What Does Blue Mean to You?: The Top Songs of 2025

I’m baffled by the spiteful allegations of cynics regarding malevolent algorithms. I intentionally select everything I hear on streaming services. The playlist of my fifty favorite songs of the year is the result of deliberate exploration. Mainstream country, spiritual jazz, regional Mexican music, party anthems, alternative gospel and political screeds are unruffled bedfellows on my bespoke sound system. I’ve ordered the tracks to attain a semblance of continuity, but I tend to love the songs at the top a bit more than the selections near the end. Salvant’s indispensable Toni Morrison-inspired composition, however, is in first place for a reason. As always, none of the lead artists featured here appear on the ranking of my favorite albums of 2025.

1. Cécile McLorin Salvant- “What does blue mean to you?”

2. Sault- “L.U.”

3. BadBadNotGood featuring V.C.R- “Found a Light (Beale Street)”

4. Nathy Peluso featuring Rawayana- “Malportada”

5. Carin León, Diego El Cigala and Chanela Clicka- “Te Quiero Y Me Miento”

6. Charlie Hunter and Ella Feingold- “Shirley Chisholm”

7. Gabriel Jacoby- “Be Careful”

8. Okonski- “October”

9. Damon Locks- “Holding the Dawn in Place (Beyond, Pt. 2)”

10. SML- “Chicago Four”

11. DJ Koze- “Aruna”

12. Emma-Jean Thackray- “Thank You For the Day”

13. Sherelle- “Don’t Want U”

14. Danny Brown featuring Quadeca- “Book of Daniel”

15. Horsegirl- “Where’d You Go?”

16. Kali Uchis- “Sugar! Honey! Love!”

17. Saya Gray- “...Thus Is Why (I Don’t Spring 4 Love)”

18. Alfa Mist- “Avoid the Drones”

19. Larry June, 2 Chainz and the Alchemist- “Bad Choices”

20. MC Yallah- “Tunyedde”

21. PremRock featuring Cavalier and Eludid-  "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"

22. Speed- “Peace”

23. Charli xcx featuring John Cale- “House”

24. Lorde- “What Was That”

25. Mackenzie Carpenter featuring Midland- “I Wish You Would”

26. Morgan Wallen- “I’m the Problem”

27. Evan Bartels- “Montana”

28. Jordan Davis- “Bar None”

29. Lorna Kay- “I’m Never Drinking Again (Again)”

30. Black Country, New Road- “Happy Birthday”

31. Marshall Allen featuring Neneh Cherry- “New Dawn”

32. Lonnie Holley- "That's Not Art, That's Not Music"

33. Chance the Rapper featuring Jamila Woods- “No More Old Men”

34. Key Glock- “Watch Da Throne”

35. TheBabeGabe featuring Monogram- “1999”

36. Burna Boy- “Sweet Love”

37. Little Simz- “Free”

38. Gabito Ballesteros and Fuerza Regida- “Chrome Hearts”

39. Mekons- “Before the Ice Age”

40. СОЮЗ featuring Tim Bernardes- “Lingua Do Mundo”

41. Lil Wayne- “Welcome to Tha Carter

42. Mobb Deep- "Against the World"

43. Viagra Boys- “You N33d Me”

44. Sam Gendel and James McAlister- “Stair 1”

45. Brandee Younger- “Gadabout Season”

46. Bon Iver featuring Dijon and Flock of Dimes- “Day One”

47. Margo Price and Tyler Childers- “Love Me Like You Used Do”

48. Lana Del Rey- “Henry, come on”

49. Colter Wall- “Memories and Empties”

50. Bonnie “Prince” Billy- “Turned To Dust (Rolling On)”

See also: The Top Performances of 2025, The Top Albums of 2025, The Top EPs of 2025, The Top Reissues and Reimaginings of 2025

and

The Top Albums, EPs and Reissues of 2024, The Top Songs of 2024, The Top Performances of 2024

The Top EPs of 2025

Only because the rollout of his recent work was so aggravating, I disqualified Makaya McCraven for this exercise. I dispensed with the four excellent EPs released by the disruptive musician in 2025 by collectively placing them at #9 in this ranking. A few household names are interspersed with weirdos of all stripes in the following list of multi-song sets with run times of less than thirty minutes.

1. Gabriel Jacoby- gutta child
D’Angelo lives.

2. Nathy Peluso- Malportada
Dizzying salsa.

3. Prism Quartet- El Eco de un Tambor
My review.

4. Earl Sweatshirt- Live Laugh Love
More rap songs.

5. Maruja- Tir na nÓg
My review.

6. Adrian Younge- Something About April III
Orchestral MPB.

7. Billy F Gibbons- Cruising with Billy F Gibbons
Beer drinker and hell raiser.

8. Rafiq Bhatia- Each Dream, A Melting Door
Paint them black.

9. Xiao- Control
Swedish power violence.

10. Hyldon- JID023
The Brazilian octogenarian revived and refreshed.

11. Jack White- No Name Live
Back in the garage.

12. Mavi- The Pilot
Underground sobriety.

13. Himari- Himari
Child prodigy.

14. Squint- Drag
Heavier than the Gateway Arch.

15. Stakes Is High- Stakes Is High
KC punx.

16. Lizzie Berchie- Night Shift
Lush neo-soul.

17. Sam Gendel and James McAlister- Diamond Staircase
One of several new Gendel EPs.

18. RMW and Maadcxmmander- Pretty Boy Swag
This, right here.

19. Julius Asal- Siena Tapes
Ravel recital.

20. DJ Python- i was put on this earth
Downcast beats.

21. Anysia Kym- Purity
Beats by Tony Seltzer.

22. Lazerbeak- To Be Tubing
Gently down the (Doomtree) stream.

23. Matt Pryor- The Salton Sea
Adult emo.

24. Flooding- adult 1
Kansas City art-punk.

25. Vince Gill- 50 Years from Home: Secondhand Smoke
Tender mercies.

October 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Vincenzo Bellini’s “La Sonnambula” by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of October 2025*
1. Clarice Jensen- In holiday clothing, out of the great darkness
Bach-based drones.

2. Patricia Brennan- Of the Near and Far
Infinite.

3. Laura Jurd- Rites & Revelations
New rituals.

4. Charles Lloyd- Figure in Blue
Rapturous sketches.

5. Jakob Bro, Wadada Leo Smith and Marcus Gilmore- Murasaki
Wadada #1.

6. Sylvie Courvoisier and Wadada Leo Smith- Angel Falls
Wadada #2.

7. Militarie Gun- God Save the Gun
Firepower.

8. Yazmin Lacey- Teal Dreams
Think Jill Scott, not KC Current.

9. Meredith Monk- Cellular Songs
Primordial.

10. The Necks- Disquiet
Unsettling.

*October 31 releases excluded.

The Top Three Reissues, Reimaginings and Compilations of October 2025
1. Bruce Springsteen- Nebraska ‘82: Expanded Edition
Reasons to believe.

2. Peggy Lee- Mirrors: Expanded Edition
Existentialism courtesy of Leiber and Stoller.

3. JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown- Scaring the Hoes: Director's Cut
Refreshed version of the disruptive 2023 classic.

The Top Ten Songs of October 2025
1. Nathy Peluso featuring Rawayana- “Malportada”
Bad behavior.

2. Gabito Ballesteros and Fuerza Regida- “Chrome Hearts”
Shiny.

3. Amadou & Mariam- “Bienvenue à la maison”
A fond farewell.

4. SML- “Chicago Four”
Big shoulders.

5. Say She She- “Shop Boy”
C’est chic.

6. Robert Glasper featuring Norah Jones- “Prototype”
Two of a kind.

7. СОЮЗ featuring Tim Bernardes- “Lingua Do Mundo”
Belarus meets Brazil.

8. Silvana Estrada- “El Alma Mia”
Ooh! My soul.

9. Mobb Deep featuring Clipse- “Look at Me”
Seen.

10. Dave- “My 27th Birthday”
The party’s over.

The Top Ten Performances of October 2025
1. Brad Mehldau and Christian McBride at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

2. Terence Blanchard at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

3. Angela Hewitt at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

4. Militarie Gun, Liquid Mike and Public Opinion at the Bottleneck
My Instagram clip.

5. Destroyer and Jennifer Castle at Warehouse on Broadway
My review.

6. Matt Villinger, Peter Schlamb, Sebastian Arias and Matt Robertson at the Blue Room
My Instagram clip.

7. Pete Escovedo at the Folly Theater
My notes.

8. Michael Shults, Dan Velicer, Dawson Coleman and Andrew Ouellette at Polsky Theatre
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Angela Hewitt’s masterclass at White Recital Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Susan and William Goldenberg at Asbury United Methodist Church
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

March 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for the Royal Opera’s production of Charles Gounod’s Faust by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of March 2025
1. Vijay Iyer and Leo Wadada Smith- Defiant Life
Resistance.

2. Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson- Bone Bells
“What tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells.”

3. Destroyer- Dan’s Boogie
Regrettably, I know just what he means.

4. Nels Cline- Consentrik Quartet
My review.

5. clipping.- Dead Channel Sky
Overcast.

6. Anouar Brahem- After the Last Sky
Light in darkness.

7. Jan Lisiecki- Preludes by Chopin, Bach, Rachmaninoff, Messiaen, Górecki
All killer, no filler.

8. Bob James and Dave Koz- Just Us
My review.

9. Slim Thug and Propain- Double Cup
Still tippin’.

10. Stik Figa and DJ Sean P- A Small Fortune
Buried treasure.

The Top Three Reissues, Repackagings and Reimaginings of March 2025
1. Art Pepper- Geneva 1980
Late-career fire.

2. Neil Young- Oceanside Countryside
Previously unreleased 1977 album.

3. Branford Marsalis Quartet- Belonging
A replication of Keith Jarrett’s 1974 album.

The Top Ten Songs of March 2025
1. Nathy Peluso- “Erotika”
Salsa. 

2. PremRock featuring Cavalier and Elucid- “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”
Bad guys.

3. Billy Woods and Kenny Segal- “Misery”
Muck and mire.

4. feeble little horse- “This Is Real”
Debaser.

5. Mackenzie Carpenter- “Gone Fishing”
Hook, line and sinker.

6. Maren Morris- “Carry Me Through”
Self help.

7. Black Country, New Road- “Happy Birthday”
Fourpenny opera.

8. Dierks Bentley featuring Stephen Wilson Jr.- "Cold Beer Can"
Pop a top.

9. Little Simz- "Free"
Priceless.

10. TheBabeGabe and The Human featuring Monogram- "1999"
They were dreaming when they wrote this.

The Top Ten Performances of March 2025
1. Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift at Knuckleheads
My review.

2. Branford Marsalis Quartet at the Folly Theater
My review.

3. Dead Heat, Stakes Is High, Failure Drill and Honey at Howdy
My Instagram clip.

4. Leonidas Kavakos and Danil Trifonov at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Leonkoro at the 1900 Building
My Instagram snapshot.

6. Bram and Lucy Wijnands and the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra at the Folly Theater
My review.

7. Thomas Dunford at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral
My Instagram snapshot.

8. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s “Becoming a Redwood: The Songs of Lori Laitman and Dana Gioia” at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Dawson Jones at Green Lady Lounge
My review.

10. The Lyric Opera’s “Cruzar la Cara de la Luna” with Mariachi los Camperos at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Catching Up: Overlooked Albums and Songs of 2021 (so far)

Rather than compiling a conventional mid-year best-of ranking, I’m acknowledging albums and songs I initially overlooked or previously underappreciated in the first six months of 2021.  Many of the selections are obscure, but millions of people were tuned into songs and albums like “No More Parties” and En Contra De Mi Voluntad long before I caught up.

Top Ten Overlooked and Underappreciated Albums of 2021 (So Far)

1. Marianne Faithfull and Warren Ellis- She Walks in Beauty

Pure poetry.

2. Jaimie Branch- Fly or Die Live

Angry improv.

3. Lambchop- Showtunes

My review.

4. Susan Alcorn, Ingrid Laubrock and Leila Bordeuil- Bird Meets Wire

Hung up.

5. Jimmy Edgar- Cheetah Bend

My review. 

6. La Arrolladora Banda el Limón- En Contra De Mi Voluntad

Stupendous big band.

7. Silicone Prairie- My Life On the Silicone Prairie

Space junk.

8. Michael Wollny- XXXX

Progressive Euro-jazz.

9. Birds of Maya- Valdez

Unfiltered scuzz.

10. Elizabeth Chang- Transformations

Kirchner, Sessions and Schoenberg.

Top Ten Overlooked and Underappreciated Songs of 2021 (So Far)

1. Coi Leray- “No More Parties”

Curfew.

2. Moby, Mark Lanegan and Kris Kristofferson- "The Lonely Night"

Hurt.

3. Celeste- "Tonight Tonight"

Undeniable pop.

4. Karol G and Nathy Peluso- “Gato Malo”

Discussion on the In My Headache podcast.

5. Armand Hammer, the Alchemist and Earl Sweatshirt- "Falling Out of the Sky"

Crash.

6. Roman Alexander and Ashley Cooke- “Between You & Me”

Closing in.

7. Anitta- "Loco"

Crazy-good.

8. Ana Lélia- "Meu Cantinho"

Gentle breeze.

9. Cuee and Joel Leoj- “Ain’t Going Back”

Amen.

10. Sir the Baptist and Anthony Hamilton- "Jesus in the Ghetto"

Can’t tell Him nothing.

My previous monthly rankings of albums, songs, concerts and films are here.