best of That Bad Eartha's Best of 2017 - AMAs & Concert Countdown

[That Bad Eartha]

 

If you don't know me, you should expect a lot of R&B oriented gems and releases by aging music royalty. I also tend to listen to full albums, so the focus of the majority of this will be on albums over songs.

 

Here's what we'll be counting down starting Wednesday or Thursday:

 

• Best forgotten gems of 2016
  • Since I didn't do a list last year, I'll highlight a few albums that I feel didn't get their fair recognition last year
• Best concerts of 2017 
  • I've gone a little concert crazy this year after moving to Los Angeles. Here I'll rank the 18 concerts/festivals I've attended this year
• Top 30 songs of 2017
  • To spice things up a bit, I'm only ranking songs that weren't attached to an album or are from albums that didn't make my top albums list
• Top 30 albums of 2017
  • Will also choose my favorite song from each album to make up for leaving them out of my song list

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2017 by That Bad Eartha

[That Bad Eartha]

Reserved

[MP2K]

wait, you've never done??

[Bubble Tea]

Ready for "The Cure" to claim that top spot!  

[That Bad Eartha]

3 hours ago, MP2K said:

wait, you've never done??

Nah I almost did last year, but I had to work so much around Christmas so it slipped by me. I finally have time this year.

[GokuRed]

Perched! Congrats on the first time

[Diarrhoea]

Perched for this

 

[That Bad Eartha]

1st update coming in the next hour or so. We're starting with 12 albums that didn't get their just due in 2016 by artists who didn't release anything this year (or at least didn't release anything good this year).

 

While it isn't a perfect snapshot of my 2016 rankings, all of these projects would have certainly factored into the list and the top 4 is exactly the same.

 

[Vilppu]

Best concerts of 2017

I've gone a little concert crazy this year after moving to Los Angeles. Here I'll rank the 18 concerts/festivals I've attended this year

 

excited for this especially

[That Bad Eartha]

12. Alex Newell - Power EP and Various Singles

HIGHLIGHTS: Kill The Lights (Dmitri from Paris Remix)  Devilish

In a perfect world, the gay community would have adopted Basically Over You as their anthem of the year ala New Rules or at least Run Away With Me and Alex would have been the Robin S or Crystal Waters of the 2010s. But alas, gay men are fickle creatures and have trouble supporting their own. While not on the EP, Kill The Lights (a song created for the short-lived HBO show Vinyl and a collab with Jess Glynne, DJ Cassidy, and the king Nile Rodgers himself) is one of the greatest disco songs released this century.

 

11. Tweet - Charlene

HIGHLIGHTS: Dadada.....Struggle   Won't Hurt Me

This is just a near flawless rainy day, depths of winter R&B album. Classic R&B is really struggling to find an audience right now and it is hard to say this album did much to change that. A lot of old R&B artists fall into the trap of trying to update their sound to fit the new generation (usually by sticking a generic trap song in the mix). Tweet keeps things fairly classic, but pulls gently from jazz, rock, and country influences that help the album feel fresh and new.

 

10. St. Lucia - Matter

HIGHLIGHTS: Dancing on Glass   Game 4 U

This album was unfairly maligned by critics if you ask me. I feel like they fully embraced the crazy instrumentation, stadium rock sensibilities, and sense of fun that permeates 80s music. Like I feel like they should at least be getting the same attention Bleachers does, if not more.

9. Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution

HIGHLIGHTS: Judas   Ebony and Ivy

It isn't super surprising this didn't find a large audience because it is just so out of left field for her. Her previous releases were pretty straightforward (but also exceptional) jazz/R&B although there were often flairs that hinted at a weirder sensibility. Some songs work better than others (a few I find pretty grating tbh), but overall this is a really great piece of work and it is the first time I've been truly excited to see what Esperanza will do next.

[Kim Kardashian]

I need to give Esperanza's album another chance, it was ok on first listen but a bit underwhelming.

Ashamed to say i've never checked out Charlene, even after hearing good things about it.

Need to rectify that soon for sure.

[That Bad Eartha]

5 minutes ago, Kim Kardashian said:

I need to give Esperanza's album another chance, it was ok on first listen but a bit underwhelming.

Ashamed to say i've never checked out Charlene, even after hearing good things about it.

Need to rectify that soon for sure.

1

I'm hoping her next album is a bit more melodic, because some of the songs are more "interesting" than they are pleasant to listen to.

 

Charlene kind of slipped past me too tbh. I probably got more into it this year. It isn't as exciting and fresh as a lot of newer R&B albums have been, but it is a really lovely listen and feels pretty timeless.

 

 

[Bubble Tea]

Let me perch and see what's coming forth. Can't say I'm familiar with these releases.

[PrinceMichaelFan]

WAIT THAT BANNER SLAYS!!!

 

[That Bad Eartha]

8. Corinne Bailey Rae - The Heart Speaks In Whispers

HIGHLIGHTS: Green Aphrodisiac   Caramel

A beautiful (albeit slightly overlong) collection of tracks. It was also her first album released after finding new love following her husband's death. That sense of recovery and finding new joy permeates the album. Caramel has one of the most gorgeous choruses' ever that really encapsulates the spirit of the album for me.

 

"It tastes like caramel, After all this bitterness, Delicious as caramel, And it’s like seeing the sun again, After years of only pouring rain on my soul, It doesn’t matter now, Just to know it’s possible, Is all I ever dreamed, You give me strength I don’t know why, Resurrect me from the pyre, And it’s the sweet death of your pain, After all this bitterness, Caramel"

 

7. All Saints - Red Flag

HIGHLIGHTS: Fear   One Strike

I don't know what went wrong here. Maybe they just went too adult contemporary or didn't have enough promo (or didn't promote to the right audiences), but I think this is their strongest overall body of work. Their first 2 albums had higher highs, but were mixed bags and Studio 1 hasn't aged well for me. Aside from the dud that is Ratchet Behavior, everything else is stunning and the production is so simple, but gorgeous.

 

6. Fantasia - The Definition Of...

HIGHLIGHTS:  Sleeping With The One I Love  Roller Coasters

Woo, it is a bummer to see an artist reinvent themselves and release a genuine career highlight and receive absolutely no recognition for it. Tasia killed it here. In 11 songs, she dabbles in pop, R&B, trap, rock, country, gospel, and you can even hear some dancehall and folk influences. It is also an immaculately produced piece of work with each song flowing into the other very well despite the quick genre changes. And Sleeping With The One I Love is the first track she's released that truly does her live vocals justice.

 

5. Lake Street Dive - Side Pony

HIGHLIGHTS: Call Off Your Dogs  Spectacular Failure

This is just such a fun album and really hones in on a great era of 60s pop and soul for its primary influences. Spectacular Failure is a genuinely hilarious toe-tapper. Their whole discography is great and they put on a fantastic live show as well. I think they are starting to get some television exposure, which will hopefully translate into further success.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2017 by That Bad Eartha

[Tom Vercetti]

It's all coming back to me now with Corinne + Esperanza. Nice highlights.

 

Wondering if Laura Mvula will top this 

[That Bad Eartha]

31 minutes ago, Reinvention said:

Let me perch and see what's coming forth. Can't say I'm familiar with these releases.

 I feel like you would like Alex Newell. This especially is a bop and a half.

 

[Ewan Chaos]

I LOVE St. Lucia and that record, still to this day. I completely agree with what you had to say (actually your 2 highlights are probs my 2 highlights as well, maybe behind HMRA). I saw them live & met two of the dudes, they rocked.

 

Alex Newell had a lovely EP last year too! I liked that Jess/Alex/Nile track too

[madonnas]

That Esperanza album... WHEW.  I'm gonna go listen to it right now. 

I was let down by All Saints tho  

[elvenOCEAN]

Alex Newell is one of the most underrated artists ever! 

I'm still about to listen to Fantasia ("Side Effects of You", the song and more or less the album, was wonderful), Corinne and Esperanza.

I remember everyone praising Corinne's album, even one of my tutors couldn't go without mentioning it. 

 

EDIT: I've actually heard "Ugly"! Nice song, good ending, but I can't escape the feeling that it lacks a bit better instrumentation.

Edited December 14, 2017 by elvenOCEAN

[TheWayWeWere]

Tweet album was actually good

yeah, Red Flag is flawless, their best work , One Strike still gets me

Fantasia NTFI should've been #1 smash everywhere

Edited December 14, 2017 by TheWayWeWere

[Vilppu]

Despite trying so hard to love it after a while I came to realise that I was actually really disappointed with Corinne's album. It had its moments but after The Sea I expected much better.

 

Esperanza on the other hand, now we're talking! I understand how it can be a "appreciate rather than enjoy" thing at parts but it still impresses me a lot.

[That Bad Eartha]

4. Clare Maguire - Stranger Things Have Happened

HIGHLIGHTS: The Valley   Falling Leaves

Clare's debut Light After Dark is probably one of my most played albums of all time. I'm a pretty big sucker for her kind of vocal bombast. This album is much more restrained which makes the moments where she cuts loose like the rollicking The Valley stand out all the more. The whole album is just so stunning and cinematic. The title track especially sounds right out of the greatest Bond film never made.

 

3. Laura Mvula - The Dreaming Room

HIGHLIGHTS: Show Me Love   Let Me Fall 

I think this was one of the tightest and well-done albums of last year. It is sequenced incredibly well and tells a beautiful story in a very short period of time. The layering of her vocals on every track is astounding. This is an album that is best listened to on full blast in your car or in a room with great speakers because it works best when you let it surround you and you take the time to appreciate the detail.

 

2. Molotov Jukebox - Tropical Gypsy

HIGHLIGHTS: Pineapple Girl   If I Knew

If I could get every person I met to just check out one band, it would be this one. Fronted by Natalia Tena (best known for portraying Tonks in the Harry Potter films and Osha in Game of Thrones), this band is everything Trop-Pop should be. The instrumentation on this album (and their entire catalog) is such a fun blend of accordion, steel drums, horns. It is the sound of a vacation or a perfect summer day.

 

1. Niki & The Dove - Everbody's Heart Is Broken Now

HIGHLIGHTS: Ode to Dance Floor  You Want The Sun

Woo this one was done so dirty. Didn't get enough music blog attention, the vinyl was out for like a hot second on an obscure European website, but is now impossible to find. Never released on CD (but they did put out a cassette). No tour whatsoever and they've already released a disaster of a new single called Sushi King. But once you get past the injustice that was the release of this and focus on the music, this album is just astounding. It was 80s revivalism in a way that felt fresh and interesting even after everyone was doing it. The first 7 tracks alone destroy most other releases of the past several years and then they bring it home with the punch of Ode to Dance Floor. When it first came out I thought the middle dragged a bit and the bonus tracks were pointless, but the more I listen to it, the more essential each of the 17 songs become. 

[Vilppu]

Laura's album was incredible and it sounds even better now!

 

I only know a couple of Niki's songs but they were cute.

[That Bad Eartha]

Oh and as one last memory of 2016 before the page change (and since I highlighted 3 of these albums here), I figured I'd post the results spreadsheet from my abandoned New Age of Neo Soul Rate.

 

Apologies to everyone who took the time to rate each of these (a few of you have replied here). I started it over summer break, but then work and school took over. I almost revived it over Christmas break, but it didn't happen and then newTRL took over and I moved across the country and it was lost. This might be missing a few votes as a result of that and I never even took the time to vote myself, but here you go. 

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BkuFbF5smd5jDQgx6y5Odd1c9FGRRdGwWGyDqp7iBZc/edit?usp=sharing

 

That's it for today, but check back tomorrow for my bottom 3 concert experiences of 2017 and a brief recounting of my experience as a seat filler at the American Music Awards.

Edited December 14, 2017 by That Bad Eartha