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RockerZ Top 2023 VibeZ

One hundred tracks, no genre discipline, and a through-line you can feel rather than name. This is a year of listening, not a chart.

What a year of paying attention sounds like

Year-end lists usually reflect what was promoted. This one reflects what was played — which is a different and more interesting document. It moves between contemporary R&B, South African soul, neo-soul reissues, indie rock and jazz-adjacent material without signposting the transitions, because the criterion is not genre but whether a record earned its place in rotation.

The result is a set that works as a portrait of a listener as much as of a year. Records from 1995 sit next to records from last month; a Coldplay album track sits next to a Kelela deconstruction. That is honest, and it is how most people actually listen.

What to listen for

The South African contingent is the most rewarding surprise. Mpho Sebina's "Dikeledi," Amanda Black's "ndandihleli," and Shekhinah with Kyle Deutsch on "Back To The Beach" represent a soul scene that produces music of exceptional quality and receives almost no international attention. Amanda Black in particular sings in isiXhosa over contemporary production, and it is stunning.

The neo-soul foundations are here as reference points: D'Angelo's "Really Love," Jill Scott's "Gettin' In the Way," The Internet's "Hold On," The Foreign Exchange's "Shelter." These are the records the newer selections are in conversation with.

Kelela with Santa Muerte is the most experimental thing on the list — the track title includes its own BPM, which tells you the register. Snoh Aalegra's "I Want You Around" and Arin Ray's "Old School" are the smoothest.

Dre Scot's "Feelings," Kevin Ross's "Lady Love" and Naya Akanji's "Set Me On Fire" are the independent discoveries worth chasing.

Go deeper

Three follow-ups from this list. Amanda Black — her Amazulu is a superb album and an easy entry into South African soul. Kelela — Raven is one of the most formally adventurous R&B records of the decade. The Internet — Ego Death, and then each member's solo work, particularly Steve Lacy and Syd.

The broader lesson of a list like this is worth stating: the algorithm will not build you a year like this one. Playlists assembled by a person listening across scenes, decades and continents remain the only reliable way to hear music you would not otherwise have found.

A hundred tracks is roughly six hours. Worth the afternoon.

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