The Inevitable Best Of

It is that time of year when all music bloggers are contractually obliged to tell you about the music they have enjoyed in the last 12 months. So let's get it over and done with.

Gigs of the year: Elizabeth Cook and Bas Jan. Honorable mentions for Johnny Clarke, Tony Christie and the Ebony Steel Band play Kraftwerk (not all together, although that would have been even better).

Delayed gig of the year: For the third year in a row, the Abyssinians. Here's hoping it will be sixth time lucky in March 2023.

Art exhibition of the year (and contender for most eagerly anticipated album of 2023): Gina Birch.

Ten good albums from 2022 (in alphabetical order by artist):

Bas Jan - "Baby U Know"

Bonny Light Horseman - "Rolling Golden Holy"

Laure Briard - "Ne Pas Trop Rester Bleue"

Etran de L'Air - "Agadez"

King Jammy - "Destroys The Virus With Dub"

Noori & His Dorpa Band - "Beja Power!"

Erin Rae - "Lighten Up"

Pierce Turner - "Terrible Good"

Various Artists - "Adrian Sherwood Presents: Dub No Frontiers"

Derya Yildirim & Grup Şimşek - "DOST 2"

Here are just some of my favourite tracks from 2022 that aren't on any of the albums mentioned above:

"That's Okay" - Jeanines

"Saw You At The Record Shop Today" - The Red, Pinks & Purples

"Berkshires" - Ben Talmi

"Se Acabou" - João Selva

"Soul To Blessed Soul" - Swamp Dogg

"Vom Bosphorus Bis Zum Rhein" - Ozan Ata Canani & Karaba

"The Wrong Side Of History" - Regressive Left

"Golden Spoon Maroon" - Yasus Afari

 

And we'll round it all off with my favourite song of the year (well it is today anyway):