The Glide 20- Glide’s 20 Best Album for 2023 – Mikaela Davis, Cory Hanson, Duane Betts, Genesis Owusu, Wednesday, shame & More

Mikaela Davis photo by Wyndham-Garnett

2023 might best be remembered musically for the fact that most genre-pushing artists have still remained in the indie status quo- despite any effort. Mikaela Davis (pictured above) proved a true shapeshifter as a harpist, while Butcher Brown further enlivened the jazz converging on hip hop possibilities. Cory Hanson made the guitar album of the year while Wednesday rocked ears with a gritty indie rock full of fuzz, attitude, and loudness. We chose artists for this year year end, that don’t give a shit about mainstream status, but make music for integrity and artistry.

While Glide will soon publish separate best-ofs in Hip Hop and Jazz later in December, we narrowed down what we feel are the top 20 albums of 2023 along with 20 honorable mentions. So…in alphabetical order… here we go again!

   

Bohannons  – Night Construction

Night Construction is another stout collection of revved-up offerings as the trio continues driving forward in life with their muscle car-ready sounds as this band continues keeping it real now for 20-plus years. This one wins big with its ragged southern approach to hard rock while giving a punk middle finger to the rampantly polished Americana scene.

Butcher Brown – Solar Music

Mixing jazz and hip hop is no new concept nowadays, but this collaborative rich project brings a variety of instrumental strengths and their own music lineage genre strengths and backgrounds At 17 tracks, we find contagiously sharp danceable grooves, experience musicianship, thought-provoking rhymes, and rapid-firing lyrics that make for an expansive statement.

Cable Ties  – All Her Plans

Cable Ties use their intriguing mix of punk, rock, and post-punk dance vibes with an assured delivery throughout the powerful All Her Plans. Lead vocalist Jenny McKechnie offers a vocal prowess that reaches galloping heights while roaring guitars and snappy drum patterns make these biting sing-along anthems memorable.

Cory Hanson – Western Cum

The name alone of this album wins prizes, however, this electric guitar-dominated album from the frontman of Wand proves its mighty worth. If Neil Young heard this, he’d easily make Hanson a member of Crazy Horse. This ragged bunch of songs burns with a psychedelic underbelly and is pure ‘70s bringing a jean jacket workmanlike ethos.

Duane Betts – Wild & Precious Life

While Billy Strings and Derek Trucks are filing arenas, Duane Betts is a guitar hero of his own and capable vocalist, who offers soaring southern-soaked solos and vital improvisational energy. Sure there are nods to his father’s celebrated band, but Betts plays the role of bandleader with gusto making everything you could hope for in an album: rock spiked with country, blues, folk & funk; songs that evoke nature, heartache, love and contemplation. 

Gabriels  – Angels & Queens Part 2

Gabriels is able to mix southern-fried soul with tempos for modern times, a triumphant yet humble concoction that gives the album such a unique personality. With their love for lush string sections, the rolling pianos that drive songs like “Professional”, the group’s ability to seamlessly transition from one era of soul to their futuristic take on the genre, makes this part two of their debut offering a keeper.

Geese- 3D-Country

Geese seemingly reinvented themselves for these 11 tracks, diving deeper into their love of classic rock and pairing it with a twang that rings with the sentiment of advancement. The slick weirdos find a middle ground between their grandiose arrangements and a new sense of minimalism, giving these songs a solid foundation as they build the captivating narrative of 3D Country

Genesis Owusu – Struggler

Struggler is a sonic maze with turns that lead to soulful minimalism and twists that send you down distorted punk-influenced arrangements. The album finds consistency in Owusu’s lyrics that explore the current state of humanity and attempt to make sense of it all. In a fit of cascading synths and lively flows, Struggler has the artist not only attempting to understand the world around him but reimagining his already innovative style.

Jalen N’Gonda –  Come Around and Love Me

On his stunning debut album on Daptone, N’Gonda rekindles true late ’60s and early ’70s classic soul with meltingly righteous vocals and grooves. With soaring harmonies and picturesque arrangements, N’Gonda’s on-point falsetto evokes Marvin Gaye, while the unsurpassed Daptone sound sends this one off as a first-time listen jewel.


Mapache – Swinging Stars
On 14 moving tracks, the duo dips their toes in every corner of folk and emerges with something so unique and personal it’s undeniable. Swinging Stars welcomes a new era for Mapache, one that allows their individual ideas to morph into flawless folk lined with unpredictable psychedelic tendencies, where Latin flavors roll up next to Southwestern picturesque sound portraits.. 

Marty Stuart-  Altitude

With Altitude, Stuart and his band are broadening its magical intersection of cosmic country and twang, the psychedelic and the traditional, the expected and the unexpected. While the term cosmic seems broad these days, Stuart and his band of musical assassins, prove they are indeed still the source of what most of Nashville today strives to become and the newbies wish to ascertain to.

Mikaela Davis  – And Southern Star

In an act of pure artistry, the results of Mikaela Davis’ second album are nine gorgeous takes on modern folk lined with Davis’s signature harp strumming infused with twang and vulnerability. Molding harp soothing qualities with broad rock and twang strokes isn’t always comforting, but Davis unleashes a tasteful footprint into previously unheard territories.

The Murlocs  – Calm Ya Farm

While their sister band King Gizzard & The Lizard continue to pump out new albums, The Murlocs (led by Ambrose Kenny-Smith) drop a fully immersive and diverse set of songs that give us a take on Aussie psych soul with a countrified dabble. Calm Ya Farm reaches its peak as “Queen Pinky” begins with some odd sounds but moves quickly into a 70’s soul-tinged burner via, electric guitar, strings, piano.

The Pretenders – Relentless

Wisely recording Relentless with a stable corps of musicians, Chrissie Hynde reiterates her faith in the fundamental resources of a rock and roll band. And that’s in addition to her steadfast belief in the power of the music itself: her unfettered loyalty to the form not only transcends truisms but renders moot any cliches, proving she’s still the coolest out there.

Robert Finley  – Black Bayou

Some things start better late than never, but Finley takes late bloomer to another level. Dan Auerbach once again churned out some magical tunes from the bluesman to his Easy Eye Sound label with a series of catchy and captivating blues-rooted tunes with a modern alt-rock tenacity that could very well see Finley soon highlighting festival stages.

shame – Food For Worms

Food for Worms features shame’s strongest music in the pantheon of their short discography. They hit a new creative stride through the album’s dense textures and complex structure, allowing them to shape otherworldly arrangements for their evolved songwriting.  Their goal isn’t to put the world down, they’re not taking a strong stance against what’s around them, they’re simply putting their observations out into the world like the rest of us. 

Sunny War – Anarchist Gospel

Oh her debut for New West Records, Anarchist Gospel, is as impressive as it is hard to pin down for Sunny War. There are elements of roots, rock, folk, and soul blended throughout sounding a bit like everything and absolutely no one at the same time. A new form of folk punk rebel has emerged here where guitar virtuosity meets a gritty complex of emotional feedback.

Wednesday –  Rat Saw God

Asheville band’s fifth album is easily their most buzz-worthy and had many found their grinding guitars of MJ Lenderman and the magically chilling vocals and lyrics of singer Karly Hartzman. Building upon their ageless take on fuzz rock, the band brews up countrified garage rock with a cantankerous attitude that solidifies them as true indie – all guts and glory.

WITCH – Zango

Zamrock rides again on this groove-packed journey on WITCH’s first album in 40 years. Featuring two OG members, these songs dance seamlessly around potent vocals, while other tunes mix fuzz rock and funk with hip-hop thrills. Of course, one can’t tune out the mix of heavy guitar, keys, and hypnotic percussion to enable Witch to win the comeback story of 2023.

Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World

With its innate energy and some of the group’s strongest songwriting in years, This Stupid World is the band’s heaviest and most immediate album in years. Back are the chugging bass line and feedback-laden theatrics that have made the trio such a beloved staple in the indie American fabric where they continue to defy rock and pop construction norms.

20 Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)

Allison Russell – The Returner

Blur – The Ballad of Darren

Buffalo Nichols – The Fatalist

Chris Stapleton  – Higher

Cut Worms – Cut Worms

Daniel Donato – Reflector

Frankie and the Witch Fingers – Data Doom

Indigo De Souza- All Of This Will End

Lil Yachty – Let’s Start Here

Low Cut Connie  – Art Dealers

Margo Cilker – Valley of Heart’s Delight

Molly Tuttle – City of Gold

Mountain Goats – Jenny From Thebes

Pale Jay  – Bewilderment

Ratboys – The Window

Sami Stevens – Morning

Screaming Females – Desire Pathway

The Third Mind – The Third Mind 2

Wilco – Cousin

Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy

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