CD Radio's Top 36 Songs of 2023 - Part 2

What a year…moved into my dream crib, experienced my first layoff, went to Ireland to be on TV with Nick Cannon, started medication for the first time, traveled way too much, and learned a lot more about myself. Music narrated all of it. I had an incredibly fulfilling year at work, meeting and working with Victoria Monét, Summer Walker, Keke Palmer, Coco Jones, Doja Cat, Doechii, FLO, Villano Antillano…I even got to interview Coco!

While the year wasn’t easy, music always made the journey feel more cinematic. Whether it was listening to a new artist I discovered through work or trying to drown out all the bullshit of life, music was a constant grounding force in my life. Many of my friends joke about how often I play music—it’s because it’s the only thing that makes my brain work properly.

The year was defined by Kelela’s Raven, Amaarae’s Fountain Baby, Victoria Monét’s Jaguar II, Janelle Monáe’s The Age of Pleasure and SZA’s SOS. I also adored Jai’Len Josey’s Southern Delicacy, Chloë’s In Pieces, Troye Sivan’s Something To Give Each Other, Tinashe’s BB/ANG3L, Leon Thomas’ Electric Dusk and Q’s SOUL,PRESENT.

But 36 tracks really stood out to me this year, so I ranked ’em top to bottom. Per usual, I tried to limit artists having multiple entries so I could represent a wide variety of albums and artists. Don’t hate me if your particular fave song didn’t cut it — this list could’ve just been Kelela, Amaarae, Janelle, Victoria and Chloe, but that wouldn’t be any fun would it?

Let’s get it….part 2!

Playlist [SPOILER ALERT]

20. Needs — Tinashe

While I am actively beefing with Tinashe for calling the 20-minute BB/ANG3L an “album,” she did deliver some of the best tracks of her career on the criminally short project. I vacillated as to which to include — the sexy “Uh Huh”, or DNB perfection “Tightrope”, or my favorite afties anthem “Talk to Me Nice” — but “Needs” just ties it all together.

The track is infectious. It’s total sync bait. And it’s difficult to stay at one level while listening to the song. With thumping bass felt all throughout your body and a melody this recitable, it’s gonna have you bouncing up and down. She employs a popular technique of vocal distortion (à la SZA, Omar Apollo, Leon Thomas and others this year) to the post-chorus, which takes the song (and listener) on cruise control down a highway.

After years of fighting for her voice, Tinashe is sitting so comfortably and consistently in her pocket with her most recent independent releases, reveling in a fierce and loyal fanbase, all while pushing herself sonically. You go, girl.

19. Jupiter — Mai Anna

Like all girls, gays, and theys, Mai Anna’s “Jupiter” exists on a spectrum. Somewhere between a breathless schoolyard profession and a masterful romantic dissertation, it is the (unrequited) love song I returned to over and over again throughout 2023.

The piece features a shimmering synth that floats upward like a wish, begging for a cover by Madison Cailey. When the verse drops, her flow makes you want to smack your gum and rock your hips. Mai Anna’s deft timing is backed by a syncopated percussion that requires you to queue up JoJo’s “Baby It’s You” (I won’t say which version). The overall effect is infectious and sugar-sweet, with a pinch of swagger and more than a little bit of urgency. It’s hard to imagine how Mai Anna could be overlooked, as is the case in verse two. But unsurprisingly, she paints rejection as vividly as she does desire.

My hope for Mai Anna is that 2024 brings a girl who has some sense. My hope for myself and anybody with ears is that we get to enjoy more of her music (maybe an EP pretty pleeeeease?) — Logan Lewis

18. 3 Boys — Omar Apollo

My man, my man, my man! I’ve loved Omar’s music since 2019, and he continues to shine and refine his sonic identity over the years. When this song dropped a friend said to me — “I just love that within seconds of putting it on, you know it’s an Omar Apollo song. I want my music to have its own sonic identity like that.”

This type of sonic identity building cannot be rushed. It takes time and consistency, but eventually seemingly disparate sounds across a discography start to converge — “3 Boys” is Omar’s convergence. The chord progression is as cookie-cutter Pop as it gets, reminiscent of Motown’s earliest days. But the writing juxtaposes the production, placing us in a very unconventional yet ultimately relatable situation — if you’re gay and live in a coastal city. The love I have for Omar stems so deeply from hearing scenarios and articulations of feelings that reflect me. While I question the critical valuation of representation more everyday, I remain confident that it is easier to connect with an artist whose words remind you of…anything that you resonate with! And for queer people, finding that is a powerful novelty.

And as someone who once thought a 3-boys-experiment-in-polyamory could work and was sorely proven wrong, I’m thankful for Omar.

17. Tummy Hurts — Reneé Rapp feat. Coco Jones

In my effort to indoctrinate my friends into Reneé Rapp, I was playing this track and one of them asked — “now what the hell is she talking about?” I’m proud to say she’s now a regular streamer — and the lyrics were definitely part of what drew her in.

The scorn of genuine heartbreak will have you wishing pain on someone’s 3rd cousin, his childhood bestfriend’s dog, her mother’s hairdresser — EVERYBODY catching a stray. In this case, Reneé, joined by vocal powerhouse Coco Jones on the remix, fantasizes about a bleak life for him and her future children — the pain they feel when someone does their children wrong like they did her: “Now my tummy hurts, he’s in love with her/But for what it’s worth/They’d make beautiful babies.” Phew — never doubt a scorned woman.

Beyond the quirky writing, the song shines on Reneé’s debut album Snow Angel — a project I liked but found paled in comparison to the vocals and inspirations I’ve seen and heard Reneé embody. “Tummy Hurts” is a bright and soulful light within a pretty predictable album — and I hope the response to the track is a signal to Reneé that girl, we want you in the R&B world. Come through.

16. How Does It Feel — Summer Walker

My appreciation of Summer Walker’s artistry grew even deeper this year. Meeting and working with her, witnessing the same soft and gentle pulse that I love about her music reflected in her demeanor, was lovely.

In May, she quietly released CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE EP. My team at work collaborated with her on the tracklist reveal and I got to learn about the vision of the project more closely. She aimed for the project to feel soft, healing and rejuvenating — declaring that Black women aren’t often afforded the luxury of the ‘soft life” — and she succeeded without question. She also wanted to reference her stylistic roots, the same ones that blew her up back in the late 2010s. On “Finding Peace” she sings over Solange-inspired jazz production about choosing oneself, on “Set Up (2017)” she brings us back to a time of humble desperation, and on “Agayu’s Revelation” she waxes poetic over an actual Solange (and Steve Lacy!) composed track. But nothing is more masterful than “How Does It Feel.”

It sounds like an onomatopoeia of the soft life itself. She pinches and holds back her voice in a tortured, restrained falsetto I haven’t quite heard her tap into: “You say I’m preachin’ to choirs/But even the Bible had liars.” There is so much longing, pain in her voice and writing— but there always lies a release and comfort in it. “How Does It Feel” is a career highlight both lyrically and vocally, and a stunning reflection of an ever-growing and exploratory artist.

Somehow, CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE EP earned Summer her first Grammy nomination. While that’s in some ways laughable considering they passed over her two blockbuster albums in favor of her most lowkey release to date, it may be indicative of hidden taste from voters? The power of Summer returning to her roots — the ones that made us fall in love with her in the first place — while prioritizing softness and refuge did not go unnoticed despite the lack of radio hits on the album.

15. Fly Girl — FLO feat. Missy Elliott

Guest Write-Up: Cedoni Francis, Content Creator

To create a song that flips a sample masterfully while also being a feel-good playlist addition is tough these days, yet somehow FLO managed to do it. Laced with early-2000s nostalgia, “Fly Girl” is the definition of a song for the baddies. Flipping Missy Elliott’s iconic hit “Work It,” FLO sings, “If you’re a fly girl, get your nails done/Get a pedicure, get your nails did” and follows up that iconic hook with a set of new and original lyrics that connect you to the origin of the song, but firmly place you in the 2020s.

FLO is a group of singers. In “Fly Girl,” Stella, Renee, and Jorja each have their own moments where they shine vocally. This song is built on Renee’s low tone, Stella’s vocal precision, and Jorja’s agility. “Fly Girl” is a banger from 0:01, from its versatility, lyrics, and production — then topped off with a Missy Elliott co-sign. It’s the perfect up-tempo R&B-Pop record and should be the song that makes FLO into superstars — Cedoni Francis

14. cut — Tori Kelly

It’s no question Tori Kelly is one of the best vocalists of my generation — but I haven’t connected with her recorded music nearly as much as her voice itself. However, with the release of her latest album tori, I think she has gotten closer than ever to honing her sound.

The album opens up with the best track — “cut”. It’s razor sharp and feels like an ode to soulful 90s and 2000s dance-pop. It’s held together by a cunning drum, bass and guitar combo. At 136 BPM, the song feels like someone is yanking you forward with them at full speed. The downpitched background vocals repeat the lyrics behind it, adding to a cacophony of sound and movement that you uncover more with each listen. “cut” is a banger — Tori is finding her sound and it led to her creating one of the best tracks of the year.

13. PRESENCE — Q

Some musicians are interdisciplinary in their execution — which is to say they aren’t practicing another artform simultaneously but rather evoking it all at once. Q is a singer, but a painter, an actor, a playwright — and “PRESENCE” feels like a mixed media play in multiple acts. Despite the song being an album closer, it feels like an exposition:“You’ve come so far to turn back now/Don’t give up now.” Q addresses the listener directly throughout, and with conviction: “What you running to?/Just stay in the present.” A cacophony of distant voices echo across funky bass and synth — they sound like the muses — but their message has urgency. The song, like Q, demands to be heard.

Every few years an artist debuts who is way beyond their years, and 2023 brought us Q. He has completely revolutionized the male R&B space this year with just one LP, channeling legends like Michael, Prince, and more. I am seriously looking forward to seeing how his career pans out.

12. Got Me Started — Troye Sivan

So many artists, like Coco Jones, Victoria Monét, who we’ve watched tirelessly hustle for years to find their sound and audience in music, got their break in 2023. Troye’s break is an especially joyous occasion for me because this era transformed me from spectator to fan. I am thoroughly impressed with how he enraptured me and all the gays with his latest album Something To Give Each Other. He flipped the world on its head with “Rush” and “One of Your Girls” and showed true musical prowess on tracks like “What’s The Time Where You Are” and “Still Got It”, all while delivering consistently viral visuals all year. However,“Get Me Started” gets the crown.

Over what could have been an easily fumbled Bag Raiders sample is a glimmering and ascendant anthem about carnal desire — wanting another body to “Fuck [you] like this party did tonight.” The master nurtures its stunningly lush bed of colorful, thick chords — shout out to the engineer. Troye masterfully applies a pitched up vocal effect on the chorus before exploding into a post-chorus that is a masterclass in sampling. The track is a perfect representation of finding your sound and perfectly positioned on an album full of deliciously queer, dance-Pop bangers. Well done, Troye!

11. How Does It Make You Feel — Victoria Monét

“I’ll always love you with no compromise/Deeper than seas and higher than the sky/Till there’s nothing left/You’ll be on my right.” My favorite part of Victoria’s songwriting approach is the ultimate simplicity. In some ways she’s a show off, flexing how her brain clearly has endless amounts of wordplay at its disposal. However, it’s always straightforward enough to bring a smile to your face after the first listen. And when she applies her wordplay to love songs, it makes them feel even more romantic.

“How Does It Make You Feel” is a standout track from Victoria’s career thus far — its an elevation in sonic storytelling within the traditional R&B space, while paying homage to OGs like Minnie Ripperton and The Isley Brothers. My favorite part about Jaguar II overall — which has successsfully answered the wishes of me and my people and broke Victoria to the mainstream — is how comfortably it modernizes traditional R&B. Trends often limit versatility, especially within genres, so its refreshing to see Victoria subvert the more autotune heavy and overembellished trap-soul-y vibe of R&B that has taken over R&B radio over the last half decade or so.

Victoria’s power as an artist is limitless and she is having her well-deserved moment. I worked with her a few times this year and she is as gracious as her voice, writing, and production make her out to be. What I loved most — and something that no artist I’ve worked with has ever said to me — was “Thank you for the work you do that I don’t see.” Phew. Everything that is coming Victoria’s way is divine and deserved: “We were by design/I know that it’s God up there/Giving me the signs”.

10. A Dry Red — Janelle Monáe

This song’s introduction feels like sun pouring in, leaking over pebble walkways and casting palm tree shadows along a quiet stretch of barefoot backyard. And somebody has just turned on the faucet of the sexy bamboo-enclosed outdoor shower that Janelle is about to invite us into. “A Dry Red” is a vacation inside genuine attraction and play — when you click across the room with a flicker of the perfect flirt before your bodies connect over an incredible song, and you just know: we should spend more time together.

The relaxation in this is lush. The guitar lures you in blissfully; like the notes themselves are played with come-hither fingers. It is a carefully considered and enthusiastic invitation to pleasure. It is not a sloppy end of the night hook up or impulsive one night stand. It is a new possibility entirely. The moment after all of the longing, curiosity and suspense that comes with chemistry, in which two caring and consenting humans can enjoy each other in a safe and serene place.

The beauty of this song is its slow sway of intention. No rush: a deliberate, empowered, sensual choice to love and play in a warm summer breeze. May we all be so deeply admired, so thoughtfully communicated to, and free to reciprocate— Tsebiyah Mishael Derry

9. Southern Delicacy — Jai’Len Josey

I met Jai’Len in Atlanta this past April and was blown away by her charisma, her self-assuredness, and her insanely cute outfit. Her album was hours away from dropping and she didn’t hesitate to let me know. I dove in that night and was blown away.

Southern Delicacy (album) is an anthology of (queer) Southern-belle (Black) girl next door sweetness. Jai’Len is a classically trained R&B songstress with immeasurable vocal talent, reminiscent of legends like Jazmine Sullivan and Beyoncé and I have zero issue or hesitation making those comparisons. She has that sweet, husky mezzo voice break that record labels start wars over, that people spend thousands of dollars to hear in stadiums.

And the album’s title track and closer “Southern Delicacy” is her vocal reel. The song is built on a homegrown, acoustic guitar with a high stakes, heartwrenching chord progression: “All you needed was that sugar honey iced tea/Oh I’ma southern type of delicacy.” It’s the same type of sweet, earnest guitar that dominated late 2000s radio (see “Irreplaceable,” “Hate That I Love You,” “With You”) but more sternly R&B than those crossover smashes. There is no uncertainty in the song — only conviction and confidence: “Can’t take lessons for these hips/Can’t study for these thighs/You got the it-girl/Play your part and I play mine.” It’s the same radiant confidence and starpower I felt when I met Jai’Len. Her writing is dreamy and theatrical, enblematic of her Broadway roots. I visualize spiked tea, fall tailgates, the homecoming queen and king falling for each other — the southern Black DCOM we didn’t know we needed.

From playing Pearl (yes, like Mr. Krabs’ daughter) on Broadway to a debut LP, Jai’Len Josey is gearing up for a long career. If anything is correct or right in this industry, Jai’Len’s takeover is imminent. While it should be now, I know we sometimes have to wait longer when it’s this authentic, this raw, this real. And baby, I got time.

8. Feel Me Cry — Chloë

Chloës debut album In Pieces, for all intents and purposes, was a critical and commercial failure. But not in this house! It is such a solid debut effort, and unbiased listening confirms it. The highs are tremendously high — see “I Don’t Mind”, “Looze U,” “Body Do,” — while the lows (see “Cheatback” or “In Pieces”) are honestly still completely OK. However “Feel Me Cry” is in space — it’s an insane showcase of growth compared to all of Chloë’s solo records to date, from both a production and songwriting perspective.

Produced by Chloë herself and co-written with NovaWav, “Feel Me Cry” is bolstered by sparse production in the verses, as a steady bass drum and tear-welling keyboard progression build tension along the way. It creates this forceful mid-tempo, radio-ready, 2007 ‘driving slow in the snow on fifth avenue’ (IFYKYK) type of vibe. The result is a dramatic, shimmering mid-tempo ballad that feels like a storm.

My favorite part is the clever songwriting: “I want you to feel me cry/An emotional high/Comin’ down my thighs/I can’t hold it inside/I want you to feel me cry.” The song, coated in heartache and pure love, is really just about how wet her coochie gets when she’s with him. In the end, it still feels as sweet and romantic as the music your mom used to play. I really don’t think there’s been a more clever song about vaginal secretion since Evelyn “Champagne” King’s “Love Come Down.” Bravo, Chloë.

I’ll die on the hill that Chloë Bailey has received more rigorous internet critique and scrutiny than any other artist who has debuted in the last decade, and the entire rollout and response to In Pieces is prime evidence. In some ways, it can’t just be spun as negative — “you know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation” — but a lot of it also comes from the violent ways Black women artists are propped up and swiftly torn down by the internet, in an almost cyclical fashion. This hive minded practice clouds our vision, or better yet our ears, to artistic growth. To raw talent. To good music. Chloë, keep going — and rest assured, we will revisit this album one day and the tide will change. And y’all will remember, I WAS HERE!

7. Let It Go — Kelela

On a cold February day this year, Kelela released the highly anticipated Raven, and unleashed us into her carefully crafted, ethereal and voluminous world.

“Let It Go,” the third track on Raven, is a slow-burning, expansive R&B anthem. It’s the least ‘electronic’ of the bunch, and is exemplary of Kelela’s immense power to synthesize the best of alternative R&B and electronic music. Somewhere along that synthesis, she shapes club music, club culture and creates sweet cozy bedroom-Pop anthems too.

Lyrically the track deals with the desperation of a fleeting, perhaps even lost love: “Care to tell me where you’re going?/Where you’d go?/Where you hidin?” It’s a bit unclear who we’re asking to “let it go” — maybe we’re asking another lover to hold on, to let this “stormy cloud” pass. But also it seems Kelela may be imploring herself, while she simultaneously fights for this love and begs them to ride with, to let it go.

Kelela released the album of the year in my opinion, only rivaled by Jaguar II and Fountain Baby. I have more to say — but we’ll save it for the next one.

6. Breaking Point — Leon Thomas

I was arrested by “Breaking Point” after my first listen. The rhythm section and keys interact like a ballroom dance. Although it’s technically written in 4/4, the composition creates this D’Angelo’s “Untitled” 6/8 feel. It conjures that same teetering, often circular feeling that 6/8 tempo creates while charging forth with the same locomotive conviction of a song in 4/4.

It feels like a funeral procession for a love — a proper mourning for something or someone that has reached it’s end. Leon’s signature pitched up riffs and vocalizations creep into the introduction as instrumentation opens this heartbreaking ballad: “Feel your heart is drifting but/You’re right there/I called you home/But I might be alone/I can hear it in your tone we’re in the danger zone/In the danger zone.” Leon’s writing and melody choices painfully capture the desperation that is clamoring to extinguish a love that has gone up in flames.

Songs in 6/8 like “Untitled” have a certain teetering energy to them. It’s sometimes tentatively anxious, other times joyfully circular, but it rarely feels forward. Songs in 4/4 feel as if they have more of a starting point and destination — somehow “Breaking Point” embodies both. It’s a slow waltz in a burning room, it’s a long drive away from a place you’ll never return to, it’s the final journal entry, the last voicemail. The remix with Victoria Monét elevates it even more, providing an alternate perspective and a new batch of buttery riffs to express the pain.

“Breaking Point” is the type of song that makes me grateful for music.

5. ICU — Coco Jones

While interviewing Coco earlier this year during her tour, I asked her how it felt to see the crowd’s reaction to “ICU” every night. Her response: “I have to remind myself…this is your song, you wrote this, people love this, you did a good job.”

To be an artist as talented as Coco Jones with a journey to proper stardom so arduous and labyrinthine…it must truly be maddening. But she’s handled the receipt of her long overdue flowers with absolute grace and conviction and “ICU” is the protagonist of her big year. The track became her first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, went viral across the internet, and helped Coco earn 5 Grammy nominations at the upcoming 2024 ceremony.

The song opens with background vocals that feel like a loving sigh of relief, drawing us into Coco’s buttery tone and vulnerable vibrato. “ICU” is satisfyingly simple — Coco doesn’t need much to showcase her vocal ability after her fans watched her slow burn from Let It Shine to her current status. Now that she has our attention, it’s not going anywhere.

“ICU” reflects the importance of letting Coco shine without any frills, ifs ands or buts. This is especially clear at the end: no drums, no background vox, just Coco and piano. She’s been primed for this and has been waiting for her spotlight. Her patient “maybe” at the end gives me chills. The open-ended conclusion to the song points to uncertainty about where her and her lover are going. While I can’t answer that, we know for sure that now is certainly — not maybe — her time.

4. Contact — Kelela

If Raven is a world then “Contact” is its national anthem.

An ode to the club culture that helped raise Kelela, “Contact” has served as the soundtrack of hot sweaty basements in Brooklyn and Queens (and apparently Barack Obama’s house?) all year: “Oh, it’s a sauna/Here if you wanna/It’s 2am and I made it/Everybody faded.” The track relies heavily on a DNB, UK-garage tinged beat but at 2:14, those elements drop out. The choice leaves us suspended in the air, like the moment when you’ve been dancing long enough to lose yourself in the music and something clicks (or hits) and you hit your stride: “Your hands on my body/The feeling is so right.” We stay there for a moment that feels like an eternity, before being thrusted back into the four on the floor DNB beat again. Kelela actualizes real life moments — ones that are impossible to describe in words — in music. The nights I’ve spent at raves shouting every word to “Contact” are a testament to the community Kelela builds through her music.

Kelela is one of the most important artists to exist in the industry because she effortlessly confuses it. We don’t see her anywhere near the Billboard Hot 100, nor is she honored at Black award shows like the BET or Soul Train Awards and mainstream ones like the Grammy’s. Yet her fanbase is rabid — she sells out shows across the world, and every project she’s released receives critical acclaim — Raven itself is on year-end best albums list from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Stereogum and more. Without focusing on anything but her art — she subverts the entire industry and is a reflection of the myriad paths artists can take that do not require answering to the status quo of this industry.

Raven, despite being her second studio album, is a victory lap for Kelela’s musical contributions — and “Contact” is the focal point.

3. On My Mama — Victoria Monét

“If you had to ask me? Girl, I think this single might be the one.” These were the words I spoke to Victoria Monét on the BET Awards red carpet back in June, yet even I couldn’t have predicted the song’s eventual chokehold on urban radio and viral culture. “On My Mama” is a perfect single: it has a funky bassline, confidence-laden lyrics, spirited horns and a catchy hook that interpolates Chalie Boy’s 2009 street hit “I Look Good.” Pair that with a show-stopping dance performance helmed by Sean Bankhead in its accompanying music video, and it’s been up for the Sacramento-born beauty ever since. Long time fans know that “On My Mama” is just a slice of Monét’s potential and artistry, but its breakout success is still oh-so-sweet.

My next prediction? Grammy wins, Pop radio crossover and then, of course, the rest of the universe— Nathan Vinson

2. Snooze — SZA

It can be hard to define R&B, and typically when someone asks me what makes a song ‘R&B’, it’s a lot easier to show rather than tell — and “Snooze” is the presentation. R&B is about a feeling and “Snooze” encapsulates it. It’s a classic upon first listen, enveloping you in a hug and making you want to harmonize and riff all in between its notes. It makes you smile and hold your heart. Even if the lyrics are mildly deranged, it still sounds like love–the beauty and essence of R&B.

“I’ll touch that fire for you/I’d do that three four times again, I testify for you/I told that lie, kill that bitch, I do what/All of them around you scared to do, I’m not.” Phew, I am scared of sister Solana. Not only is her pen paired with Babyface and Leon Thomas’ production lethal, but her mind is too. Her terrifying and fearless commitment to love doesn’t end with “Kill Bill.” On “Snooze,” she sings about a love so addictive that she’d kill, rob, scheme, or hide bodies for it–so long as she remains #1 in his heart. One of the powerful things about SZA is that the brutal honesty of her lyrics resonate across generations–my 61 year-old mother told me she loved the songwriting on this song because “she’s crazy!”

The straightforward structure also leaves room for innovation. For some reason, very few artists turned in their verses for SZA’s latest album SOS, which went on to be the best selling album of 2023. SZA adapted by re-pitching her voice and sampling herself and her collaborators in unique ways on tracks like “Love Language” and “Blind.” My absolute favorite example however is on “Snooze”, as she interpolates Leon’s original demo at 2:01. Even on a solo track, SZA creates dynamism and storytelling that feels like there are features–it’s a masterful showcase of the possibilities of song, how much you can achieve with a pen and some chords.

“Snooze” has been charting on the Billboard Hot 100 since the moment it was release — it was truly chosen by the public as a single. From the moment the album dropped, it has remained the most streamed track after smash “Kill Bill”, which became SZA’s first number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this year. It is simply monumental that an R&B song composed so strongly in the tradition of the genre has organically become one of the biggest hits of the last millennium in just 1 year. It’s the final hatchet in the “R&B is dead” conversation — there is a demand and audience for R&B and no one can deny it now. Its reminiscent of the early 2000s when Black artists dominated the charts fearlessly. But this time, there’s a newfound disruption and artistic freedom that those artists couldn’t quite obtain back then. While there are countless examples of this modern day R&B renaissance, SZA is the crown jewel. She is the most successful Black woman artist of the last 6 years and is shattering records and impacting listeners across every genre. Her career is deeply historical and in decades to come when folks are making documentaries about SZA and her impact, I believe “Snooze” will be the center of the story–it’s the record that saved R&B.

1. Angels in Tibet — Amaarae

CD Radio’s number one song of 2023 is “Angels in Tibet” by Amaarae. Bass-thumping, puddle-fucking, space-orbiting perfection.

With the release of her critically acclaimed album Fountain Baby, Amaarae has perfected her sound — and it’s her’s. She’s quickly become a pioneer in a unique sound that blends afrobeats, electronic dance music and R&B. Some sort of Afrofuturist-Pop — she’s blending sounds from rave culture across the diaspora, as well as Afrobeat drum patterns that ensure you’ll be dancing. There’s something innately yet subtlely queer about both this track and the larger album. Aside from some vivid imagery throughout the album of Amaarae and her desire for pussy, “Angels in Tibet” specifically is an ode to the club. The song is one big, liberating explosion — a celebration of hedonism, of the freedom that comes with bodies sweating against each other, horomones horomoning. While club culture and queerness aren’t synonymous, I have a feeling Amaarae’s isn’t very hetro.

“Angels in Tibet” opens with some sort of underwater mystery — the intro creeps in over low hums and tentative instrumentation. Then bam! It quite literally explodes into a song that truly sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard in my life. From the ad-libs, to the production and structure — the song is nothing short of ingenius. Amaarae’s signature high-pitched squeals carry the track but her flow is distinctly sticcato and quick, like the energy she conjures lyrically. She isn’t afraid to introduce a new section and new flow. My personal favorite sharp turn: “Bling, bling, bling/I like chains and chains.”

In an interview, Amaarae discussed recording “Angels in Tibet” and described a process that simply sounded…fun. Getting drunk, yelling, and not being concerned with what sounds, vowels or phrasing “made sense.” And the result is truly perfection. That same liberation obviously guided the album’s creations and allowed it to cover so much ground. From tracks like “Big Steppa” (for the aunties) and “Come Home to God” (for the lesbians), Amaarae’s artistic bounds are limitless.

Fountain Baby is the #1 rated album on Metacritic this year. It’s further evidence that Amaarae’s genre-bending, queer afro-futurist worldbuilding is working. And that while the industry that services music to us is insistent on placing artists in their boxes, we have even more concrete proof the public enjoys it unboxed, unobstructed and unrelenting.

1. Angels in Tibet — Amaarae

2. Snooze — SZA

3. On My Mama — Victoria Monét

4. Contact — Kelela

5. ICU — Coco Jones

6. Breaking Point — Leon Thomas

7. Let It Go — Kelela

8. Feel Me Cry — Chloe

9. Southern Delicacy — Jai’Len Josey

10. A Dry Red — Janelle Monáe

11. How Does It Make You Feel — Victoria Monét

12. Got Me Started — Troye Sivan

13. PRESENCE — Q

14. cut — Tori Kelly

15. Fly Girl — FLO feat. Missy Elliott

16. How Does It Feel — Summer Walker

17. Tummy Hurts — Reneé Rapp feat. Coco Jones

18. 3 Boys — Omar Apollo

19. Jupiter — Mai Anna

20. Needs — Tinashe

21. What It Is (Solo Version) — Doechii

22. Barbie World (with Aqua) [from Barbie: Original Motion Picture] — Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice

23. Running Out Of Time — Paramore

24. What Is This — Charlie Belle

25. Deli — Ice Spice

26. Soussaup — KAYTRAMINÉ, Amaarae

27. Never Lose Me — Flo Milli feat. Lil Yachty

28. What Was I Made For? [from The Motion Picture Barbie] — Billie Eilish

29. Spirit 2.0 — Sampha

30. BREEE! — Bree Runway

31. vampire — Olivia Rodrigo

32. Water — Tyla

33. riseatsunset — Krishna Canning

34. ASAP — NewJeans

35. Hasta Cuando — Kali Uchis

36. Boys a liar Pt. 2 — Pink Pantheress feat. Ice Spice