Amid the plethora of best-album lists, we like to take a slightly different tack in looking back on the year in pop music. What follows is our highly biased list of 10 noteworthy, most obsessed-over albums by artists who graced our fair little state with a live performance during 2023, in order of appearance.
Sunny War — ‘Anarchist Gospel’
Released: Feb. 3 (New West Records)
Live in VT: March 2 at Zenbarn
Who: Nashville-based singer-songwriter
What we said: “The 14-song album is a warm, inviting and spirit-lifting set that finds the singular songwriter balancing the battle between her inner demons and her aspirations with stunning results.”
Squirrel Flower — ‘Tomorrow’s Fire’
Released: Oct. 13 (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
Live in VT: March 3 at Stone Church, March 4 at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge
Who: Chicago-based indie rocker Ella Williams
What they said: Pitchfork called it “a beautiful, searing record in which Williams channels listlessness and desperation into sweltering, explosive rock songs.”
Caroline Rose — ‘The Art of Forgetting’Released: March 24 (New West Records)
Live in VT: April 4-5 at Higher Ground Ballroom
Who: Singular singer-songwriter with Burlington roots
What we said: “Completely different than her previous albums, ‘Forgetting’ finds Rose digging deep into herself and delivering her most absorbing and resonant set to date.”
Duane Betts — ‘Wild & Precious Life’
Released: July 14 (Royal Potato Family)
Live in VT: July 26 at Nectar’s
Who: Florida-based singer and guitarist
What they said: “While Billy Strings and Derek Trucks are filling arenas, Duane Betts is a guitar hero of his own and capable vocalist, who offers soaring southern-soaked solos and vital improvisational energy,” said Glide. “Betts plays the role of bandleader with gusto, making everything you could hope for in an album: rock spiked with country, blues, folk and funk; songs that evoke nature, heartache, love and contemplation.”
Indigo De Souza — ‘All of This Will End’
Released: April 28 (Saddle Creek)
Live in VT: July 31 at Stone Church
Who: Asheville, North Carolina-based indie rocker
What they said: “The title of her third record … is a mantra born from an obsession with finality and a reason to swing for the fences,” said Pitchfork, “pushing De Souza to elevate her once quiet bedroom recordings to their stadium-sized potential.”
Mikaela Davis — ‘And Southern Star’
Released: Aug. 4 (Kill Rock Stars)
Live in VT: June 15 at Stone Church, Dec. 6 at Zenbarn
Who: Hudson Valley-based singer, songwriter and harpist
What we said: “A spellbinding nine-song set that seamlessly fuses twangy roots music, sunny pop melodies, psychedelic rock and Davis’s ethereal vocals and distinctive harp instrumentation, ‘And Southern Star’ finds Davis and her tightknit quintet hitting their collective stride as one of the most compelling groups around.”
Sweeping Promises — ‘Good Living Is Coming for You’
Released: June 30 (Sub Pop Records)
Live in VT: Aug. 11 at Stone Church, Aug. 13 at Monkey House
Who: Kansas-based indie-rock duo
What they said: Exclaim called it “a vibrant, captivating record that feels like both a wakeup call and a persuasive invitation to resist a culture of consumption and commodification — of space, time and even ourselves.”
Devon Gilfillian — ‘Love You Anyway’
Released: Feb. 10 (Fantasy Records)
Live in VT: Sept. 15-16 at Shelburne Museum (opening for Grace Potter)
Who: Nashville-based soul singer-songwriter
What they said: “What makes Gilfillian special, much like his musical kindred spirits in Brittany Howard, Gary Clary Jr. or Leon Bridges, is that he’s less of a retro revivalist and more of a modernist synthesizer of these sounds,” said No Depression. “Gilfillian finds a way to make the weight of R&B musical history weightless, sprinkling his touchstones and affinities across these tunes in a way that feels natural and reinvigorating.”
Joanna Sternberg — ‘I’ve Got Me’
Released: March 8 (Fat Possum Records)
Live in VT: Sept. 22 at Higher Ground Ballroom (opening for Kurt Vile)
Who: New York City-based singer-songwriter
What they said: “Joanna Sternberg’s second album,” said Rolling Stone, “solidifies the singer-songwriter as a generational cult-folk talent on par with forebears Daniel Johnston and Elliott Smith.”
Karina Rykman — ‘Joyride’
Released: Aug. 18 (self-released)
Live in VT: Dec. 1-2 at Nectar’s
Who: New York City singer-bassist
What we said: “Coproduced by her childhood friend, producer Gabe Monro … and Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio, ‘Joyride’ is a potent, infectious and spellbinding nine-song set that fuses deep funk groove, potent psych-rock and dreamy synth-pop into a glorious and distinctive mix that’s addictive and refreshing.”
