I heard a lot of good music in 2022. Honestly, these deserve as much attention as the A-list IMO. But not everybody gets to be the best. Let’s take a look.

Scenic Drive by Khalid

This is a pop-R&B mini-album that is perfect for driving. It’s just what it says on the tin. It’s smooth and breezy and oh so listenable. I’ve listened to it a lot.

 

Impera by Ghost

I know not everyone likes later-day Ghost, but this is definitely better than Prequell and really feels like a self-aware product of our cynical and black-pilled age. I mean, that’s Ghost in general, really.

 

Crash by Charli XCX

This may not be my favorite Charli album, but when I went back through my pop CDs from 2022, Charli’s album stood out for the same reason she always does. The writing. She’s a good songwriter. Were you thinking the same thing? The writing? Anyway, here’s an awesome song about cheating that kinda makes me want to try it, even if I have no relationship to jeopardize whatsoever.

 

King's Disease 3 by Nas

There’s nothing I can say about King’s Disease 3 that I couldn’t say about 1 or 2. They’re all good. I can now recommend a whole trilogy of high-quality 90s style rap albums by Nas.

 

ATUM part 1 by The Smashing Puumpkins

I don’t listen to a ton of Smashing Pumpkins, but I really dug a bunch of their last one, Cyr. So when this dropped, I was interested. Apparently, this is going to be a 3-part album with a full release this spring. Part 1 released late in 2022. This is a very chill, dreamy album that’s more electronic than rock, and I really dig it’s vibe.

And that's it for music for 2022.  Feel free to tell what you liked below.  Now if you'll excuse me, I've got 2023 music to listen to.