December 19, 2023Scott Goldfine

FUNKNSTUFF’s Top 20 Funk-Soul-Jazz Albums of 2023

A couple of pandemic-maligned years of being cooped up, isolated and bombarded with stressful events and news has thankfully led to the generation of some outstanding music. That’s what artists do, turn grief, angst and hardship into aural beauty that helps make everything easier to bear for the rest of us. That has blossomed into a bountiful bevy of bodacious funk, soul and jazz releases.

Following are FUNKNSTUFF’s picks for the top 20 funk, soul and jazz albums of 2023, in alphabetical order by artist. Disagree or have something in mind missing from the list? Let us know!

Each album image is linked to samples and purchase. Happy New Year!

Bakers Duz’n – Vol. 1Bakers Duz'n

The Chess Project – New MovesChess Project
Tra’zae Clinton – Eye Can Dig ItTra'zae Clinton

Dygital Soul – I: The GenysisDygital Soul

Enema Squad – Live at the Bitter EndEnema Squad

Bob James – Jazz HandsBob James

Tomi Jenkins – Soul SurvivorTomi Jenkins

Lettuce – Live in AmsterdamLettuce

Jeff Lorber Fusion – The DropJeff Lorber

Paulette McWilliams – These Are the Sweet ThingsPaulette McWilliams

Krasno-Moore Project – Book of QueensEric Krasno Stanton Moore

The Motet – All Day  The Motet

Meshell Ndegeocello – The Omnichord Real BookMeshell Ndegeocello

Ida Nielsen – More Sauce, PleaseIda Nielsen

Saoul – PopsicleSaoul

Charlie Singleton – Natural Born ThrillerCharlie Singleton

Tha Skunk Mob – Tha Skunk Mob ComethTha Skunk Mob

Jackie Venson – Evolution of JoyJackie Venson

Bernie Worrell, Cindy Blackman and John King – Spherical

Bernie Worrell

Watermelon Funk – Enter the Galaxy of WooWatermelon Funk

CHECK OUT THE 2022 TOP 20 ALBUMS HERE

CHECK OUT THE 2021 TOP 25 ALBUMS HERE

CHECK OUT THE 2020 TOP 25 ALBUMS HERE

Scott Goldfine

As a fervid lifelong music & film enthusiast / student, I grew up in and around the Los Angeles entertainment industry. I have worked and held many positions in various media realms, since 1998 serving as Editor-in-Chief and now Associate Publisher for Security Sales & Integration, a trade publication serving the electronic security industry. I love several genres of music & film. The former includes funk (Parliament-Funkadelic, Prince, Ohio Players, etc.); blues (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Eric Gales, etc.); rock (Jack White, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, etc.); hard rock (AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc.); jazz (Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Crusaders, etc.); R&B (Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Gil Scott-Heron, etc.); and more. I was a club disc jockey and ran a mobile DJ company (Musical Moods) for more than 15 years, which is where the name Dr. GX originates (Doctor Good Times). Fave film genres include horror (Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.); science fiction (Aliens, Terminator, 2001, etc.); action (Warriors, Road Warrior, Die Hard); westerns (Outlaw Josey Wales, Showdown at OK Corral; Wild Bunch, etc.); suspense (Jaws, Inception, Silence of the Lambs, etc.); drama (Apocalypse Now, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, etc.); and comedies (Life of Brian, Superbad, Ruthless People, etc.). I have attended many hundreds of concerts and movies (in theaters or screenings). I may as well also throw in a few favorite TV shows to give an even broader taste of my sensibilities. A handful would be Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Lost, Justified, Fargo, Seinfeld, Sopranos, South Park, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Key & Peele, Monty Python, Inside Amy Schumer, Louie, Modern Family, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Last Man on Earth, Bob Newhart Show, All in the Family and The Office. Fave authors are Stephen King, Clive Barker and Michael Crichton. I am also a big sports fan and lifelong supporter of the Dallas Cowboys (NFL), Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB). Also enjoy my family of course, electronics/computers/AV gear, and animals, nature and outdoor activities. Graduate of Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica College and California State University Northridge (Radio-TV-Film, Psychology minor). Also studied at UCLA for kinesiology/psychology and earned post-grad Certificate in Accounting from Santa Monica College. Present main occupation is as Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Security Sales & Integration (SSI), which I joined in 1998. I am responsible for overseeing all editorial content in print. online, electronic, in-person and any other media or products for the electronic security industry's leading business-to-business trade publication. SSI is part of Framingham, Mass.-based Emerald Expositions.