Top Ten Album Releases of The Year
Our staff picks of the best album releases of 2023, in no particular order.
Words by Danique Lorian
1. Cleo Sol - Gold is the fourth full-length studio album by British soul singer Cleo Sol, released on 29 September 2023 through Forever Living Originals. The album was announced days before its release, just like its predecessor surprise album Heaven, released two weeks prior.
Released: September 29, 20232. Amaarae - Fountain Baby is the second album by the Ghanaian-American singer Amaarae. It was released by Interscope Records on June 9, 2023. The album, released to widespread critical acclaim, was supported by three singles, "Reckless & Sweet", "Co-Star" and "Wasted Eyes".
Released: June 09, 20233. Sampha - Lahai is the second studio album by English musician Sampha, released on 20 October 2023 through Young, marking his first release in over six years. The album is named after Sampha's paternal grandfather. The album features contributions from Yaeji, Léa Sen, Sheila Maurice Grey, Ibeyi, Morgan Simpson, Yussef Dayes, Laura Groves and Kwake Bass.
Released: October 20, 20234. MIKE, Wiki, and The Alchemist - Faith Is a Rock After connecting this past November for the snack-sized One More EP, Wiki and MIKE have unleashed a full-length project, Faith Is A Rock, produced entirely by The Alchemist.
Released: September 22, 20235. James Blake - Playing Robots Into Heaven is the sixth studio album by English singer-songwriter and producer James Blake. It was released on 8 September 2023 through Republic and Polydor Records.
Released: September 08, 20236. Andre 3000 - New Blue Sun is the debut solo album by American musician André 3000. It was released by Epic Records on November 17, 2023.
Released: November 17, 20237. Daniel Caesar - Never Enough is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Caesar. It was released through Republic on April 7, 2023, two days after his 28th birthday. Production was handled by Caesar himself, Zachary Simmonds (his younger brother), Sir Dylan, Sevn Thomas, Rami, and Raphael Saadiq.
Released: April 07, 20238. Victoria Monét - Jaguar II is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Victoria Monét, released on August 25, 2023 via Lovett Music and RCA Records. The second and final installment of Monét's Jaguar series, the album was supported by three singles; "Smoke" with Lucky Daye, "Party Girls" with Buju Banton, and "On My Mama".
Released: August 25, 20239. Larry June & The Alchemist - The Great Escape is a collaborative studio album by American rapper Larry June and hip hop record producer The Alchemist. It was released on March 31, 2023, through ALC Records and Empire Distribution. Production was handled entirely by the Alchemist, with Beat Butcha serving as an additional producer on one track.
Released: March 31, 202310. Kelela - Raven is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Kelela. It was released on February 10, 2023, via Warp Records. It comes six years after the release of Kelela's debut album Take Me Apart, which was lauded by critics as one of the best albums of 2017… In a press release, Kelela said Raven began as a reaction to feeling alone as a Black femme working within dance music, and describes the album as an affirmation of that perspective.
Released: February 10, 2023Danique Lorian covers Music, Food and Travel in New York and Washington D.C. More about Danique Lorian
Dec 31, 2023
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