Here is a list of my top 10 albums from 2021 along with my favorite albums from December, featuring Bear Garden, Greg Cypher & Def Dee, Theon Cross + more 🔈
Not sure if this list is for you? My musical tastes vary widely, but you’ll generally always find hip-hop, jazz, funk, or a blend of each in the selections along with the occasional country, rock, and reggae album. I’m always looking for new (and old) music so any recommendations are welcome!
Want more? Check out my other favorite music posts.
Also, you can find a playlist of tracks that I love on my Right About Now playlist. 🎧
Top 10 albums of 2021
Seeing how it is also the end of the year, here are my ten Top Albums from 2021. It is really hard to narrow a list down to just ten, but if I had to choose, these are it.
- Skyzoo – All the Brilliant Things
- Madlib – Sound Ancestors
- Damu the Fudgemunk – Conversation Peace
- El Michaels & Liam Bailey – Ekundayo Inversions
- Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders – Promises
- BADBADNOTGOOD – Talk Memory
- Jungle – Loving in Stereo
- UNKLE – Rōnin I
- Jarv Dee & Bad Colours – Blakhouse
- Tune Yards – sketchy.
There are too many honorable mentions to list but you can see those on best music of 2021 if you want more! Now, on to my favorites from December…
Bear Garden
Sunshine Fruit
Such a great album and my favorite find this month. Feels bright and sunny, just like the name implies. This providing some good energy for the dark mornings of winter.
Greg Cypher & Def Dee
Third Stone
A hip-hop gem from a couple of Seattle-based artists. The mix of jazzy tribal beats and rhymes brings to mind a new Slum Village. Fantastic.
Benny Sings
Beat Tape II
Benny Sings was featured in my favorites of May list for his album Music (one of my faves of 2021) and this album of instrumentals, hip-hop, and R&B is a beaut. Uplifting!
Theon Cross
Intra-I
Hard to describe, this is a hard hitting, futuristic feeling, funk explosion of an album. Theon is a tuba player and this album starts there but has no limits.
Jazz is Dead
Remixes JID010
One of my favorite series of albums over the past year is the Jazz is Dead series, and this remixes album continues the tradition beautifully. My morning chill out album of the month.
Honorable mentions ✌️
9th Wonder released Zion VI and it’s 2.5 hours long which is 22.5 hours too short IMO, he could soundtrack my entire day if I had my way! The surprise Nas album Magic was a welcome Christmas gift. The New World from Swindle was another surprise, it sounds so good played loud!
Comments welcome!