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Mike Bennett writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2016: Mike Bennett
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Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2016. Our next list is from DJ Mike Bennett. As per usual, there was more great music out in 2016 than anyone would have the time to listen to. I voraciously checked out tons of stuff, listening to roughly 180 new albums during this year. In particular, this was a tremendous year for the Chicago hip hop and R & B scene, with Chance The Rapper at the center of a marvelous musical universe that included Joey Purp, Jamila Woods, Eryn Allen Kane, Saba, Vic Mensa and others. As we transition from the Obama years to the horrors of Trump, music will serve as a balm, an escape, an agitator, and, most importantly, a motivator. I hope 2017 is brimming over with more delights. |
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#1 Lemonade by Beyoncé (Parkwood/Columbia) |
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#2 Love & Hate by Michael Kiwanuka (Polydor) |
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#3 In Search of Harperfield by Emma Pollock (Chemikal Underground) |
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#4 ★ by David Bowie (ISO/Columbia) |
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#5 Good Times! by The Monkees (Rhino) |
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#6 HEAVN by Jamila Woods (Closed Sessions) |
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#7 Night Thoughts by Suede (Suede Ltd.) |
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#8 Malibu by Anderson. Paak (Steel Wool/OBE) |
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#9 Upland Stories by Robbie Fulks (Bloodshot) |
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#10 Emily's D+Evolution by Esperanza Spalding (Concord) |
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The next 10 albums: |
She has been a superstar for so long, and, due to her ubiquity, I had never bothered to check out anything beyond the hits. Watching the HBO longform video of Lemonade made me realize what a mistake I had made not delving more deeply. In a year that brought us the death of David Bowie and Prince, this is the album we needed -- one of the biggest stars in music making a definitive statement. What is striking about this album is how Beyoncé takes any style she feels like to match the thoughts and feelings she is trying to express. Whether it’s chilly modern electro-soul, rock, or Americana, among other styles, she takes it and makes it hers, making her message(s) all the more powerful.
I loved Kiwanuka’s debut album, but seeing him live, it was clear that there was a lot teeming under the surface of his retro soul-folk-rock. This album picks up on that, and manages to be more sweeping and epic, yet also more direct and personal. Working with Danger Mouse and Paul Butler, Kiwanuka continues updating ‘70s music tropes, but with greater purpose, putting his expressive voice to work and showing his guitar playing is just as impressive.
The third solo album from this former member of the Delgados provides the same stately pop pleasures of her best material of her former band. Pollock is an authoritative vocalist and the tunes are state-of-the-art indie rock and chamber pop, with really smart lyrics. An overlooked gem.
Bowie’s passing immediately after the album’s release could have overwhelmed the listening experience. But it merely provided context. Not enough can be said about Bowie’s brilliant decision to hire top flight jazz musicians to give this record a specific feel. It’s still Bowie, but with a slightly different vibe, and it’s particularly effective on the longer tracks. Bowie really got in touch with his muse on his final two albums, and this release ranks with his best.
The advance buzz on this record sounded too good to be true. But this album shows that getting top drawer songs from any and all sources and having three terrific singers show they’ve still got it is still a pretty unbeatable formula. Producer Adam Schlesinger seamlessly blends old recordings and new ones, the outside songwriting contributions from contemporary writers are uniformly wonderful (with special kudos to Andy Partridge for the hyper-catchy “You Bring the Summer” and Ben Gibbard for the hauntingly beautiful “Me and Magdelena”), and every Monkee shines, especially Micky Dolenz, one of the greatest lead singers in rock history.
Woods comes off like a younger cousin of Erykah Badu on this excellent debut full length. The concise songs are spare, but not too spare, and an excellent platform for Woods’ evocative vocals and smart, incisive lyrics. Woods does a great job making statements that never devolve into dogma or standard polemic. There is a warmth to this record that was sorely needed in 2016.
The second comeback record from Suede ups the dramatic stakes without going over the top. Basically, it’s Dog Man Star as recast through the eyes of older, wiser, and more mature musicians. Brett Anderson has barely conceded anything to age and this music brims with passion and feeling. While I’m much higher on the post-Bernard Butler Suede albums than most fans, this is the first time they’ve equaled his all-too-brief tenure in the band.
Having originally recorded under the moniker of Breezy Lovejoy, Paak is the classic artist with lots of talent, trying to find his particular voice. On Malibu, he finds it, a mix of modern and classic hip hop with a heavy dose of good ol’ R & B. The rhythms are insinuating, the melodies are winning, and there are plenty of hooks, with Paak singing and rapping with equal affinity.
Fulks continues in the sparer, folk/bluegrass direction of his last album, Gone Away Backward, playing a collection of songs that sound somewhat in line with my favorite album of his, Couples in Trouble. There is a literary quality to the lyrics that makes them very compelling, with Fulks’ talent for saying a lot without ever getting wordy. The album is serious without ever getting grim, and he finds room for some light moments to make everything go down easier.
This is Spalding’s most audacious mix of jazz and R & B, where she seems less compelled to compartmentalize. Instead, she takes the songs wherever she wants to go, and it is always worth following her. I need to investigate how Tony Visconti approached this production job. Whatever he did, this seems to be the purest expression of Spalding’s vision, all with the dictates of an impenetrable concept album that is so strong in terms of music and performance, the storyline is immaterial.Next entry: Chicago Public Library: Best Books of 2016
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