Screenshot of the trailer for Theater an der Wien’s production of Gioachino Rossini’s L’occasione fa il ladro by There Stands the Glass.
The Top Ten Albums of January 2026
1. Kris Davis and the Lutoslawski Quartet- The Solastalgia Suite
A turbulent third stream.
2. Angelika Niescier- Chicago Tapes
The German saxophonist visits the Windy City.
3. Sault- Chapter 1
Rewriting the book of neo-soul.
4. Craig Taborn- Dream Archives
With Tomeka Reid and Ches Smith.
5. Zach Bryan- With Heaven on Top
Little pink houses.
6. Ari Lennox- Vacancy
Hole in her heart.
7. Haeun Joo- Just Gravity
Inescapable pull.
8. Makoto Ozone- For Someone
My review.
9. Joel Ross- Gospel Music
Persuasive testimony.
10. Hermon Mehari and NO(w) Beauty- (un)Seen
On sight.
The Top Three Reissues and Reimaginings of January 2026
1. Various- Naive Melodies
Real live wires.
2. Zach Bryan- With Heaven On Top (Acoustic)
Lonesome jubilees.
3. Grupo Um- Nineteen Seventy Seven
Return to forever.
The Top Ten Songs of January 2026
1. Callie Day- "Rely On You"
Live at Isaac Cates’ Affirmations service in Leawood, Kansas.
2. Jill Scott- “Beautiful People”
Everybody is a star.
3. Ella Langley- “Dandelion”
Deep in the weeds.
4. Rawayana featuring Manuel Turizo- “Inglés en Miami”
Speaking of Venezuela.
5. A$AP Rocky- “Punk Rocky”
The best track on a disappointing album.
6. By Storm- “Can I Have Your For Myself”
A tough pill to swallow.
7. Pat Metheny- “In On It”
I’m going with him.
8. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis- “Gestations”
Fully formed.
9. Camper featuring Alex Isley and RoseGold- “Sixteen Summers”
Silly love song.
10. Melissa Aldana- “La Sentencia”
Exquisite.
The Top Performances of January 2026
Travel, inclement weather and budget constraints prevented me from attending ten or more shows in a month for the first time since the pandemic.
The previous monthly recap is here.