For a little over 20 years, I've been compiling select "favorite music" in one form or another. Some of you have been swapping and/or listening with me since college. And some of you are encountering this for the first time. Welcome.
Obviously, this is super "late". And while I had completed the list back in January, I confess that I did not plan on sending it out this year for a variety of reasons that are for a different time and place. But after a number of you continued to ask and/or presumed that I had "de-friended" you, I've decided that it's still a list worth sharing.
This year's compilation is entitled
United In/Difference with two playlists:
United in Love and
United in Grief. It's musically inspired by my favorite album of the year, Kendrick Lamar's
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. It's thematically inspired by, well... the year, the experiences, the thoughts, and the state of music. Rather than "explain away" each playlist, I'd rather they speak for themselves.
I hope there is a song, an artist, a lyric that is worth listening to a few times. My only requests are to listen through, in order (at least once), and to share with me your own favorite(s) – whether from this particular list or otherwise.
Enjoy,
Bob
P.S. Since I have waited this long to send it out, I may as well give an early 2023 shout-out for Kelly Reed's (formerly i.e. kokoro) latest single "The Blue", which I helped produce. It is currently out on Spotify and Apple Music (full album on April 7th).