FUNKNSTUFF’s Top 25 Albums of 2021

This past year was not without its challenges wrought by continuing hardships of the pandemic, but 2021 is thankfully behind us. From a musical perspective it was another rhythmically stimulating 12 months, especially as far as new funk, soul and other groove-centric releases are concerned.

With that in mind, following are the top 25 albums of 2021, with the top 10 picks listed first, then the other 15 — all in random order. 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!

Mofo Rising – Mofo Rising II

Dumpstaphunk – Where Do We Go From Here

Prince – Welcome 2 America

Mark Lettieri – The Baritone Sessions Vol. 2

Danny Bedrosian & Brothers Nalbandyan – Garmir Caramel

Khu.eex – WOOch

Dafonk – So Horny
Tra’zae Clinton – Junie Bug
Exiles of the Nation – Liquidation
The Funkinator – What the Funk Was That?
Robert Harper – The Fonk Record

St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home
George Porter Jr. & The Runnin’ Pardners – Crying for Hope
Silk Sonic – An Evening With Silk Sonic
Maurice Jackson – The Guitarian
Cory Wong – Cory and the Wongnotes
WRD – The Hit
Dam-Funk – Above the Fray
Amp Fiddler – Basementality
Joel Culpepper – Sgt Culpepper

Redtenbacher’s Funkestra – Big Funk Band
Saoul – Paint the World
Booker & Bridges Dalight – World Jamdemic
The P-Union – Re-Flush It
The Neon Romeoz – Exotic Places

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.