SWT’s Best 50 Albums of 2023 (Josh’s List)

Hello Reader,

Welcome back.

With only a few days to go in 2023, it’s important to take a step back and reflect on this past year, particularly all the great music that came out. It’s been a joy to be a music fan this past year with artists of a variety of genres (rock, country, folk, blues, soul, pop, etc.) enriching my life in a variety of ways.

It seems like I listen to more and more music each year…a good problem to have. 2023 was no exception as I listened to somewhere between 200 to 400 albums if my list is correct. I get a healthy stream of press releases and album advances, which certainly helps.

While my tastes aren’t quite as encompassing as fellow SWT founder Alex M Theel – make sure to check out his best of lists as they’re stuffed with great music (here, here and here) – I’d like to think they’ve gotten a lot more diverse since I began professionally writing back in 2009. I’ve been lucky to interview many of the artists I’ve listened to this past year, and, in many cases, it enhances my connection with the artist and music.

For example, I interviewed Margo Price around this time last year for Grammy.com and got an early listen to her incredible album Strays. It can be a risky proposition releasing an album early in the year, but Margo’s incredible work of art has had staying power in my collection and ranks as one of my top albums. It’s also impressive that she released a companion album midway throughout the year called Strays II, which compiles songs that didn’t make the cut for the first album. Together, the albums form an epic listening experience and further showcase why Margo is one of the best songwriters out there today.

I was also overjoyed when one of my favorite artists Paul Rodgers released his first album in nearly 25 years. He’s back in top form, which is made even more incredible considering the serious health issues he’s had to overcome to be able to sing and perform. Interviewing Rodgers’ bandmate Todd Ronning for the site added further appreciation for the release.

In addition, there are many artists I’ve had the pleasure of discovering in this past year. While it’s exciting hearing an artist you’ve been a fan of for years, it’s equally or even more thrilling to find a gems you weren’t expecting.

2024 will be my 15^th consecutive year of writing. I’m so thankful for everyone who has joined me in my latest chapter and adventure of my career with the start of Scummy Water Tower back in September. I hope you’ll continue to join Alex and I as we continue growing the site into the future. I’m excited to discover and explore more music and interview artists and tell their stories.

Below are some of my favorite albums from 2023.

1. The Replacements – Tim (Let It Bleed Edition)

2. Margo Price – Strays (see also: Strays II)

3. The Heavy Heavy – Life and Life Only (Expanded Edition)

4. Paul Rodgers – Midnight Rose

5. Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond

6. Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton – Death Wish Blues

7. Strand of Oaks – Live at Pustervik

8. Nickel Creek – Celebrants

9. Low Cut Connie – ART DEALERS

10. Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway – City of Gold

11. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Weathervanes

12. The Tallest Man on Earth – Henry St.

13. Foo Fighters – But Here We Are

14. Lydia Loveless – Nothing’s Gonna Stand in My Way Again

15. Grace Potter – Mother Road

16. Boygenius – the record

17. The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein

18. Dusk – Glass Pastures

19. Trapper Schoepp – Siren Songs

20. Lukas Nelson and POTR – Sticks and Stones

21. Buffalo Nichols – The Fatalist

22. Rival Sons – Darkfighter

23. Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher

24. Dirty Honey – Can’t Find the Brakes

25. Low Water Bridge Band – Back to the Valley

26. Hello June – Artifacts

27. Bonnie Montgomery – River

28. Lily & Madeleine – Nite Swim

29. Barbaro – About the Winter

30. Briscoe – West of It All

31. The Heavy – AMEN

32. Lucinda Williams – Stories From a Rock and Roll Heart

33. Joseph – The Sun

34. PONY – Velveteen

35. Speedy Ortiz – Rabbit Rabbit

36. Listening Party – Been A Long Time Comin’

37. Yusuf / Cat Stevens – King Of A Land

38. Brigitte Calls Me Baby – This House is Made of Corners

39. Bully – Lucky For You

40. The Hold Steady – The Price of Progress

41. Michael Cleveland feat. Flamekeeper – Lovin’ Of The Game

42. Gov’t Mule – Peace…Like A River

43. Wilco – Cousin

44. Lucero – Should’ve Learned By Now

45. The Baseball Project – Grand Salami Time!

46. The Record Company – The Fourth Album

47. Neptune’s Core – Called Upon

48. Bombay Bicycle Club – My Big Day

49. Maiden King – Who Else Were We Supposed to Become?

50. Dogs at Large – County Line

Some more notable releases:

The Gaslight Anthem – History Books / The Salt Collective – Life / Jontan – The Orange Book / Rami Atassi – Dancing Together / Field Guide – Field Guide (Tape Redux) / The Successful Failures – Wrong Together / VOLORES – AGES / Walker – Good Man / Gonzalez Smith – Roll Up a Song / Willy Porter – Ravine / Dhani Harrison – Innerstanding / Jethro Tull – RökFlöte / Daniel Donato – Reflector / Ian Hunter – Defiance Part 1 / Mammoth WVH – Mammoth II / Rival Sons – LIGHTBRINGER / Alice Cooper – Road / Chris Stapleton – Higher / The Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds / Robert Jon & The Wreck – Ride Into the Light / Iggy Pop – EVERY LOSER / Autogramm – Music Humans Can Play

Thanks for reading, listening and discovering,
Josh

Joshua M. Miller

Web

Joshua is co-founder of Scummy Water Tower. He’s freelanced for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including: Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Guitar World, MTV News, Grammy.com, Chicago Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, MKE Lifestyle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A.V. Club, SPIN, Alternative Press, Under the Radar, Paste, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and Relix. You can email him at josh@scummywatertower.com.