2023 was a year for the books in music. Many artists experimented with new music styles and went out of their comfort zone. I too, pushed myself to go outside of my comfort zone and listen to new music. This is the official review of my top five albums of 2023. The nominees are: For All The Dogs by Drake, UTOPIA by Travis Scott, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale by Tyler, The Creator, SCARING THE HOES by JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown, and Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey. While each album had its pros and cons, this list did not take too much thought to put together. At the end of the day, there was a clear favorite.

My #5 favorite album from this year is the collab album SCARING THE HOES by JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown. Both of these artists have big personalities in music so I was very excited to hear what they created. This album is not something I usually find myself listening to but when I do, I am always pleasantly surprised by the experimental taste of these two artists. My favorite song from this album is “Kingdom Hearts Key”. I first noticed that there were lots of different sounds and I was wondering how they would all sound together. As the song progressed, I heard how all the sounds blended nicely.

In spot #4 is CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale by Tyler, The Creator. Tyler released CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST in 2021 and since he releases a new album every two years, it was time for a new album. While I was a little disappointed that we did not get a full new album and he did not entirely enter a new era in his music career, the songs he added to the original album made up for it. The features he chose were perfect for the songs and no matter who they were, they complimented each other nicely. My favorite song from this album is “STUNTMAN” featuring Vince Staples. Vince Staples was a nice addition to the song because it stands out from Tyler’s deep voice and adds contrast.

My picks for #3 and #2 were a close tie and difficult to choose. Ultimately, it came down to simply which album I found myself listening to more. My #3 album is For All The Dogs by Drake. This was a highly anticipated album and it did not disappoint. I did not expect some of the features on this album and I could not have ever seen Drake working with these artists. For example, one of the features on this album was Yeat, who makes very different music from Drake, so I did not expect it. To my surprise, the two worked well together and made not only my favorite song but one of the most popular songs from the album, “IDGAF”. There is a monologue at the beginning of the song which is spoken by a soft voice, then Yeat comes in and starts rapping. This shows Drake’s creativity because it is unexpected for listeners and fans can tell he evolved greatly from his earlier works.

My second favorite album is UTOPIA by Travis Scott. It was another highly anticipated album, especially since Travis Scott has not released an album since 2018. There were unexpected features on this album as well, such as Beyonce. The songs were very different from what he usually puts out but I think this album showed everyone that he can do different and experiment well with music. My favorite song from this album is “FE!N” featuring Playboi Carti. The song starts with loud synth beats which is different from what Travis Scott has done before. Playboi Carti’s verse is in the middle of the song and it is a nice change from what we have recently heard from him. Travis Scott and Playboi Carti are both very creative individuals so I was very excited to hear what these two would create.

Without further ado, I present to you my top album of 2023… Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey. She has been on a roll the past few years; with two new albums in 2021 and various singles in 2022, it is safe to say that her once-starving fans now feel full. Although I have been listening to Lana Del Rey for years now, I only recently started to dive deeper into her music and now I see myself listening to her songs all day, every day. This album has beautiful, soft songs like her other albums. The features on this album made the songs stand out. My favorite song is “Let The Light In” featuring Father John Misty; his background vocals towards the end of the song bring the song to life which is what makes it my favorite.

Of course, I could not fit all of the great albums of 2023 on this list so a few honorable mentions are KAYTRAMINÉ, a duet album by KAYTRANADA and Aminé, AftërLyfe by Yeat, If Looks Could Kill by Destroy Lonely, and my favorite album from the honorable mentions that almost made it on the top five list, A Great Chaos by Ken Carson. This year also celebrated the anniversaries of many albums. For example, Swimming by Mac Miller celebrated its fifth birthday, and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by Outkast celebrated its 20th birthday.

In conclusion, the albums I have listened to this year have broadened my musical taste and opened my eyes to different genres of music. Overall, they helped me step out of my comfort zone and experiment with different artists.