Ever since Kamasi Washington's hella bloated 'The Epic' made waves in 2015, and landing the number 10 spot in my top non-metal albums of 2015, other members of the West Coast Get Down (WCGD) jazz collective have been patiently waiting to release their own albums as bandleaders.
This year sees four (counting Thundercat) full length releases from the collective. Spoiler alert, three of them made my top 10 this year (sorry Ronald Bruner, Jr.). Jazz has been on the decline lately, and is currently one of the least popular genres. The WCGD is breathing new life into it, and I'm hoping this helps keeps the genre afloat until hipsters think it's cool (before it's cool) again.
Without further ado, here are my top 10 non-metal albums of the year.
10) Seven)Suns - For the Hearts Still Beating
This string quartet from Brooklyn gained infamy by covering The Dillinger Escape Plan's 43% burnt. The band noticed and asked the quartet to play on their final album, Dissociation.
Since then, Seven)Suns has released their own full length, which includes the aforementioned 43% burnt. The album sounds like the soundtrack to Psycho, making it a tough but rewarding listen.
9) Kesha - Rainbow
If I'm being honest, I've always thought Kesha's music was awful but admittedly catchy. For the past few years, she's been dealing with legal, emotional, and physicial struggles that I won't even try to recap here. Rainbow is an excellent response to all the hardship she's gone through, making this a breakout album of sorts.
This is by far the most surprising/unusual entry on this list. I didn't expect this album to be so good, and didn't realize that Kesha can actually sing. Her lyrics are both funny and brutally honest, and while the album isn't perfect, this is one of the biggest surprises of the year.
8) Meklit - When the People Move, the Music Moves Too
Last year, ethio-jazz master Mulatu Astatke came through the bay. His opener was the Ethiopian born, bay area native Meklit. While I didn't make it to the show, I was curious to see what his opener sounded like.
I was sold just a few tracks in to "When the People Move, the Music Moves Too." While not pure ethio-jazz like Mulatu Astatke, there are certainly elements of it fused with with new orleans jazz, soul and R&B. This album is one of the most uplifting and feel good albums of the year.
7) Thundercat - Drunk
The first (sorta) WCGD album on my list is weird...hella weird. Stephen Bruner's (AKA Thundercat) 3rd solo album is very Frank Zappa mixed with some old school soul and R&B.
Drunk is made up of 23 mostly short and weird AF tracks. Thundercat's lyrics are hilarious and he rocks a trebly 6 string. He throws in a lot of chords and plays in the upper register quite a bit, and at first I didn't even realize those sounds were from the bass guitar.
The response from fans and critics has been overwhelmingly positive, which I hope opens the door to even more strange music like this.
6) Sinkane - Life & Livin' It
Sinkane is a Sudanese-American that blends together soul, jazz, latin, African pop/rock, and even prog rock. I swear one of the tunes straight up sounds like Beardfish. While the sound is hard to pin down, whatever it is the blend of genres works beautifully.
Also, what is it with this trend of yard sale or junkyard album art?
5) Valtozash - Wizard-Bird
Valtozash are a relatively new and young band hailing from Australia. While there are plenty of metal bands that incorporate jazz, they are still very distinctly metal bands. Valtozash is the opposite, landing clearly in the jazz realm with some prog and metal influences.
That album art though! I'm not sure whether or not it's the best or worst album art of the year.
4) Béla Fleck - Juno Concerto
Béla Fleck, best known for brilliantly fusing jazz and bluegrass, does it again with a genre blend of bluegrass and classical. His first crack at combining Banjo with a symphony, was 2011's imposter. He's taken what he's learned from that experience, and set out to write a better concerto.
The inspiration for Juno Concerto comes from dude making a baby and being a new father. Neat.
3) Bootsy Collins - World Wide Funk
Funk legend Bootsy Collins has been laying down the funk since the 70s. 40 something years into his career, dude's still killin it. World Wide Funk is filled with an impressive list of guests. Victor Wooten, Stanley Clarke, Dennies Chambers, Chuck D, Doug E. Fresh, Big Daddy Kane to name just a few.
Bootsy doesn't overuse or overly depend on his guest stars. It's clear that the real star here is Bootsy and everyone else is coming along for the ride. This album is just pure fun from start to finish.
2) Cameron Graves - Planetary Prince
The second WCGD album to make my list, Planetary Prince, is primarily a jazz album. The clasically trained Cameron Graves pulls influences from prog, metal, and classical as well. Just replace the the opening riff of the title track or El Diablo with palm muted djenty chuggs and it's a riff that would fit on any Meshuggah album.
The musicianship on the album is top notch. Not only does Graves lay down some sick nasty solos, he gives his other WCGD brethren a chance to show off as well.
Looking at that album art, I can't help but side eye / eye roll just a little bit. Planetary Prince is a moniker of sorts, and some interview I read where he talks about it makes it even eye rolling-er. At least one thing's for certain, dude can play, and this is one of the best albums of the year, period.
1) Miles Mosley - Uprising
Wow shocker, a WCGD album secures the top spot. Just like my other #1 album, Uprising came out in January. Once I heard that piano hook on Abraham, I knew that this was going to be the album to beat.
Uprising is the perfect blend of soul, funk, hip hop, R&B, and jazz. One of my biggest beefs with the majority of hip hop and R&B is the lack of real instruments. Seeing a live hip hop / R&B show is ALWAYS better when there's a live backing band. Made up of the WCGD dudes, they provide the perfect backdrop to Mosely's voice.
Not only is Mosley on vocal duties, he also plays the upright bass. From time to time he will also kick on the distortion pedal, and totally rip through an upright bass solo. Uprising may not be as shreddy and flashy as other WCGD albums, but the songs are well written, and catchy AF.
