Best Albums of 2010 (so far): Part 2

Here's an update on the albums I like (and hate) in 2010 so far. They're just listed alphabetically, and I didn't include the albums I mentioned in my previous post. Click here for the previous post.

Hip Hop

Donwill - Laura’s Tape
I’m a big fan of High Fidelity, so I was happy to see that Donwill of Tanya Morgan based a mixtape around the movie. Then I saw that this was just a prelude to the album Don Cusack in High Fidelity set to be released on 3/23/10. Awww shit! Free download

Freeway & Jake One - The Stimulus Package
I still don’t understand how Freeway ended up with Rhymesayers, but it’s good to hear him rapping over good production on an album that sounds like it had more than a $25 budget after Philadelphia Freeway 2.

Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime - Someothaship
Good call bringing in other producers for half the tracks and also having a good amount of guest rappers. Georgia and Dudley both can get a little exhausting to listen to.

Kay the Aquanaut - Nickelodeon Ethics
On par with Spinning Blue Planet. Half the tracks were produced by Factor, who seems to be single-handedly keeping my hope alive for hip hop in 2010.

Metawon - Choplifter
I assumed Electric Dyslexic was just a fluke outstanding album that he would never come close to again. Wrong. This guy is legit.

Oddisee - Traveling Man
He did a good job of capturing each city, so conceptually the album works, but individually there are only a handful of tracks that would stand out on their own.

Rob Swift - The Architect
Not quite as innovative as he hyped it up to be, but it’s still the best turntablism album since Cut Chemist’s The Audience’s Listening.

Ron Contour - Saffron
(Moka Only + Factor) * bringing their A-games = Best hip hop album of 2010 so far

Team Teamwork - Vinyl Fantasy 7
Just like The Ocarina of Rhyme, the mash-up works incredibly well, despite some questionable song selection. M.O.P. - Ante Up (Battle!) is ridiculously dope! Free Download

Non-Hip Hop

Bei Bei & Shawn Lee - Into the Wind
Good technique, uniqueness and creativity make the occasional repetitiveness forgivable.

Chicago Underground Duo - Boca Negra
I’m not too familiar with their previous work, but from what I’ve read, this isn’t their best work. I’ll have to check out some more of their other work because I thought this was pretty damn good.

Eric Bibb - Booker’s Guitar
I wouldn’t be disappointed if this ends up being the best blues album of 2010 (of course I’m always hoping something better will come out though).

Galactic - Ya-Ka-May
They kept a similar vibe to what they had on From the Corner to the Block, but used a more diverse group of guest vocalists. From the Corner to the Block was better, but not by much.

Gonjasufi - A Sufi and a Killer
I think it would have been even better if he mixed up his weird-ass singing with some rapping or spoken word poetry, but I understand why he didn't. The Gaslamp Killer was a great fit to handle most of the production.

Hamid Drake & Bindu - Reggaeology
It’s an unconventional blend of free jazz and reggae, but it works.

Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me
At 3 discs and over 2 hours, it naturally seems like something needed to be cut from the album, but there’s nothing that should have been cut. It’s weird.

Johnny Cash - American VI: Ain’t No Grave
It’s a good addition to the American Recordings series. It should have been longer if there’s still unreleased material from his lest sessions.

The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
Best album of the year so far even though it doesn't come out for another month. (insert typical comments about how he’s comparable to Bob Dylan but somehow different)

Worst of the Year

Curtis Plum - Call My Cell Phone
It’s sad because I’m going to listen to whatever this guy puts out because I’m so intrigued by how awful he is…

Die Antwoord - $O$
I still don’t know if the bitch that told me this was a great album was just messing with me. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t. It joined the ultra-exclusive 0 Mech club.

Lil Wayne - Rebirth
Maybe he should have listened to a rock album once in his lifetime before deciding to make one.

Mycale - Book Of Angels Vol. 13: Mycale
By far the worst Volume of John Zorn’s Masada Book Two. John Zorn is sometimes too avant-garde for his own good. The series definitely didn’t need an acapella album. It seems to be rapidly declining since it peaked in 2008.