What I’m Listening To – January 2023

What I’m Listening To is a monthly snapshot of a few (3 to 4 max) albums I listened to a bunch that month, be it new to me or an old favorite that came back around. There are a few caveats to the list though:

I listen to a lot of music, and these posts will (generally) not contain stuff that was on last year’s Best Of list, a previous months Listening To post, or albums that have been in Digging Deeper, or These Bands Go Together recently.

Chances are I listened to a bunch of things that were listed there as well, but I don’t want to list them over and over again and I listen to enough I don’t have to.

So here are some picks from January 2023 –

What with needing to listen to a bunch of stuff for music posts this month and next, I’ve  found myself spending my non-listen-to-music-for-the-blog music time listening to a lot of quieter stuff. That’s sort of how I rang in the year, really. Quieter music that is no less powerful than the louder things.

Heavy in rotation this month has been the EP Queerjazz by Eddie Gessford. Gentle, musically, this r&b EP is packed with queer lyrics and feelings in a natural and moving way. Clocking in at only 15 minutes the four tracks crate a great mood to sit and sip coffee to. Thoughtful and smooth, it was released back in 2017 but feels just as new now as it must’ve then.

Phoebe Katis’ It’s OK to Cry from 2020 is another album that has captured my brain rather quickly. With a gentle voice and lyrics that explore relationships and failings she captures her own brain wonderfully, tying it back to things we all feel. The album explores familiar territory for anyone with a rawness that can sneak up on you. With gentle instrumentals to underline her message, each song creates a window into a world we know, with feelings that echo.

Is There Any Love In Your Heart from Suzannah is a wonderful soft country album, that sort-of reminds me of Lula Wiles, though far deeper country than they tend towards. Her voice rings out with the timbre of rain, while the music contains everything from fiddles to steel guitar. This is a strong country album that will serve you well on cloudy days, as you find your path forward.

Finally, though not as quiet as the others, I can not deny that needing to listen to a bunch of similar stuff for upcoming posts or not I have had Vulfpeck’s newest release Schvitz in heavy rotation. It’s a great mix of instrumental and lyrical tracks that really show off how good Vulfpeck can be. I think, currently, the standout for me is a Dylan cover, where they take a folk song that edged into gospel lyrically, and pushed up the bass and changed the instrumentation enough to change it to funk and then Antwaun Stanley came in and truly made it a Gospel Funk track. (I can’t link to the song on bandcamp directly, for whatever reason right now, but here is a link to the album there and below is the video)

Next month in “What I’m Listening To” … well I don’t know yet, do I?