BEST SOUL RECORD OF 2019

This year, for me it’s a tie.  And the differences between the two albums–one by a violinist the other by a blues singer–underscores that what it means to be “soul” these days is quite unclear.

Athena by Sudan Archives.  Beautiful, quiet and slow.

Jaime by Brittany Howard.  Unpredictable soul, deep and rich.  This was truly the year of the female, at least musically.

I also really liked When I Wake Up by Maverick Sabre, which seems like moody hip hop (kinda soul-like?) and Tyler’s Alt-Hip Hop album IGOR that moved in and out of the R and B realm.

Next: 2019’s Country Flavors!