5. Public Enemy – Man Plans God Laughs
Yes, Public Enemy is still around but don’t call it a comeback. They’ve been here for years, putting out albums of varying quality and still successfully touring the entire globe.
The concise, hard-hitting Man Plans doesn’t quite reach the dizzying heights of their classic albums, but it’s certainly one of the best they’ve mustered since the early 90’s (along with 2007’s underrated gem How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul). Chuck D is as clear and subtly clever as ever and settled into the elder statesmen role on the mic without ever sounding like he’s lost a step or should hang it up. If anything, we should be turning him up as all of us, not just the young MCs, could still learn a thing or two from the old head.
4. Kamasi Washington – The Epic
They’ve probably been saying “jazz is dead” since the day it was born. I don’t know who they are, but they’ve always been wrong. Case in point, circa 2015: a young (20-something) saxophone player releases a triple-album debut (a triple-album debut!) which in itself would be considered “epic,” especially in these days of over-using the word “epic.” And he doesn’t just name it “epic,” he titles it The Epic. Yea, jazz ain’t dead. It’s alive and vibrant, and at times here it gets frantically crazy (think late-60’s Coltrane) and other times it brings on the funk and brings in the string arrangements and show-tune schmaltz. It’s certainly one of the most daring and masterfully executed albums of the year.
3. Wilco – Star Wars
This whole “suddenly dropping an album with no warning” thing is starting to become more commonplace than clever coup. Artists have moved beyond “beating the leak” to simply releasing an album no one knew was even in the works. The album is the announcement. And in this case, Wilco also made it free. Mix in the fact that they inexplicably cleared (I assume) whatever legal hurdles must have come with naming something “Star Wars,” and finally Wilco has succeeded in getting us pretty far into the paragraph before uttering that unfortunate phrase “Dad Rock.” Well, maybe it’s just the dad or Wilco fan in me, but if that’s Dad Rock, then turn it up!
This is one of the great American bands of this generation in all its Wilconess: the agitated quirks of the opening instrumental, the groove bounce 1-2 punch of “Cold Slope” and “King of You,” kinder and gentler descendants of tunes like “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” and “Bull Black Nova.” There’s nothing here quite as sprawling and droning as those songs or “The Art of Almost,” but Star Wars still serves as a solid reminder of Wilco’s force.
2. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
There’s a reason this album is on almost every Best-Albums list for 2015, ranked No. 1 more often than not. From the anticipation following his brilliant 2012 debut album and up through the very first listen, To Pimp a Butterfly felt Important. Of course, “Instant Classic” was a foregone conclusion for all of us who just had to wait for it and press play.
But how much pressure was on the guy in the mirror who has to look back at Kendrick and actually make another great album? That pressure escapes through interlude monologues as Lamar wrestles with the push and pull of artistic achievement and staying true to himself. It’s gotta be weird to explode into the pop culture stratosphere as the latest greatest rapper alive with survivor’s guilt for making out of the hood alive.
Kendrick Lamar puts all of that blood, sweat, and tears on wax along with a few more kitchen sinks full of sounds that push the boundaries of what a record can be. There’s everything from the funk touchstones of George Clinton and Snoop Dogg to lush and layered D’Angelo-style vocal arrangements and jazzy freak-outs courtesy of Kamasi Washington. But it all hinges on the flawless flow of Kendrick Lamar and all the voices he brings to this very personal table read of a modern masterpiece.
1. Prince – HITnRUN, Phase One
There’s an excellent chance you didn’t know Prince had a new album out this year. See, ever since the Purple One dared to run away from the Record Company Plantation circa late 1990s, there’s been this song and dance where Prince keeps making (mostly) good albums and the “industry” and actual people either ignore him, wonder where he’s been, or celebrate his latest “return,” or chastise him for not making the “Prince” album that THEY want to hear (Doves Cry Again, Pt 2: More Purple Rain, or whatever).
The way Prince has chosen to play this ridiculous game of music industry monopoly has been at time brilliant and frustrating. When he does SNL and the awards shows and gives his album away free in UK newspapers or partners with Target for mass exposure, the album falls flat. When he just issues it quietly and hype-free, most of the time it’s pretty good.
HITnRUN Phase One is a purely fun and downright jammin’ record free of all the forced baggage that has littered some of his uneven work over the last decade or two. He manages to cram all his funk between rock and hard places all over the dance floor. Over the years it’s been labeled disco or techno or house or dancehall or EDM, and Prince has lived through and helped shape it all. The limitless range of his jams proves that he simply has more switch settings on his blender than anyone else.
The difference here is that finally Prince sounds relaxed and nothing seems forced. Some tracks sound like something Beyoncé or Rihanna would set on fire. Other songs sound like Trent Reznor producing a Kendrick Lamar record. There are beats as sparse and experimental as Kanye West’s Yeezus and Prince’s otherworldly guitar prowess is on display throughout. It doesn’t sound like “Raspberry Beret” or “Sign o’ the Times,” but this is the Prince you’ve been waiting for.
I guess it’s fitting that now, in the middle of December as I finish this list, we get word that Prince has just released HITnRUN Phase Two. Looks like it’s never too early to start next year’s list.
Todd Levinson Frank is a professional writer, musician (well, drummer), husband, and father of two boys. He loves pizza and sleeping and has written for FanSided, BumsLogic.com, Music Emissions, The Steam Engine, NFL SpinZone and others. Follow him on twitter at @BumsLogic.
