My Favorite Things 2023: XIII
by Sheldon Rocha Leal
Since before I even started writing articles on Medium I used to write a series of articles documenting my favorite songs of the year. This is the 13th article in the series. As a musician, music scholar and educator people often ask me what my favorite music is and I thought it would be easier to just write about it. I also use it as a means of documenting my changing tastes. For me it’s a fun exercise to reflect on the year and do some research on the songs, songwriters, producers and artists that have performed on my favourite tracks. Regarding universal music trends I’ve noticed that in the past year people have become more nostalgic, with songs containing reflective messages. Songs of introspection seem to have ruled the roost this year. I guess as we journey through this post-Covid era and the “Cost-Of-Living” crisis the music is reflecting our mood.
Furthermore, nostalgic sounds seems to have permeated a lot for of the music to which we listen. These include sounds from the 1970s (Disco), 1980s (Techno) and 1990s (House). African sounds seem to have grown in popularity this year. I’m glad that the world has finally awoken to the greatness of the music we are creating here. Most inspiringly is the fact that we’ve found our musical identity as for the longest time we viewed anything from outside our country and continent as more aspirational than anything created here. Finally, it seems that music from soundtracks have also done really well this year, especially the songs from “The Super Mario Brothers” and “Barbie” soundtracks.
We are clearly well into the streaming era, with more people jumping online and abandoning traditional forms of music consumption, like CD. That being said, there is a whole new wave of music listeners buying, collecting and listening to music on vinyl, which I think is really fun and cool. The quality of music on vinyl is far superior to anything produced digitally, but it doesn’t, however, beat the convenience of streaming. I find the younger generation is engaging more with music and have developed much more diverse tastes than the generation that preceded them. They are especially listening to a lot of local and traditional music, which is encouraging as the youth is taking pride in their musical heritage. This should help strengthen our music making and quality of output. My list this year is very mixed, featuring some established and mainstream artists as well as lesser known independent musicians. Without further reflection, here is my list of Top 10 songs for 2023:
1. Miley Cyrus: Flowers
I love Miley Cyrus and this song is probably my favourite of the year. What I love most about Miley is that she has always done her own thing, carving her own path regardless of the industry’s expectations of what she should deliver. This song is so clever, as an answer to the Bruno Mars song, “When I Was Your Man”. The lyrics are empowering and the bassline slaps. The mid-tempo groove is intentional and enhances the message of the song. I love that people are being more assertive in their messaging and this song is an example of that. “Flowers” had over 96million streams in its first week on Spotify making it the biggest opening week for a song in the platform’s history. In total it spent 8 weeks at No1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also No1 in about 36 counties including the U.K. and the Billboard Global 200, where it remained for 13 non-consecutive weeks. “Flowers” has shipped over 5.5million units worldwide and is Miley’s 2nd US No1.
2. Sam Smith: I’m Not Here To Make Friends feat Jessie Reyez and Calvin Harris
I’m not a fan of Sam Smith. There just doesn’t seem to be a cohesive identity or brand, but this song hits all the right marks. I love the Ru Paul intro and the over the top Disco production. It reminds me of George Michael songs from 1990s like “Outside”, “Star People” and “Freedom ‘90”. This is another mid-tempo, intentional song, where the message is enhanced by the groove. This, like “Flowers”, is an unapologetic song, where Sam Smith is very clear about his intentions. The strings in the arrangement are probably my favorite part of the song, very “Disco”. The song followed on from the massive success of “Unholy” in 2022 and clearly did not stand up to the glare of that international smash hit. It peaked at No23 in the U.K. and No71 USA. “I’m Not Here To Make Friends” has an amazing production team which includes Calvin Harris, Jimmy Napes and StarGate, with guest vocal by Jessie Reyez. It’s featured on Sam Smith’s fourth studio album “Gloria”.
3. Sza: Kill Bill
Although Sza was the flavour of 2023 I’m not a fan. She sounds like a pitch-adjusted Justin Bieber. This song, however, is exceptional. I love the detuned music box intro, that repeats throughout the arrangement. It has a strong beat and rhythm, with an intentional mid-tempo, walking pace, that enhances the message of the song, which is quite dark. As with the previous two songs, it’s honest and revelatory, with the songwriters talking about a breakup, betrayal and the need for revenge. The honesty expressed in the first three songs is refreshing considering we have come out of an overly sanitised era in whcih people have been too scared to say anything. The song is Sza’s first No1 in the USA and went to pole position after spending 8 weeks at No2. It spent 21 weeks at No1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, breaking the former record held by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus for “Ol’ Town Road”. It was also No1 on the Billboard Global 200, shipping over 7million units globally. “Kill Bill” is featured on Sza’s sophomore album “SOS”.
4. Victoria Monét: Stop (Askin’ Me 4Shyt)
OMG, Victoria Monét is the female R&B singer we’ve all been waiting for since the late 1990s. She finally released her debut album this year, after teasing us with six EPs. She’s been performing from a young age and started her career working on productions, as a songwriter and producer, with the legendary producer Rodney Jerkins. Her debut album, “Jaguar II”, features one of my favorite songs: “Stop (Askin’ Me 4Shyt)”. It is reminiscent of Soul ballads of the 1970s by artists like Roberta Flack, Minnie Ripperton and Phyllis Hyman. This track reminds me of a modern version of “Tyrone” by Erykah Badu (1997) and contains elements reminiscent of The Jackson 5’s “Never Can Say Goodbye” (1971). I love the intentional mid-tempo groove, which makes the listener focus on the message of the song, in which Victoria tells a guy to stop asking her for “shyt”. The arrangement and production is pure 1970s lushness, including brass sections, strings, accents and a banging bassline.
5. Tonique & Man: You Make Me Feel So Good
Jean Tonique and Mi Man are an independent French duo who started working together in 2017. The two friends had previously worked on other musical projects and finally decided to do something together as Tonique & Man. The band’s music is heavily influenced by Disco, especially the music of the Bee Gees and they have even assimilated elements of French House by acts like Daft Punk, which is heard on “You Make Me Feel So Good”. The song sounds like it came straight out of a Disco club, like Studio 54, in the 1970s. “You Make Me Feel So Good” has the stereotypical strut groove of traditional Disco hits. I love the strings, horn arrangements and smooth female backing vocals. This song is laid back and atmospheric. I feel like the perfect setting for it would be the South of France, drinking a Gin & Tonic, as the ocean laps up against the deck of one’s holiday home. Although this song was not an international smash, it was a winner for me.
6. M83: Laura
This is one of my favorite bands and this song is featured on the quartet’s ninth studio album, “Fantasy”. M83 released their first album in 2001, over 20 years ago. If you are a lover of Daft Punk you’ll probably love this band. The French House band, has fused various sounds and influences to create their own unique audio brand. This song sounds like something that would be featured on the “Stranger Things” television series. It has a retro-1980s sound and is reminiscent of bands like REO Speedwagon, Starship and Supertramp. The tempo of this instrumental song is slow, atmospheric and electronic. The song was not officially released as a single and, therefore, didn’t attain chart success. The album, however, peaked at No9 in the U.K. and charted at No47 on the Billboard Independent Album’s chart. Anthony Gonzalez, one of the band members, said that with this album he felt emancipated to create something he loved as opposed to being limited by the constraints of commerciality.
7. Daniel Caesar: Always
Daniel Caesar, real name Ashton Simmonds, is a Canadian R&B singer and songwriter. “Always” is from his third studio album, “Never Enough”. This ballad is reminiscent of the big R&B ballads of the 1990s by artists like Maxwell, Brian McKnight, D’Angelo and Prince, who blended Funk and R&B. Daniel’s voice is exceptionally exhibited on the song. It is such a sad song, but so beautiful. Every time I hear it I just want to cry. It’s about a breakup and how the guy wants the best for his ex, no matter what. I love the dynamics of the song and how it crescendos and decrescendos in the way one feels after a breakup (emotional ups and downs). The song only had very modest success on the charts, peaking at No70 on the Canadian singles’ chart and No40 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs’ chart. Probably one of the most underrated songs of the year. The album attained modest chart success peaking at No14 USA, No8 Canada and No60 U.K.
8. Neon Dreams: Little Dance
This is one of the happiest songs on my list for 2023. Neon Dreams is a two time Juno Award winning Canadian act consisting of two members, Frank Kadillac and Adrian Morris, who have been performing together since they were 16. The band’s music combines elements of Pop, Hip-Hop, EDM, Folk and Rock and falls within the Alternative Pop genre. The song reminds me of the Jonas Brothers’ song “Sucker”, released in 2019, but “Little Dance” has a much more pronounced bass line. I love the chorus of female singers, the Hip-Hop audio aesthetic and jovial nature of the track. It was allegedly inspired by Frank’s close encounter with a shark whilst touring South Africa. Cape Town was used as the canvas for the music video. The song is featured on the band’s third studio album “Love, Child, Baby, Dolphin”. Actually the sound of “Little Dance” reflects the title of the album, i.e. organised chaos. I just love the free nature of the track.
9. Kylie Minogue: Hands
Following from Kylie’s hugely successful 15th studio album, “Disco”, came her hugely successful 16th studio album, “Tension”. This time around Kylie played around with a lot more diverse sounds, everything from Hip-Hop to House, which seemed to be the flavour of 2023. “Hands” wasn’t officially released as a commercial single, but it is one of my favorite tracks on “Tension”. The song was produced by the iconic producer Cutfather, along with Daniel Davidsen, KayAndMusic and Ryan Ashley. This is another uptempo number, in which we see Kylie rap, for probably one of the first times in her career. The song has a prominent bass line and a steady beat. I love the backing vocals on this track and the rhythms. It’s a combination of Pop, Disco and Hip-Hop featuring the traditional Disco handclaps and strings. “Tension” was Kylie’s fourth consecutive No1 album in Australia and the U.K. and her eighth overall No1 in Australia and ninth in the U.K. Love that Kylie is still producing bangers 35 years into her career.
10. Mitski: My Love Mine All Mine
Mitski is one of my favorite artists of 2023. She was born in Japan to an American dad and Japanese mother. “My Love Mine All Mine” is featured on her 6th studio album, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We”, and was the third commercial release from the record. The song went viral on TikTok, which resulted in its chart success. “My Love Mine All Mine” peaked at No26 USA and No8 U.K. shipping about 200,000 units in the U.K. Although Mitski has been in the industry since 2012, this track was her first commercial breakthrough. The song has a haunting 1950s Rock ‘n Roll feel, blended with elements of Country music. I love the inclusion of the pedal steel guitars and Country inspired piano. “My Love Mine All Mine” reminds me of songs by artists like Patsy Cline, “Crazy”, or Santo and Johnny’s “Sleep Walk”. It also reminds me of songs by Lana Del Rey, although it has more of a Country feel.
As a whole the songs on my 2023 list are much slower than previous years. There still seems to be a distinct Disco/Funk influence in some of the selected tracks, like Kylie’s “Hands”, Neon Dreams’ “Little Dance”, Tonique & Man’s “You Make Me Feel So Good” and Sam Smith’s “I’m Not Here To Make Friends”. In general, however, it seems that my tastes have changed, with a gravitation toward more reflective songs. My favourites have been songs where the artists tell it like it is. I think for too long we have inhabited a space where art has been sacrificed at the alter of political correctness. Miley Cyrus was a real inspiration for me in 2023, being someone that has remained true to her art and in the process attained the biggest hit of her career this year. Another inspiring artist, for me, is Mitski, who has been slogging away at her career for 11 years and only obtained her first major commercial break this year.
I hope this goes some way to disprove the notion that many people have that stars are born overnight. People often work for years, honing their craft before becoming “overnight” success stories. Every generation has their stars and their soundtrack and this generation’s music is just as good as any music that preceded it. I’m so over people saying that the music from their generation is superior to music from other decades and that music from later groupings is not as good as music from their era. Nowadays we have so much more music to choose from and out of all that there are some priceless gemstones. There is no statute of limitations when it comes to musical greatness. Until next year, I hope you enjoyed my selection for the 13th edition of this series.
