Alright let me try to not overthink this for once. I listened to way more new music in the first 2/3 of the year than the last, so that will prob be reflected here.

01. FAVORITE 2022 ALBUM

Some of the biggest contenders for my absolute favs:
* Elzhi - Zhigeist (my most played, according to stats)
* Nilufer Yanya - Painless
* Maverick Sabre - Don't Forget to Look Up
* Gerald Clayton - Bells on Sand
* Mary Halvorson - Amaryllis

02. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?

Not sure if overlooked is quite right, but Open Mike Eagle and RAP Ferreira released two of my favs of the year pretty late into 2022. The latter especially is shaping up to be one of my most played.

Tim Bernardes - Mil Coisas Invisiveis. Maybe I'm not on the right sites but I've only seen this reviewed/mentioned a handful of times and it's extraordinary, Brazilian psych-pop-folk-everything that forces you to pay attention and really doesn't let go.

I'm still riding for Elujay, CIRCMVNT in this category too.

Why didn't folks go crazy over Rome Streetz?

Moor Mother - Jazz Codes might be some of her most accessible stuff so far but it doesn't sacrifice any of her mood, spirit, or teeth. In some ways, it feels meatier than it ever has. Should have much more buzz but I've seen fairly little talk.

03. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?

Joey Bada$$ -- 2000. Apparently I'm alone in this but aside from a few moments, this felt incredibly generic. He *sounds* good over the mostly-mediocre beats but his rhymes rarely say much and lyrically were surprisingly formulaic.

Kendrick - Disappointment isn't quite the right word here but this I've literally listened to this once, tried to do it again, and just couldn't make it through. It's a slog -- and not just because it's heavy material, but because so much of it feels heavy-handed.

Cordae - lol, you forgot he even dropped this, didn't you! This felt as generic as Joey's for me, except I think they're generic for different reasons: Joey because he got lazy with his writing, Cordae because he tried so hard to rhyme "right." Hopefully he gets the right people around him for his next project because this was a snooze.

I'm surprised I haven't listened to the new Kokoroko more but I'm thinking that one is going to click with me soon and it won't leave the rotation for a month, lol.

04. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?

I'm legit surprised at how much I liked the Denzel record, and how even the tracks I didn't like at first have come around for me. It's not a flawless record by any stretch but the highs are so high. Some records feel like a time capsule, this feels like something that just *captures* a slice of youth that is hard to bottle and wrap up in a single album.

That Nilufer Yanya record scratched an itch I didn't know I had. I think I've said this elsewhere but it feels very much like a Meshell record, in the best way possible.

05. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND.

Everything from Elzhi's Zhigeist, esp. King Shit.

A lot of the best cuts from Big Thief's long-titled record: Spud Infinity, the opening cut whose name I can't remember right now, a number of others.

Ibibio Sound Machine - Protection from Evil, the first track off their awesome and somewhat overlooked album from this year

Jake Xerxes Fussell - Carriebelle ---- a lingering, lilting folk cut that is a journey in itself, feels like 10 minutes (in a good way), is actually just over three.

06. WHAT ONE PRODUCER SHINED THIS YEAR?

I'm actually struggling to name too many that had new powerful shit this year. I should come back to this. Conductor Williams *might* take this but his tags have got to go.

FWIW, Pete Rock dropped Petestrumentals 4 at the start *and* Return of the SP1200 toward the end, and both jam.

07. BEST EP PROJECT
08. BEST HIP HOP PROJECT

Honestly, this was one of the better years for hip hop in a few, imo. My top 5 (I think, probably not in order), in terms of pure listening pleasure:

Elzhi - Zhigeist
Lupe - Drill Music
JID - Forever Story
Rome Streetz - Kiss the Ring
Denzel - Melt

But as I said elsewhere, it's easy to come up with another 5 (or 15!) that I wouldn't sneeze at as a top album of the year, such as:

Black Thought - Cheat Codes
Open Mike Eagle - Tape Deck...
RAP Ferreira - 5 to the Eye with Stars
Moor Mother - Jazz Codes
Benny - Tana Talk 4

That's solid.

09. BEST JAZZ PROJECT

Aforementioned Gerald Clayton, Bells on Sand did a lot of work for me this year. Mary Halvorson's duo of releases, too, but especially Amaryllis.

Cecile Mclorin Salvant's "Ghost Song" is justifiably at the top of a lot of lists.

Avishai Cohen's The Naked Truth is a short suite that got played many times -- very much a mood, a good soundtrack for getting the day starting or playing into the late night.

Makaya McCraven's In These Times feels like it got a bit overlooked but it might be my favorite of his releases so far. It feels more shaped and intentional than some of the others (which is fine, it just really works here).

Terri Lynne Carrington's "New Standards Vol. I" also deserves way more shine.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~