Jon Pareles Personal reflections, not grand statements, filled my most memorable albums of 2023. It was a year when many of the best songs came from looking inward: at tricky relationships, at memories, at individual hopes and fears. Yet in the music, introspection led to exploration: expanding and toying with sonic possibilities, enjoying the way every note is now an infinitely flexible digital choice. For me, there was no overwhelming, year-defining album; this list could just as well be alphabetical. Instead, 2023 was a year of artists going in decidedly individual (and group) directions to grapple with their own questions, risks and rewards.
Released in December 2022, too late for last year's best-of lists, SZA's SOS ended a five-year gap between albums with a sprawling collection of 23 songs. Across all sorts of productions, her melodies blur any difference between rapping and singing, in casually acrobatic phrases full of jazzy syncopations and startling leaps. SZA sings about relationships from multiple angles: raunchy, devoted, betrayed, spiteful, injured, supercilious, insecure, regretful, sardonic, blithely murderous. And she makes her insights sound as natural as if she'd just thought of them on the spot.
Karol G turns heartache into ear candy on Manana Sera Bonito (Tomorrow Will Be Beautiful), 17 songs that work their way through a breakup to find a new start. Her voice sounds utterly guileless as she sings about lust, betrayal, revenge and healing. With an international assortment of guests, the Colombian songwriter brings pop tunefulness to reggaeton and also makes forays into rock, Dominican dembow, Afrobeats and regional Mexican music claiming an ever-expanding territory in global pop.
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