^ Yeah, as I mentioned, I like a fair amount of hip-hop this year, but David Dallas was the only one of the bunch who put out an album that hit me hard enough to make it on my top list. Drake was disappointing this year. :-/
So, time for #15!
15. Ed Motta - AOR
Genre: AOR, Westcoast, Bossa Nova, Jazz Pop, "Yacht Rock"
Sounds Like: Steely Dan, Christopher Cross, Stevie Wonder, Chicago, early Toto, late 70's Fleetwood Mac
Now this killer little album is the very definition of a left field slap upside the head: AOR is Brazilian soul/funk singer Ed Motta's first ever record released into the English/International market. And while I've been peripherally aware of his uncle Tim Maia (who is a big decades-old player in the bossa nova/MBP scene), Mr. Motta's own output has always been released exclusively in Portuguese since his own career started back in the late 80's. On top of that, he owns one of the largest vinyl collections on the planet and is supposedly a real purist when it comes to how things go down in studio. So after his debut record in English happened to come my way, I gave it a spin not expecting much...
*picks jaw off floor*. So, to put it mildly, this guy has a marvelous voice that just screams CHARISMA in fat neon letters through your speakers. Doesn't hurt that he has a huge range coupled with a tone that could melt coffee stains off the carpet either. And how 'bout dem songs eh? Well, they're all miniature poptastic masterpieces that would have been at home on any of those L.A. classic jazz-rock records of the late 70's like Aja by Steely Dan or maybe on one of the more inspired Chicago recordings. And to make the deal even sweeter, consider the fact that this dude goes out of his way to use analog equipment through both the recording and mastering processes. Pure ear candy, ladies and gents, candy I say!
2013 didn't have too many albums of this pedigree (much less this style), but for anyone who misses Steely Dan and good jazz-pop in general...well, this is a mandatory acquisition. Seriously!