Here’s the ones I missed…
One of my favorite things about the end of the year is … Lists! I made my best of the year a little while ago, then read dozens of other sites’ lists, tried some more albums out, and these are the ones I missed. Some of these would have made my own list if I’d gotten to them sooner…
25. Live at the Beacon by Jason Isbell. Including this for a few reasons: (1) I was there. (2) It forms a nice bookend for my choice of AOTY–here, Isbell does those songs and some older cuts–including Outfit(!)–as a solo acoustic performance. Amazing.
24. Magic, Alive! by McKinley Dixon (jazzy rap). Everyone has this on their lists, and, yes, it’s good. Dixon’s verbal skills, humor and insight are always on point.
23. Black British Music by Jim Legxacy. Here’s another album that I found it hard to get into, but now I’m glad I did. Legxacy is called a “rapper” but this album flows effortlessly and constantly across genres, often within the same track. This is a proper album–one you want to listen to end-to-end.
22. Goldfish by Hit-Boy & The Alchemist. Two of the best producers in the game. Obviously, the beats are terrific. But surprisingly, the bars are, too.
21. Double Infinity by Big Thief. In early December, I came across an old promo zip of Adrianne Lenker’s acclaimed solo album, “Bright Future,” which for some reason I’d never opened. I checked it out and was enthralled. For sure, I’ve listened to Big Thief before but for whatever reason it didn’t grab me. Now it does. Now I have all their records. Better late than never, I suppose.
20. Kinda Famous by Kentheman. In a world dominated by Monaleo and Cardi B, Kentheman makes hard-edged sex romps that are actually REAL. Her words feel honest and she personifies the strength -through-sexuality that we heard in Lil’ Kim and Megan Thee Stallion’s earliest albums. She can also spit some fierce street rhymes, too.
19. Wild, Clear and Blue by I’m With Her. Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O’Donovan return, proving again that they form like Voltron. Terrific, thoughtful, and beautiful.
18. Still Goin The EP by MexikoDro. MexikoDro went from being on the verge of breaking big to dropping into relative obscurity, content to work behind the boards. His production is solid, gangsta-influenced rap. Each cut emphasizes the beats first, sometimes for close to a full minute before the vocal kicks in, but this EP proves he’s still got bars, too. I’m surprised at how excellent this brief album is. (He calls it an EP, but it’s definitely long enough to be considered a proper release.)
17. This Is How We Dance by Winterpills. 2025 was the first time I heard this band. I understand that the albums immediately preceding this one had led people to say that the band had kind of fallen off, but this record is great. It’s electronic, but has some very sweet and genuine warmth.
16. Anything is Possible by Your Old Droog (EP). This goes under the category of “Why the fuck didn’t you just make an album!?!” Just 7 songs, all great. See also: Droogie Otis, a 3-song EP by Droog and Madlib. Together, they make what would easily have been a top 10 album. You know who also made a bunch of great EPs but no proper album this year? Homeboy Sandman. Like Droog, he’s one of the greats and his decreased output was a bummer.
15. Every Ghost by Kelsey Waldon. Kelsey drops her best original album in a long time.
14. Saya by Saya Gray. A work of genius unlike anything else on this list.
13. Life is Beautiful by Larry June, 2 Chainz and Alchemist. The West Coast’s best-kept underground secret teams up again with a Southern superstar and an East Coast legend behind the boards. How can this go wrong? It can’t. More fun bling yacht rap from a team who are at the top of this genre. See also: Payroll Giovanni’s latest offering, If Not Me Then Who?
12. Worthy by Anderson East. Anderson is one of those singer/songwriters who have been around forever. His music is always good, but his stuff rarely sticks with me. I think Worthy may be, well, worthy of being East’s best album to date. His voice is stronger than ever, his lyrics are more thoughtful, and the country/soul sound is smooth and beautiful.
11. God Does Like Ugly by JID. My only excuse for this one is bias. I loved JID’s first few albums but since then he’s felt flat and commercial, so I didn’t give this one a chance. When several people I respect started putting it on their EOY lists, I decided to spin it and was very pleasantly surprised. Despite the star power of his features (Clipse, Vince Staples, Westside Gunn, etc.), JID shows here the playful mix of street smarts, book smarts, and genuine compassion that made his early work so unique.
10. Views of a Lifetime by Skyzoo. Skyzoo has never seemed to be able to get out of the underground, but maybe we’re all the better for it. One of the (many, many things i love about his music is that he’s grown up across all his albums, personally transforming from a street hood to an old head philosopher. Many rappers have trouble maturing, but Skyzoo is different–everything he does feels like the natural progression of a brilliant career. This is another album that would have made my main list if it had come out earlier in the year.
9. Infinite by Mobb Deep. Huh? Mobb Deep????
Yup.
This album is great. And Ghostface turns in a feature that’s better than anything he put on his own 2025 album, Supreme Clientele 2.
8. The Boy Who Played the Harp by Dave. Dave’s albums always verge on spoken word, and on this album he really leans into that–but he’s fascinating and has unparalleled verbal skills. In particular, his duet with Kano on the song Chapter 16 is the cut that pushed me to include this on my list.
7. Last Night I Heard The Dog Star Bark by Gwenifer Raymond. Fingerstyle folk instrumentals with mystical energy. I listened to this record straight through, twice, when it first came across my radar.
6. The Good The Bad The Dollar Menu by Ray Vaughn. It’s true that TDE’s latest and greatest sounds quite a bit like several who came before him, but the raw honesty and lyrical depth here are undeniable.
5. My Heart is an Outlaw by Casey Dienel. Hovering in that alt-country/folk/indie space occupied by so many female singer/songwriters Casey Dienel’s album succeeds where so many other just blur together. She adds a kind of Dusty Springfield bop to her songs, making them feel sexy and inviting without being overt. She’s classy. And she writes a damn good song.
4. These Titles Are Getting Pretty Silly + EPs by Homeboy Sandman. In addition to this mixtape, hip hop’s funniest philosopher managed to drop a bunch of features and no fewer than 4 EPs, including a team-up with Sonnyjim. Homeboy Sand continues to be one of the best to do it, ever, with one of rap’s most unique voices. Please check him out and support the artist! And guess what? You can can download it for free!
3. Cherry Valley by Carter Faith. A simply extraordinary debut that has everything I want (and usually don’t get) from a country record: Songs about lost love, faith, and drinking–all told with true wit and a voice that is both strong and unique. I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed finding this record.
2. It’s a Beautiful Place by Water From Your Eyes. I have no excuse for this one. I heard it when it first came out and it just failed to make an impact. Saw it on just about everyone else’s lists, listened to it, and for the life of me I can’t understand why I didn’t get it the first time. This album is what indie rock is all about.
1. Light-Years by Nas and DJ Premier
First of all, fuck you Nas for releasing this after my list was published. It’s nuts that Nas and Premier can put out a rap album as insanely good as this after decades in the game. This is the final and best of the Mass Appeal album series highlighting the greats of hip hop (De La Soul’s entry made my Best of ’25 list, and Mobb Deep’s Infinite is below).
Honestly, this definitely would have been on my main list had it come out sooner…And likely would have been in the top 5.
