projects (such as portraying Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday) we had to wait nine years for her next proper album.

(2016)

John Paul White is a singer-songwriter who was half of the Americana duo called The Civil Wars, but he more than holds his own here.

(2016)

"I break chains all by myself

Won't let my freedom rot in hell

Hey! I'ma keep running

'Cause a winner don't quit on themselves!"

Beyoncé took the awful experience of being cheated on, channeled that pain into art, and created a concept album that was the most acclaimed of her career. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons!

(2019)

Possibly THE most impressive debut of the century so far. To think that she and brother Phineas crafted this in their own home studio.

(2019)

Memphis soul, funk, and R&B played by real musicians on actual instruments, and sung with SOUL.

Their 2021 follow-up album Be The Love You Want was also excellent. This band is also great live.

(2019)

Produced by the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, this album doesn't sound anything like them. Many of the songs are country flavored, but others sound like 60s pop from fellow British songstresses Petula Clark or Lulu.

(2019)

Finally, a guitar hero for the 21st century. When this album was getting hyped I assumed it would consist of incessant guitar solos, but I was glad to be wrong. There's plenty of great guitar work but only in service to the songs themselves. It has 17 tracks and delivers an hour and 12 minutes of solid blues-based gimmick-free ROCK (along with R&B, reggae, and other influences thrown in). An unexpected keeper of the rock flame in the 2020s.

(2021)

The pressure was on for Billie and Phineas to follow up their impressive debut, but they did not disappoint.

(2022)

”I've just one more song to sing

One more story to tell…”

Yes, this is the same duo that had all those hits in the mid-80s. This was their first album in 18 years, after having been in development for ten. But this is no exercise in mere nostalgia: it has ten solid songs, the production is state-of-the-art without being trendy or gimmicky, and their voices are still in fantastic shape. This is worth checking out whether you liked their 80s hits or not.

(2023)

After waiting 21 years for a new Peter Gabriel album, it was glorious to hear That Voice Again!

(2023)

Beautiful harmonies as only siblings can produce. The strength of their music relies on the melodies and harmonies, not on the production.

(2024)

While this album just HAD to win the Album of the Year Grammy to make up for the award being denied to Lemonade, this album also deserved it!

(2024)

Classic soul with a modern sheen. A solid album with no skips (well, except the last three minutes!) In a more just world she would be much bigger than she is.

(2024)

Her earlier albums would definitely fall in the Country category, but on this she's perfectly comfortable with Americana, Blues, and ballads, like Bonnie Raitt or the Tedeschi-Trucks Band.