 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Here is my Honorable Mention list— another 100 recordings of distinction,
each one worthy of your listening attention:
Behzod Abduraimov Prokofiev Sonata No. 6, Liszt, Saint-Saens Classical Music
Correo Aéreo Semillas de Inmensidad Latin American Folk Music
Ray Anderson Pocket Brass Band Sweet Chicago Suite Progressive Brass Band Music
Antibalas Antibalas Afrobeat / Funk
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet Haydn: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 4 Classical Music
The Beach Boys That's Why God Made the Radio Retro Surf Music
Black Prairie A Tear in the Eye is a Wound in the Heart Folk / Americana
Harper Blynn Busy Hands Indie Pop-Rock
Lee Brice Hard 2 Love Country
Bobby Broom Upper West Side Story Jazz
Anthony Brown & Group therAPy Anthony Brown & Group therAPy Gospel
Zac Brown Band Uncaged Country
Claire Chase Terrestre Contemporary Classical Flute Music
The Chieftains Voice of Ages World Music
Citizen Cope One Lovely Day Singer-Songwriter
Gary Clark Jr. Blak and Blue R&B / Blues
Zac Clark Young Volcanoes Singer-Songwriter
Jon Cleary Occapella New Orleans R&B
Michael Collins British Clarinet Sonatas, Vol. 1 Classical Music
Chick Corea & Gary Burton Hot House Jazz
Dead Can Dance Anastasis World Fusion Rock
David Del Tredici Gotham Glory: Complete Piano Works Vol. 1 Contemporary Classical Music
Mac DeMarco Mac Demarco 2 Singer-Songwriter
Chano Dominguez Flamenco Sketches Jazz
Gerard Edery Edery Sings Yupanqui Argentinean Folk Music
Kurt Elling 1619 Broadway The Brill Building Project Jazz-Pop
Brian Eno Lux Ambient Music
Donald Fagen Sunken Condos Pop-Rock
Adam Fairhall The Imaginary Delta Avant-Garde Trad Jazz
Tim Fite Ain't Ain't Ain't Singer-Songwriter
Fitzwilliam String Quartet John Ramsay: String Quartets 1-4 Contemporary Classical Music
Roberta Flack Let it Be Roberta Singer-Songwriter
Jacob Garchik The Heavens: The Atheist Gospel Trombone Album Jazz / Gospel
Sara Gazarek and Triosence Where Time Stands Still Jazz
Gold Motel Gold Motel Indie Pop
Vladimir Gorbach Guitar Recital Classical Guitar
The Grascals Life Finds a Way Bluegrass
Benjamin Grosvenor Chopin / Liszt / Ravel Classical Music
Joel Harrison Search Jazz
Fred Hersch Alive at the Vanguard Jazz
Hilliard Ensemble Carlo Gesualdo: Quinto Libro Di Madrigali Early Music
Susanna Hoffs Someday Pop
Italian Surf Academy American Dream Pop Instrumental
Joe Jackson The Duke Jazz-inflected Pop
Stevie Jackson (I Can't Get No) Singer-Songwriter
Benedikt Jahnel Equilibrium Jazz
Marc Johnson / Eliane Elias Swept Away Jazz
Kim Kashkashian Kurtág, Ligeti: Music For Viola Classical Music
Masabumi Kikuchi Sunrise Jazz
Michael Kiwanuka Home Again Soul
Garth Knox Saltarello Classical Music
Habib Koité & Eric Bibb Brothers in Bamako Folk / World Music
Lee Konitz / Bill Frisell Enfants Terribles Jazz
Sonny Landreth Elemental Journey Electric Blues
Paco de Lucía En Vivo - Conciertos Live In Spain 2010 Flamenco
Johnny Mastro and the Mama's Boys Luke's Dream Electric Blues
Kathy Mattea Calling Me Home Country
John McCabe Rainforest 1 & 2 Contemporary Classical Music
Elizabeth Mitchell Blue Clouds Children's Music
Mobtown Modern Big Band The Re-(w)Rite of Spring Jazz
José Luis Montón Solo Guitarra Flamenco
Maria Muldaur …First Came Memphis Minnie Blues
Netherlands Symphony Orchestra Julius Röntgen: Symphonies 5,6 & 19 Classical Music
O'Brien Party of 7 Reincarnation: The Songs of Roger Miller Retro Pop Music
Annalisa Pappano Renaissance Treble Viola Da Gamba Divisions With Lute Renaissance Music
Arvo Pärt Creator Spiritus Contemporary Classical
Phantasm William Lawes: Consorts to the Organ Early Music
John Pizzarelli Double Exposure Jazz-Pop
Jorge Luis Prats Live In Zaragoza Classical Music
Einojuhani Rautavaara Modificata / Incantations Contemporary Classical Music
Carol Saboya Belezas Brazilian Jazz
Lionel Sainsbury & John Foulds Cello Concertos Classical Music
Jenny Scheinman Mischief & Mayhem Jazz
Pete Seeger The Complete Bowdoin College Concert, 1960 Folk
Anoushka Shankar Ravi Shankar Symphony Classical / World Music Fusion
Chris Smither Hundred Dollar Valentine Folk / Roots
Carmen Souza London Acoustic Set Cape Verdean Folk-Pop
Bobo Stenson Indicum Jazz
Paul Stewart Nikolai Medtner: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1 Classical Music
John Surman Saltash Bells Jazz
Esbjörn Svensson Trio 301 Jazz
The Tallest Man on Earth There's No Leaving Now The Swedish Bob Dylan
The Tallis Scholars Jean Mouton: Missa Dictes Moy Toutes Voz Pensées Early Music
Hilary Tann Here, The Cliffs Contemporary Classical Music
Ebo Taylor Appia Kwa Bridge Ghanaian Highlife
Tedeschi Trucks Band Everybody's Talkin' Electric Blues
Los Texmaniacs Texas Towns & Tex-Mex Sounds Tex-Mex
Tin Hat Trio The Rain is a Handsome Animal Progressive Chamber Music
Sofia Tosello Tangolandó Afro-Peruvian / Tango Fusion
Ryan Truesdell Centennial: Newly Discovered Works Of Gil Evans Jazz
Elle Varner Perfectly Imperfect R&B / Hip-Hop
Rhonda Vincent Sunday Morning Singin' Live Bluegrass-Country-Gospel
The Wallflowers Glad All Over Rock
Jack White Blunderbuss Rock
Pharez Whitted For the People Jazz
John Williams Soundtrack from Lincoln Soundtrack
Cassandra Wilson Another Country Jazz
Wu Man Music of Central Asia, Vol. 10: Borderlands Traditional Asian Music
Zieti Zemelewa Afrobeat
Mati Zundel Amazonico Gravitante Argentinian Rock
| Follow Ted Gioia on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tedgioia |
BACKGROUND
As some of you will recall, my list
of the 100 best CDs from last year
generated lots of commentary and
even unexpected controversy. In
the aftermath, a number of people
wrote about the list and offered
speculation and opinions about
my music listening habits. So let
me start this year’s list by sharing
some background info on how the
list is constructed.
How much music do I listen to?
This year—for the first time in my
life—I actually kept a tally, so I
could answer this question. Thus I
can state with scrupulous accuracy
that I listened to more than 800 new
CDs released during 2012. (The
exact number was 817.)
What styles of music do I include
in my listening? I listen to
everything—from doo-wop to K-pop,
from bebop to (yes) hip-hop. I
especially like to hear music that is
fresh and different, so this forces me
to go beyond the major commercial
categories.
Why do I compile this list? Like
any music lover, I enjoy sharing my
favorite music with others. But in
the last few years, a different
motivation has spurred me. I believe
that the system of music discovery
is broken in the current day. There
is more music recorded than ever
before, but it is almost impossible
for listeners to find the best new
recordings. The most creative
work in music is increasingly found
on self-produced projects and
releases from small indie labels—
to an extent hardly conceivable only
a decade ago. Very little of this
music ever shows up on the radio,
where formats seem to get narrower
and narrower with each passing
year. Music fans once heard good
new music at indie record stores,
but most of them have closed. Or
they could read reviews in the
newspaper, but both the news-
papers and the music reviews are
shrinking or disappearing. And the
big record labels are the worst
culprits of all, picking acts for their
looks or their potential appeal to
fourteen-year-olds, or some other
egregious reason, and in general
jumping on the most trivial passing
fads. On the other hand, the Internet
presents an almost infinite amount of
music and music commentary—yet
where do fans even begin to
separate the good from the bad
and ugly? My personal solution to
this dilemma has been to listen to
lots and lots of music, and try to
identify recordings of quality and
distinction. I share my list because I
know, from past experience, that
many other listeners are frustrated
with the broken system of music
discovery, and are also looking for
good new music.
What criteria do I apply? I have
no axe to grind. My list is filled with
music I enjoy, and suspect others
will too—especially if they have a
reasonably good ear, and an open
mind. I like recordings that show
some flair and creativity, a sense
of style, solid musicianship, and an
emotional commitment to the
moment of performance. I
appreciate it when an artist
possesses a sense of musical
tradition; on the other hand, I don’t
want to see slavish imitation of the
past. When music strikes me as too
formulaic or contrived or cold, I start
to lose interest. Like any critic, I
want my readers to think that I am
cool and hip and oh-so-up-to-date,
but I learned some time ago that
many of the best recordings are
decidedly uncool and unhip. So if
you want to laugh at me for including
an American Idol contestant in my
top 100, or making some other
dorky move, feel free to do so.
In other words, I am not putting up a
list to pick a fight or start a Twitter
flame war. I like these recordings,
and want to share them with others.
Give a few of them a chance, and
you might be surprised to learn that
good music is still flourishing—
although often in some out of the
way places. Happy listening!
As some of you will recall, my list
of the 100 best CDs from last year
generated lots of commentary and
even unexpected controversy. In
the aftermath, a number of people
wrote about the list and offered
speculation and opinions about
my music listening habits. So let
me start this year’s list by sharing
some background info on how the
list is constructed.
How much music do I listen to?
This year—for the first time in my
life—I actually kept a tally, so I
could answer this question. Thus I
can state with scrupulous accuracy
that I listened to more than 800 new
CDs released during 2012. (The
exact number was 817.)
What styles of music do I include
in my listening? I listen to
everything—from doo-wop to K-pop,
from bebop to (yes) hip-hop. I
especially like to hear music that is
fresh and different, so this forces me
to go beyond the major commercial
categories.
Why do I compile this list? Like
any music lover, I enjoy sharing my
favorite music with others. But in
the last few years, a different
motivation has spurred me. I believe
that the system of music discovery
is broken in the current day. There
is more music recorded than ever
before, but it is almost impossible
for listeners to find the best new
recordings. The most creative
work in music is increasingly found
on self-produced projects and
releases from small indie labels—
to an extent hardly conceivable only
a decade ago. Very little of this
music ever shows up on the radio,
where formats seem to get narrower
and narrower with each passing
year. Music fans once heard good
new music at indie record stores,
but most of them have closed. Or
they could read reviews in the
newspaper, but both the news-
papers and the music reviews are
shrinking or disappearing. And the
big record labels are the worst
culprits of all, picking acts for their
looks or their potential appeal to
fourteen-year-olds, or some other
egregious reason, and in general
jumping on the most trivial passing
fads. On the other hand, the Internet
presents an almost infinite amount of
music and music commentary—yet
where do fans even begin to
separate the good from the bad
and ugly? My personal solution to
this dilemma has been to listen to
lots and lots of music, and try to
identify recordings of quality and
distinction. I share my list because I
know, from past experience, that
many other listeners are frustrated
with the broken system of music
discovery, and are also looking for
good new music.
What criteria do I apply? I have
no axe to grind. My list is filled with
music I enjoy, and suspect others
will too—especially if they have a
reasonably good ear, and an open
mind. I like recordings that show
some flair and creativity, a sense
of style, solid musicianship, and an
emotional commitment to the
moment of performance. I
appreciate it when an artist
possesses a sense of musical
tradition; on the other hand, I don’t
want to see slavish imitation of the
past. When music strikes me as too
formulaic or contrived or cold, I start
to lose interest. Like any critic, I
want my readers to think that I am
cool and hip and oh-so-up-to-date,
but I learned some time ago that
many of the best recordings are
decidedly uncool and unhip. So if
you want to laugh at me for including
an American Idol contestant in my
top 100, or making some other
dorky move, feel free to do so.
In other words, I am not putting up a
list to pick a fight or start a Twitter
flame war. I like these recordings,
and want to share them with others.
Give a few of them a chance, and
you might be surprised to learn that
good music is still flourishing—
although often in some out of the
way places. Happy listening!
The 100 Best Albums of 2012 (all styles, all genres)
As selected by Ted Gioia
Below are my picks for the 100 best albums of 2012, as well
as another 100 'honorable mention' selections. Happy listening!
As selected by Ted Gioia
Below are my picks for the 100 best albums of 2012, as well
as another 100 'honorable mention' selections. Happy listening!
1
The Garden Of Love: Songs Of William Blake
Americana / Britannia Fusion
2
Arianna Savall / Petter Udland Johansen
Hirundo Maris
Classical-World-Early Music Fusion
3
Otis Taylor
Contraband
Blues
4
Jan Garbarek, Egberto Gismonti & Charlie Haden
Magico: Carta de Amor
Jazz
5
Debashish Bhattacharya
Live in Calcutta
Indian Slide Guitar
6
Nico Gori & Fred Hersch
Da Vinci
Piano-Clarinet Jazz Duets
7
Ray Wylie Hubbard
The Grifter's Hymnal
Country / Roots Music
8
Mickey Hart
Mysterium Tremendum
World Music / Rock
9
Ahmad Jamal
Blue Moon
Jazz
10
Roomful of Teeth
Roomful of Teeth
Progressive Vocal Polyphony
11
SoloDuo (Matteo Mela & Lorenzo Micheli)
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: The Well-Tempered Guitars
Modern Classical Guitar
12
Almost Charlie
Tomorrow's Yesterday
Beatles-ish Pop-Rock
13
Max Richter
Recomposed: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons
Classical Mashup
14
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Almost Always Never
Blues-Rock
15
Keith Jarrett
Sleeper: Tokyo, April 16, 1979
Jazz
16
Michael Mizrahi
The Bright Motion
Contemporary Piano Music
17
Jazz Punks
Smashups
Jazz Mashups
18
Steven Wright-Mark
My Plastic World
Rock
19
Zita Swoon
Wait for Me
Blues-Rock-West African Fusion
20
David Byrne & St. Vincent
Love This Giant
Singer-Songwriters
21
Turnpike Troubadours
Goodbye Normal Street
Country
22
The Bad Plus
Made Possible
Jazz
23
Anthony Ritchie
A Bugle Will Do
Contemporary Classical Music
24
Kenny Werner
Me, Myself and I
Jazz
25
Cody ChesnuTT
Landing on a Hundred
R&B
26
Good Old War
Come Back as Rain
Indie Folk
27
Chick Corea
The Continents
Jazz
28
Evan Ziporyn
Big Grenadilla / Mumbai
Contemporary Classical Music
29
Nik Bärtsch's Ronin
Live
Minimalist-Funk Jazz
30
Romain Collin
The Calling
Jazz
31
Ewan McLennan
The Last Bird to Sing
Scottish Folk Music
32
Léo Gandelman
Vip Vop
Brazilian Jazz
33
Lisa Smirnova
Handel: Die Acht Grossen Suiten
Classical Music
34
Michael Occhipinti
The Universe of John Lennon
Jazz
35
Sasha Grynyuk
Gould / Gulda
Modern Piano Music
36
Brad Mehldau
Where Do You Start?
Jazz
37
Anat Cohen
Claroscuro
Jazz
38
Conspirare
Samuel Barber: An American Romantic
Classical Music
39
Eric Reed
The Baddest Monk
Jazz
40
Elina Duni
Matanë Malit
Jazz-Balkan Fusion
41
Kelly Joe Phelps
Brother Sinner & The Whale
Blues / Folk
42
Casey Abrams
Casey Abrams
Jazz-Pop
43
The American Scene
Safe for Now
Indie Rock
44
Ronn Yedidia
Impromptu, Nocturne and World Dance
Modern Clarinet Music
45
Pat Metheny
Unity Band
Jazz
46
Emily Portman
Hatchling
British Folk Music
47
Frank Kimbrough
Live at Kitano
Jazz
48
Ian Boddy & Erik Wøllo
Frontiers
Ambient Music
49
Wolfgang Rihm
Astralis
Contemporary Choral Music
50
Punch Brothers
Who's Feeling Young Now?
Progressive bluegrass
51
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Star of Jupiter
Jazz
52
William Brittelle
Loving the Chambered Nautilus
Modern Electro-Acoustic Music
53
Erik Jekabson
Anti-Mass
Jazz
54
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Area 52
World Music
55
Denny Zeitlin
Wherever You Are
Jazz
56
Alan Hovhaness
From The Ends Of The Earth
Modern Choral Music
57
Justin Townes Earle
Nothing's Going to Change The Way You Feel About Me Now
Americana / Country / Pop
58
Michael Hearst
Songs for Unusual Creatures
Neo-Circus Music
59
Jonny Greenwood
Soundtrack from The Master
Soundtrack
60
Icebreaker with BJ Cole
Brian Eno: Apollo
Ambient Music
61
Barry Douglas
Brahms: Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 1
Classical Music
62
Nikki Iles
Hush
Jazz
63
The Shins
Port of Morrow
Indie Rock
64
Dennis Stroughmatt
La Belle Blondine
Cajun / Zydeco
65
David Greilsammer
Baroque Conversations
Classical Music
66
Take 6
One
A Cappella / Gospel
67
Bang on a Can
Big Beautiful Dark and Scary
Contemporary Classical Music
68
Jason Mraz
Love is a Four-Letter Word
Singer-Songwriter
69
Bernard Hoffer
MacNeil / Lehrer Variations
Contemporary Classical Music
70
John Abercrombie
Within a Song
Jazz
71
Jean-Pierre Chassé
Pilgrim of the Strings
Jazz-Classical Guitar
72
Curumin
Arrocha
Brazilian Samba-Funk-Hip-Hop
73
Vijay Iyer
Accelerando
Jazz
74
Keller Williams with The Travelin McCourys
Pick
Country-Bluegrass
75
John Mayer
Born and Raised
Singer-Songwriter
76
Stephane Wrembel
Origins
Jazz
77
Galactic
Carnivale Electricos
New Orleans Funk
78
The Troubles
The Troubles
New Zealand Jazz
79
Eyvind Kang
The Narrow Garden
Classical-World Music
80
Chick Corea
Further Explorations
Jazz
81
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
Radio Salone
African Music
82
Caramelo
Ride
Flamenco Funk
83
Jóhann Jóhannsson
Soundtrack from Copenhagen Dreams
Soundtrack
84
David Maslanka
Liberation
Contemporary Classical Music for Alto Sax
85
Band of Horses
Mirage Rock
Rock
86
Sam Rivers / Dave Holland / Barry Altschul
Reunion: Live in New York
Jazz
87
Thomas Newman
Soundtrack from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Soundtrack
88
Gloriana
A Thousand Miles Left Behind
Country
89
Alamaailman Vasarat
Valta
Finnish Klezmer
90
The Offspring
Days Go By
Rock
91
Omer Avital
Suite of the East
Jazz
92
Gaelic Storm
Chicken Boxer
Celtic Rock
93
Carole King
The Legendary Demos
Singer-Songwriter
94
Ruthie Foster
Let it Burn
Soul-Blues-Gospel
95
Lawrence Ball
Method Music
Contemporary Classical Music
96
Susanna Wallumrød & Giovanna Pessi
If Grief Could Wait
Jazz Art Songs
97
Caetano Veloso and David Byrne
Live At Carnegie Hall
World Music
98
Fergus & Geronimo
Funky Was the State of Affairs
Zappa-esque Rock
99
The Vespers
The Fourth Wall
Indie Folk Music
100
Dario Marianelli
Soundtrack from Anna Karenina
Soundtrack
The Garden Of Love: Songs Of William Blake
Americana / Britannia Fusion
2
Arianna Savall / Petter Udland Johansen
Hirundo Maris
Classical-World-Early Music Fusion
3
Otis Taylor
Contraband
Blues
4
Jan Garbarek, Egberto Gismonti & Charlie Haden
Magico: Carta de Amor
Jazz
5
Debashish Bhattacharya
Live in Calcutta
Indian Slide Guitar
6
Nico Gori & Fred Hersch
Da Vinci
Piano-Clarinet Jazz Duets
7
Ray Wylie Hubbard
The Grifter's Hymnal
Country / Roots Music
8
Mickey Hart
Mysterium Tremendum
World Music / Rock
9
Ahmad Jamal
Blue Moon
Jazz
10
Roomful of Teeth
Roomful of Teeth
Progressive Vocal Polyphony
11
SoloDuo (Matteo Mela & Lorenzo Micheli)
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: The Well-Tempered Guitars
Modern Classical Guitar
12
Almost Charlie
Tomorrow's Yesterday
Beatles-ish Pop-Rock
13
Max Richter
Recomposed: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons
Classical Mashup
14
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Almost Always Never
Blues-Rock
15
Keith Jarrett
Sleeper: Tokyo, April 16, 1979
Jazz
16
Michael Mizrahi
The Bright Motion
Contemporary Piano Music
17
Jazz Punks
Smashups
Jazz Mashups
18
Steven Wright-Mark
My Plastic World
Rock
19
Zita Swoon
Wait for Me
Blues-Rock-West African Fusion
20
David Byrne & St. Vincent
Love This Giant
Singer-Songwriters
21
Turnpike Troubadours
Goodbye Normal Street
Country
22
The Bad Plus
Made Possible
Jazz
23
Anthony Ritchie
A Bugle Will Do
Contemporary Classical Music
24
Kenny Werner
Me, Myself and I
Jazz
25
Cody ChesnuTT
Landing on a Hundred
R&B
26
Good Old War
Come Back as Rain
Indie Folk
27
Chick Corea
The Continents
Jazz
28
Evan Ziporyn
Big Grenadilla / Mumbai
Contemporary Classical Music
29
Nik Bärtsch's Ronin
Live
Minimalist-Funk Jazz
30
Romain Collin
The Calling
Jazz
31
Ewan McLennan
The Last Bird to Sing
Scottish Folk Music
32
Léo Gandelman
Vip Vop
Brazilian Jazz
33
Lisa Smirnova
Handel: Die Acht Grossen Suiten
Classical Music
34
Michael Occhipinti
The Universe of John Lennon
Jazz
35
Sasha Grynyuk
Gould / Gulda
Modern Piano Music
36
Brad Mehldau
Where Do You Start?
Jazz
37
Anat Cohen
Claroscuro
Jazz
38
Conspirare
Samuel Barber: An American Romantic
Classical Music
39
Eric Reed
The Baddest Monk
Jazz
40
Elina Duni
Matanë Malit
Jazz-Balkan Fusion
41
Kelly Joe Phelps
Brother Sinner & The Whale
Blues / Folk
42
Casey Abrams
Casey Abrams
Jazz-Pop
43
The American Scene
Safe for Now
Indie Rock
44
Ronn Yedidia
Impromptu, Nocturne and World Dance
Modern Clarinet Music
45
Pat Metheny
Unity Band
Jazz
46
Emily Portman
Hatchling
British Folk Music
47
Frank Kimbrough
Live at Kitano
Jazz
48
Ian Boddy & Erik Wøllo
Frontiers
Ambient Music
49
Wolfgang Rihm
Astralis
Contemporary Choral Music
50
Punch Brothers
Who's Feeling Young Now?
Progressive bluegrass
51
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Star of Jupiter
Jazz
52
William Brittelle
Loving the Chambered Nautilus
Modern Electro-Acoustic Music
53
Erik Jekabson
Anti-Mass
Jazz
54
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Area 52
World Music
55
Denny Zeitlin
Wherever You Are
Jazz
56
Alan Hovhaness
From The Ends Of The Earth
Modern Choral Music
57
Justin Townes Earle
Nothing's Going to Change The Way You Feel About Me Now
Americana / Country / Pop
58
Michael Hearst
Songs for Unusual Creatures
Neo-Circus Music
59
Jonny Greenwood
Soundtrack from The Master
Soundtrack
60
Icebreaker with BJ Cole
Brian Eno: Apollo
Ambient Music
61
Barry Douglas
Brahms: Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 1
Classical Music
62
Nikki Iles
Hush
Jazz
63
The Shins
Port of Morrow
Indie Rock
64
Dennis Stroughmatt
La Belle Blondine
Cajun / Zydeco
65
David Greilsammer
Baroque Conversations
Classical Music
66
Take 6
One
A Cappella / Gospel
67
Bang on a Can
Big Beautiful Dark and Scary
Contemporary Classical Music
68
Jason Mraz
Love is a Four-Letter Word
Singer-Songwriter
69
Bernard Hoffer
MacNeil / Lehrer Variations
Contemporary Classical Music
70
John Abercrombie
Within a Song
Jazz
71
Jean-Pierre Chassé
Pilgrim of the Strings
Jazz-Classical Guitar
72
Curumin
Arrocha
Brazilian Samba-Funk-Hip-Hop
73
Vijay Iyer
Accelerando
Jazz
74
Keller Williams with The Travelin McCourys
Pick
Country-Bluegrass
75
John Mayer
Born and Raised
Singer-Songwriter
76
Stephane Wrembel
Origins
Jazz
77
Galactic
Carnivale Electricos
New Orleans Funk
78
The Troubles
The Troubles
New Zealand Jazz
79
Eyvind Kang
The Narrow Garden
Classical-World Music
80
Chick Corea
Further Explorations
Jazz
81
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
Radio Salone
African Music
82
Caramelo
Ride
Flamenco Funk
83
Jóhann Jóhannsson
Soundtrack from Copenhagen Dreams
Soundtrack
84
David Maslanka
Liberation
Contemporary Classical Music for Alto Sax
85
Band of Horses
Mirage Rock
Rock
86
Sam Rivers / Dave Holland / Barry Altschul
Reunion: Live in New York
Jazz
87
Thomas Newman
Soundtrack from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Soundtrack
88
Gloriana
A Thousand Miles Left Behind
Country
89
Alamaailman Vasarat
Valta
Finnish Klezmer
90
The Offspring
Days Go By
Rock
91
Omer Avital
Suite of the East
Jazz
92
Gaelic Storm
Chicken Boxer
Celtic Rock
93
Carole King
The Legendary Demos
Singer-Songwriter
94
Ruthie Foster
Let it Burn
Soul-Blues-Gospel
95
Lawrence Ball
Method Music
Contemporary Classical Music
96
Susanna Wallumrød & Giovanna Pessi
If Grief Could Wait
Jazz Art Songs
97
Caetano Veloso and David Byrne
Live At Carnegie Hall
World Music
98
Fergus & Geronimo
Funky Was the State of Affairs
Zappa-esque Rock
99
The Vespers
The Fourth Wall
Indie Folk Music
100
Dario Marianelli
Soundtrack from Anna Karenina
Soundtrack
