Best 100 albums of 2023: 50-1

The last Substack post of the year is dedicated to the best albums of the year. This is my selection of the 50 best releases of 2023, and in the first part you can read about the albums that placed between number 51 and 100. It has been another rich musical year, and at the top of the list is the album I listened and enjoyed the most.

Recommend Izvorišta to your friends who might find it interesting. You can do this easily by clicking on the button below:

Throughout the year, I have published monthly 'best of' articles on Substack in which I have written about most of the albums on the annual list, so I will not repeat that here. Below the title of each album you will find a link where you can read what I wrote about that album at the time, and there are also Bandcamp, Tidal and Spotify links as well as a YouTube video.

50. Namian Sidibé - Namian Sidibé (Sahel Sounds 2023.)
    Mali // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

49. Various Artists - Lost In Tajikistan (Riverboat Records 2023.)
    Tajikistan // Best of August, September, October // Tidal // Spotify

48. Bantu - What Is Your Breaking Point? (Soledad Productions 2023.)
    Nigeria // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

47. Aly Eissa - Gouda Bar (Akuphone Records 2023.)
    Egypt // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

46. PoiL Ueda - PoiL Ueda (Dur Et Doux 2023.)
    Japan, France // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

    + + + + +
    PoiL Ueda - Yoshitsune (Dur Et Doux 2023.)
    Bandcamp // Best of November // Track Tales // Tidal // Spotify

45. Frankosun And The Family - Small Talk Big Problem (Helmi Levyt 2023.)
    Denmark, Benin // Best of June, July // Tidal // Spotify

44. Dunja Knebl & Adam Semijalac - Moje srce se reskoli (Selfreleased 2023.)
    Croatia // Best of January, February // Bandcamp

43. Orchestra Gold - Medicine (Selfreleased 2023.)
    USA // Best of January, February // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

42. La Sonora Mazuren - Bailando con Extra​ñ​os (Barbès Records 2023.)
    Colombia // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

41. Elza Soares - No Tempo da Intolerância (Deckdisc 2023.)
    Brazil // Best of June, July // Tidal // Spotify

40. Yungchen Lhamo - One Drop Of Kindness (Real World Records 2023.)
    Tibet // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Spotify

39. Idrissa Soumaoro - Diré (Mieruba Records 2023.)
    Mali // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

38. Batsükh Dorj - Ögbelerim (Music for my Ancestors) (Buda Musique 2023.)
    Tuva // Best of August, September, October // Tidal // Spotify

37. Bixiga 70 - Vapor (Glitterbeat Records 2023.)
    Brazil // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

36. Assiko Golden Band De Grand Yoff - Magg Tekki (Mississippi Records 2023.)
    Senegal // Best of November // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

35. Chief Adjuah - Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning (Ropeadope 2023.)
    USA // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

34. Lakiko - What To Do, How To Live? (Selfreleased 2023.)
    Bosnia and Herzegovina // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

33. Sheikhs Shikhats & B'net Chaabi - Sheikhs Shikhats & B'net Chaabi (Zephyrus 2023.)
    Belgium, Morocco // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

32. Anoushka Shankar - Chapter I: Forever, For Now (Leiter Records 2023.)
    England // Best of November // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

31. Altin Gün - A​ş​k (Glitterbeat Records 2023.)
    Netherlands // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

30. Kayhan Kalhor and Toumani Diabaté - The Sky Is The Same Colour Everywhere (Real World 2023.)
    Iran, Mali // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

29. Hashshashin - Śara​ṇ​aṃ (Art As Catharsis Records 2023.)
    Australia // Best of November // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

28. Bombino - Sahel (Partisan Records 2023.)
    Niger, Tuareg // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

27. Bebel Gilberto - João ([Pias] Recordings 2023.)
    Brazil // Best of August, September, October // Tidal // Spotify

26. Sourdurent - L'Herbe de D​é​tourne (Les Disques Bongo Joe 2023.)
    France // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

25. Azmari - Maelström (Sdban Records 2023.)
    Belgium // Track Tales // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

24. Laliboi & Spoek Mathambo - Siyalapha (Teka Records 2023.)
    South Africa // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

23. Enji - Ulaan (Squama Records 2023.)
    Tuva // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

22. Luzmila Carpio - Inti Watana - El Retorno Del Sol (ZZK Records 2023.)
    Bolivia // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

21. Alpacas Collective - Big Words (Selfreleased 2023.)
    Belgium // Best of November // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

20. Ali Farka Touré - Voyageur (World Circuit 2023.)
    Mali // Best of March // Tidal // Spotify

19. Son Rompe Pera - Chimborazo (Aya Records 2023.)
    Colombia // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

18. Alogte Oho and His Sounds of Joy - O Yinne! (Philophon 2023.)
    Ghana // Best of June, July // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

17. Baaba Maal - Being (Palm/Marathon Artists 2023.)
    Senegal // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

16. Chouk Bwa & The Ångstromers - Somanti (Bongo Joe 2023.)
    Haiti, Belgium // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

15. Togo All-Stars - Spirits (Excelsior Recordings 2023.)
    Togo // Best of November // Tidal // Spotify

14. Polobi & the Gwo Ka Masters - Abri Cyclonique (Real World 2023.)
    Guadalupe // Best of January, February // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

13. Damir Imamović - The World And All That It Holds (Smithsonian Folkways 2023.)
    Bosnia and Herzegovina // Track Tales // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

12. Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily - Love in Exile (Verve 2023.)
    Pakistan, India, USA // Best of March // Tidal // Spotify

11. Acid Arab - ٣ (Trois) (Crammed Discs 2023.)
    France // Best of January, February // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

10. Yalla Miku - Yalla Miku (Bongo Joe 2023.)
    Switzerland, Morocco // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

9. Mari Kalkun - Stories Of Stonia (Real World 2023.)
   Estonia // Best of June, July // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

8. Adam Semijalac - Ode dite (Selfreleased 2023.)
   Croatia // Best of April, May // Bandcamp

7. Dudu Tassa & Jonny Greenwood - Jarak Qaribak (World Circuit 2023.)
   Israel, England // Best of June, July // Tidal // Spotify

6. Lenhart Tapes - Dens (Glitterbeat Records 2023.)
   Serbia // Track Tales // Best of November // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

5. BCUC - Millions Of Us (On The Corner 2023.)
   South Africa // Best of June, July // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

4. Le Cri Du Caire - Le Cri Du Caire (Les Disques Du Festival Perman 2023.)
   Egypt, France, Germany, Switzerland // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

3. Lankum - False Lankum (Rough Trade 2023.)
   Ireland // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

2. Tinariwen - Amatssou (Wedge 2023.)
   Mali, Tuareg // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify

1. Yemen Blues - Shabazi - A Tribute to the Poet (MDC 2023.)
   Israel // Best of June, July // Tidal // Spotify

Keep reading/listening: