TOP FAVOURITE TV SHOWS OF 2022...

 

a highwater year for television with celebrated finales and record streaming numbers, but also, great emotional content. Here are some gems:

THE TOP PICK: 

ATLANTA: SEASON 3 & 4 (FX): 

you don't usually get two full seasons of a show much less two good, consistent ones. In this case, the Glover-helmed show bowed out in spectacular form---handing us week in, week out abstract brilliance that was relatable and touching. If season 3 divided the cast into their own personal stories, then season 4 brought them back together to bring the house down, literally in the best and blackest way possible. 

the best of the rest (in no particular order):

THIS IS GOING TO HURT (BBC ONE): 

we've never seen hospital like examined like this before.

 

 

DRAG RACE ALL STARS: SEASON 7 (PARAMOUNT+): 

it seems as if Rupaul is on TV every week and that would mean things get a little repetitive but whoever came up with the idea for an all-winners season struck gold. And that roast performance by eventual winner Jinkx Monsoon is FUNNY.

 

SHERWOOD: SEASON 1 (BBC ONE): 

no one does murder mystery like the Brits.

 

THE GOOD FIGHT: SEASON 6 (PARAMOUNT+): 

always solid but disjointed at times, The Good Wife stumbled unto magic with the introduction of Andre Braugher as Ri'Chard as a friendly rival to keep Liz on her toes. 

 

THE CROWN: SEASON 5 (NETFLIX): 

this was always going to be a tough season after the Queen's passing, but the show remains as captivating as ever.

 

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: SEASON 1 (HBO): 

you really think the list would be complete without us going back to Westeros? Whether you are Team Green or Tean Black, we can all agree that the excitement around the Targaryen's rule and that we want season 2 as soon as possible!

 

THE WHITE LOTUS: SEASON 2 (HBO): 

still ongoing so we do not know who dies yet but damn, the waiting is tantalizing! Meanwhile, Jennifer Coolidge is a national treasure.

 

 

THE BOYS: SEASON 3 (AMAZON PRIME): 

we are circling Homelander finally getting what is to come to him but other baddies are emerging as some get cut---literally.

2022: THE BEST NEW/EMERGING ARTISTS...

 

Tis the season of recapping the very best new artists that made the year very bright with their unique brand of music!

TOP OF THE CLASS:

Rosalia:

 no real introspection of the year in reggaeton/latin pop can be credible without including Rosalia, who finally juxtaposed the old with the current to swing something none of her peers can come close to emulating.

The rest of the best (in no particular order)...

Steve Lacy:

 of all the things people have had to say about Lacy this year, they keep forgetting one crucial thing: he is a member of the supergroup The Internet. That band doesn't miss and here is proving that he is a big reason why.

Gabriels : 

while plus-size women in music have been retaking a narrative of themselves in pop music, we don't hear much from the guys. Well, lead singer Jacob Lusk is staking his claim with stunning falsetto tracks and nifty moves.

Grace Ives: 

quietly made arguably the zaniest and best pop album of the year by a woman. 

Amber Mark: 

delivered upon the premise of "Foreign Things" the year before and the future remains very bright. 

Ravyn Lenae: 

it would have been easy to faulter in this R&B sub-genre that Lenae has chosen but her head is more than up here. 

Sudan Archives: 

good steady-feet pop.

Ethel Cain:

 sounds like the offspring of a good Chelsea Wolfe and Lana Del Rey union. 

Jockstrap: 

I'm still shocked that this has worked as great as it has. It also proves that Georgia Ellery needs more space to work her magic in her other band (Black Country, New Road).

Scott Hardware: 

his emo balance with alternate genres is mesmerizing. 

TOP 10 MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUMS OF 2022:

 

Every year starts with projected new albums and some names excite more than others. What is not fun is when the album just doesn't quite hit the spot...as is the case for this year's batch: 

1. King Princess HOLD ON BABY: 

it’s always love that tends to soften the rough edges of the best musician’s fire and King Princess is the latest victim of this endless curse. 

 

2. Shearwater THE GREAT AWAKENING: 

the band always has a fine line to work with and, for once, they have fallen over the dull side. 

3. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever ENDLESS ROOMS: 

strains too far to find spiciness. 

4. Ty Segall HELLO, HI: 

time for music’s hardest worker to take a break. 

 

5. M.I.A MATA: 

tries the Madonna-like simplistic pop approach and ends up being mostly clunky. 

6. Santigold SPIRITUALS: 

at this point, you wonder when she’ll ever find her way back to pop excellence. 

 

7. Mitski LAUREL HELL: 

she’s in there somewhere but still lacking. 

8. Brockhampton THE FAMILY: 

they may want not go out on this effort. 

 

9. Big Joanie BACK HOME:

 the set up was more hyped than the delivery.  

 

10. Lupe Fiasco DRILL MUSIC IN ZION: 

he’s much better than this. 

TOP 10 MOST OVERRATED ALBUMS OF 2022:...

 

As I always point out, not bad albums but nowhere as some make them out to be:

1. Black Country, New Road ANTS FROM UP THERE (METACRITIC RATING 9.2/10):

  the band can do no wrong for US critics but yet to justify it. 

2. Soul Glo DIASPORA PROBLEMS (METACRITIC RATING 8.6/10): 

all i hear is rough cuts and harsh disorder. 

3. Alex G GOD SAVE THE ANIMALS (METACRITIC RATING 8.6/10): 

another one of those American-loved artists that I just don't get. 

4. Wet Leg WET LEG (METACRITIC RATING 8.7/10): 

they have time to grow and really become a force.

5. Angel Olsen BIG TIME (METACRITIC RATING 8.8/10): 

for every one step forward she takes, another two meandering into the ether.

6. Earl Sweatshirt SICK! (METACRITIC RATING 8.5/10): 

sometimes releasing an album very early on the year helps the perception that it's good...good example right here. 

7. Dry Cleaning STUMPWORK (METACRITIC RATING 8.5/10): 

it's as if slight spoken word always gets a free pass.

8. Bad Bunny UN VERANO SIN TI (METACRITIC RATING 8.5/10): 

if critics are to be honest, they like him way more than his music. 

9. Fontaines D.C. SKINTY FIA (METACRITIC RATING 8.5/10): 

tries its hand at structured fire but damn, that attention span deficit is the killer.

10. The Weather Station HOW IS IT THAT I Should LOOK AT THE STARS (METACRITIC RATING 8.4/10):

 sounds like B-side rejects from her previous album.