Top 10 compilations & reissues of 2023

The reissue label Analog Africa Records has a slogan: "The future of music happened decades ago."  They make a good point: If you didn't hear it decades ago, it's all new to you.

 

So every year when I put together lists of my favorite recordings of the year, I save a special place for the best reissues and compilations I heard.  These albums introduce me to music I didn't hear back when they were made (in the case of compilations of current songs, music I wouldn't have heard right now either), or maybe get me deeper into music I already know a little bit about.

Unlike Ted Gioia, I'm not worried that old music is killing new music.  (According to music economist Will Page, less than 10 percent of all streamed music was produced before 2000.)  And I just devoted two whole programs earlier this month to my favorite new albums and singles of the year.  So two hours of oldies following four hours of 2023-vintage material seems like a reasonable balance to me.

 

Tune in this week (Sunday December 31, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) for two hours of my new favorite oldies: Music from 1959 forward, all of it released again (or in some cases, for the very first time) in 2023, and all of it excellent.

 

Without further ado, here are my favorite compilations and reissues of 2023:

Global A Go-Go Classico: Irie Christmas Spectacular

Breadfruit roasting on an open fire / Mongrels nipping at your toes / Dancehall songs being sung by a choir / An' we dress up in we bashment clothes

 

Yes, nothing says "Deck the halls with lots of collie" quite like two hours of Christmas songs from the Caribbean.  Reggae, ska, dancehall, calypso, soca, steelpan -- you'll hear them all on this special Christmas Day edition of Global A Go-Go: Sunday December 24, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site.

 

Bill's guest co-host is an even bigger reggae fan, Eric Walters of Wide Ear Folk (alternate Tuesdays at 5 PM on WRIR).  Together they'll be putting the pum-pum back in rum-pa-pum-pum.  Fun for the whole family, if you're that kind of family.

Top 10 new singles & EPs of 2023

I've been recapping my favorite singles and EPs of the year for each of the last five years, and there's one simple reason why I do so: We're living in a singles era today, so neglecting new releases just because they aren't full albums is musical malpractice.

 

I'm not going to rehash all the reasons why it's once again a singles era (as it was before, say, 1967).  Instead I'll just hit you with this one factoid: Among all the new recordings WRIR received from promoters, labels and artists in 2023, more than 50 percent of the ones I put on our New & Recommended list were singles or EPs.

Singles aren't just for the pop and dance music markets any more -- tune in this week (Sunday December 17, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) and hear for yourself.

 

Without further ado, here are my favorite singles and EPs of 2023:

Charts December 4-10, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 SANTROFI | Deep Into Highlife | Out Here

2 DASOM BAEK | Mirror City | Metron

3 ALOGTE OHO AND HIS SOUNDS OF JOY | O Yinne! | Philophon

4 DIEUF-DIEUL DE THIES | Dieuf-Dieul De Thies | Buda

5 DIEPKLOOF UNITED VOICES | Harmonizing Soweto: Golden City Gospel & Kasi Soul | Ostinato

6 SUPER BITON DE SEGOU | Afro Jazz Folk Collection Vol. 2 | Mieruba

7 ALPACAS COLLECTIVE | Big Words | Catalpas

8 NEGARIT BAND | Origins | Ethiosonic/Buda Musique

9 BOMBINO | Sahel | Partisan

10 EPARAPO | Take To The Streets | Wah Wah 45s

Top 10 new albums of 2023

It's the most wonderful time of the year, the time to find out who's been naughty and who's been nice.  No, I'm not talking about the holiday season; I'm talking about when everyone's Best Of The Year lists come out.

 

I'll be rolling out my own lists over the next three weeks on Global A Go-Go.  On this week's program (Sunday December 10, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) I'll present my top ten new albums of 2023 plus ten honorable mentions.

 

Next week on December 17 you'll hear my favorite singles and EPs of the departing year.  On Christmas Eve, once again it will be Global A Go-Go's Irie Christmas Spectacular: all reggae, calypso and soca Christmas songs with myself and special guest selector Eric Walters (host of Wide Ear Folk, heard alternate Tuesdays at 5 PM on WRIR) at the controls.  And then on New Year's Eve it will be selections from my favorite compilations, reissues and historic recordings of 2023.

 

Without further ado, here are my favorite new albums of 2023:

Charts Nov 27 - Dec 3, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 FERRE GOLA | Dynastie 2 Vol. 2 | Sony East Africa

2 TSHALA MUANA | Mutuashi | Stern's Africa

3 FERRE GOLA | Dynastie 2 Vol. 1 | Sony East Africa

4 KAVITA SHAH | Cape Verdean Blues | Folkalist

5 DENGUE FEVER | Ting Mong | Tuk Tuk

6 LUAMBO MAKIADI FRANCO | OK Jazz 66 Ans | Air Monde Culture

7 JB MPIANA | Balle De Match (Vol. 2) | Universal Africa

8 BLASSICS, THE | Sounding Times | Odd Funk

9 BOMBINO | Sahel | Partisan

10 STEPHEN MARLEY | Old Soul | Tuff Gong Collective/UMe/Ghetto Youths

A library has burned

In the countries that make up the former Malian empire, the death of a wise elder is often acknowledged by saying that "a library has burned."  Mamadou Sanou was merely 49 years old when he passed away on November 25 from complications of malaria, right in what seemed like the middle of a musical career that was building a new wing on the West African musical library.

 

Madou was the founder, front man, singer and chief songwriter of Baba Commandant & The Mandingo Band, who brought their unique take on Mandé cultural heritage to listeners around the world over the last eight years through a series of three albums for Sublime Frequencies Records and tours of Europe and the USA.  Their epic 2023 American tour brought the band to Richmond's Get Tight Lounge in May and back to the Richmond Folk Festival in October.  If you saw any of those shows, you know how mind-meltingly great this band could be.

This week (Sunday December 3, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) Global A Go-Go pays tribute to Baba Commandant with a two-hour special.  You'll hear his musical origins, some of the traditional and popular music that influenced him, a few of his band's peers and of course selections from those three albums that we'll always have to remember him by.