GC | Lists

50. BREAK MY SOUL by Beyoncé

Bouncy and exciting.

49. Wading In Waist-High Water - Solstice Version by Fleet Foxes

A magnificent live rendition of a Fleet Foxes fave.

48. Keep Driving by Harry Styles

A pleasant listen in an otherwise decent album.

47. Do It by Mykko Montana

My newly discovered half-marathon hype track.

46. Crash by Charli XCX

Some would call it pop perfected.

45. Vienna by Billy Joel

A classic that I've resonated with this year at a crossroads in life.

44. Love's Train by Silk Sonic

The dynamic duo doesn't disappoint.

43. I'll Be Here in the Morning by Townes Van Zandt

Honky tonk, simple but hits.

42. Unconditional I (Lookout Kid) by Arcade Fire

An underappreciated jam.

41. I Think I Like When It Rains by WILLIS

Nostalgic even on first listen.

40. Vinyl Days by Logic

The king of Gaithersburg returns!! An unretirement rivalling Jay-Z and TB12.

39. The Dress by Dijon

Fresh alternative R&B.

38. 365 Is My Number / The Message by King Sunny Ade

One of the greats of Nigerian music.

37. Lift Me Up by Rihanna

She's back! Hits different in the movie.

36. City of Gods by Fivio Foreign

This the New New York baby.

35. Break From Toronto by PARTYNEXTDOOR

Not sure what took me so long to find this.

34. Poland by Lil Yachty

Pure banger of the year.

33. Dreamin Of The Past by Pusha T

The Pharrell cuts are nice but Push and Ye are on another level.

32. Time Flies by Drake

The Drake loosies are vastly underrated.

31. The Morning by The Weeknd

Man...early Weeknd.

30. Higher by Tems

WAIT FOR U is nice but the original is fantastic.

29. Forever by The Little Dippers

A hidden gem.

28. Another Heartbreak by Giveon

One of the leading voices of the refreshing new R&B wave.

27. moonlit room by UMI

An exciting new artist to keep an eye on.

26. YUKON (INTERLUDE) by Joji

The mediocre album doesn't do these early singles justice.

25. Hurricanes by Rina Sawayama

Well-executed modern pop.

24. Take Me Home, Country Roads by Toots & The Mayhals

The Jamaican spin on a classic is an earworm.

23. New Money (with 21 Savage) by Calvin Harris

It's not on Volume 1's level but still the summer soundtrack.

22. Survivors Guilt by Joey Bada$$

The goat of entendres and an overall well-rounded artist.

21. Down Hill by Drake

Don't come with the "Beyoncé did it better" and "Jimmy Cooks is the only good song" on the album". Yes that's a @gimmy.cooks certified banger but the entire album is a fun and chill listen.

20. Father Time by Kendrick Lamar

GOAT. It's settled. Sampha's got a case for the king of hooks too.

19. I Drink Wine by Adele

Adele never misses. A mature record.

18. Money by JID

The best lyricist since the early 2010s.

17. Turn On The Lights again.. by Fred again..

Most exciting DJ in a long time. The king of BOILER ROOM with a fire mix of a Future hit.

16. Baby by DakhaBrakha

Unreal vocals, especially live. #ukraine

15. Is There Someone Else? by The Weeknd

What an underrated album for Weeknd standards. Genius. The transition into this song is euphoric, provocative, edgy, thought-provoking, technically and visually stunning...

14. Please Do Not Lean by Daniel Caesar

All the elements that make Daniel Caesar amazing, combined into his best song yet.

13. Glimpse of Us by Joji

Joji's finest work.

12. Unchained Melody by Elvis Presley

A heavy mix of so much magic, hardship, and emotion when he sings this in the movie.

11. Nothing New by Taylor Swift

Everyone's raving about whatever 10 minute version but the new songs are Red (Taylor's Version) is where it's at.

10. Evergreen (You Didn't Deserve Me At All) by Omar Apollo

One of the most exciting and fresh new artists right now.

9. Gone Girl by SZA

Incredible. Feels like outer space.

8. Bam Bam by Camila Cabello

The anthem of spring 2022.

7. Phoenix by Big Red Machine

Stumbled upon this song while driving and it impeccably captures a special moment.

6. Both Sides Now by Emilia Jones

Perfect poetry. Of course the original version is amazing too, and Joni Mitchell's live performance this year is even more so.

5. Chan Chan by Buena Vista Social Club

So glad to have discovered this gem among many other amazing sounds of the world.

4. ON FAUX NEM by Lupe Fiasco

When Lupe told me he was making an album in 72 hours, I was like "whoa that's cool" but admittedly had doubts that it might sound too rushed or something. Not sure why I doubted one of the legends...this song and album are mind-blowing.

3. BackOutsideBoyz by Drake

The boys are BACK.

2. Maroon by Taylor Swift

Midnights might be my favorite album of the year. What a year for music, all the greats came back and dropped some wonderful stuff.

1. The Heart Part 5 by Kendrick Lamar

Speaking of which...this masterpiece after five years. Production is immaculate, video is inventive, and the message is absolutely on point.