Sound Obsession

These are my runners up and honorable mention albums of 2023, in alphabetical order by artist name . . . . Vincent Neil Emerson:   The Golden Crystal Kingdom   (La Honda - 11/10/23)    Foo Fighters:   But Here We Are     (Roswell - 6/2/23)    Adam Hood:   Adam Hood's Different Groove     (Southern Songs - 9/22/23)    Gabe Lee:   Drink The River     (Torrez Music Group - 7/14/23)    Royal Blood:  B ack To The Water Below     (Warner - 9/1/23)      Sci-Clone:   Radio Therapy     (Metalheadz - 5/19/23)    Chris Stapleto...

Wolf Alice, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 12/8/17 Wolf Alice, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 12/8/17 Wolf Alice, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 12/8/17 Queens of The Stone Age, The Anthem, Washington DC - 10/20/17 Queens of The Stone Age, The Anthem, Washington DC - 10/20/17 Queens of The Stone Age, The Anthem, Washington DC - 10/20/17 Foo Fighters, The Anthem, Washington DC - 10/12/17 Broken Social Scene, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 9/19/17 Swervedriver, The Black Cat, Washington DC - 9/12/17 Mark Lanegan Band, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC - 8/16/17

Kurt Vile & The Violators, 930 Club, Washington DC - 10/8/15 Sturgill Simpson, Lincoln Theater, Washington DC - 9/23/15 Ghost, The Fillmore, Silver Spring MD - 9/22/15 Ghost, The Fillmore, Silver Spring MD - 9/22/15 Ghost, The Fillmore, Silver Spring MD - 9/22/15 Ghost, The Fillmore, Silver Spring MD - 9/22/15 Ghost, The Fillmore, Silver Spring MD - 9/22/15 Ghost, The Fillmore, Silver Spring MD - 9/22/15 Eagles of Death Metal, 930 Club, Washington DC - 9/15/15 Eagles of Death Metal, 930 Club, Washington DC - 9/15/15 Chelsea Wolfe, U Street Music Hall, Washington DC - 9/11/15 High on Fire, Baltimore Soundstage, Baltimore MD - 8/20/15 Pallbearer, Baltimore Soundstage, Baltimore MD - 8/20/15 Lucifer, Baltimore Soundstage, Baltimore MD - 8/20/15 Failure, 930 Club, Washington DC - 8/11/15 Hum, 930 Club, Washington DC - 8/11/15 Deftones, The Fillmore, Silver Spring MD - 7/31/15 Black B...

A diverse year for music, here are my favorite albums of 2014. Enjoy. . . . 1. D'Angelo & The Vanguard - Black Messiah (9/10) Enigmatic and reclusive Richmond, VA, soul man D'Angelo has been a favorite of mine since the mid-90's when he dropped his debut album  Brown Sugar -  an exceptional 1995 launch that vaulted over its tepid R&B and "neo-soul" competition by merging tough hip-hop swagger with throwback musicality and charm. I even picked that album's version of "Cruisin'" over Smokey Robinson's 1979 original to sit alongside classic cuts by Wilson Pickett, Stevie Wonder, and Bill Withers on my wedding goodie-bag mix CD three years ago. So, after a fourteen year hiatus plagued by legal troubles, substance abuse, weight gain, and the paralyzing anxiety of high expectation to follow up his acclaimed sophomore album,  Voodoo from 2000, D'Angelo finally, and without much warning, dropped his long awaited third LP  ...