These are our 15 favorite Milwaukee albums of 2023

This was a discouraging year for the album.

The biggest album of the year — Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” — gamed the system by racking up streams as a 36-song release. And album reviews clearly aren’t a priority for review aggregator Metacritic, which recently removed music coverage from its home page.

And yet my album-heavy Milwaukee music roundups grew longer in 2023. There are so many talented artists in Milwaukee — more than ever before, and more new music, thanks to the ease of digital distribution — that I wanted to shine a light on as much music as possible.

These are my 15 favorite Milwaukee albums and EPs of 2023. These releases — and many more — gave me reassurance that, in Milwaukee at least, the album as an art form is alive and well.

More: These are our 15 favorite Milwaukee songs of 2023

More: The 20 best Milwaukee concerts of 2023 — and the most disappointing show of the year

15. 'Room to Grow,' Carmen Nickerson

Willy Porter’s frequent collaborator teamed up with the veteran singer-songwriter again, except this time, he was a musician and co-producer on her long overdue debut solo album. Contrary to the implied humility in the title, “Room to Grow” sounds like an album that took a lifetime to create, the way Nickerson, through music and lyrics, sweetly honors the many inspirations of her life, from a spirited late friend on the blooming “Emily” to her childhood farm in Iowa on the swinging, beaming title track.

14. 'Mr. Mulwana,' Ben Mulwana

The Uganda-born folk artist sounds like he’s singing from the heavens on opening track “Lies of the Devil,” and the album repeatedly replicates that splendor. That includes a stunner of a closer, an acoustic rendition of his engrossing original “Embozi,” powered only by a golden baritone, impassioned vocals and gently magnetic guitar.

13. 'Lords of Data,' Astral Hand

"Lords of Data" offers something more bands should contemplate: a complete reboot. Going as far as they could (for now) with superb bluesy psych rock band Calliope, Victor Buell, Dan Dahl, Al Kramer and Anthony Smith revamped their sound, keeping a touch of Calliope's psychedelic tendencies, but with an apocalyptic metal foundation anchored by an almost unbearably heavy low end. The bold risk resulted in their most rewarding album.

12. 'The Afterparty,'Lauryl Sulfate & Her Ladies of Leisure

There have been scores of electronic pop acts emerging from Milwaukee over the decades, but few have been as fun as Lauryl Sulfate & Her Ladies of Leisure — although there was no sugarcoating the fury fueling the songs' sociopolitical undertones on their debut album. For the sophomore album, the beats are still a blast and the wit is still cutting, but Sulfate dramatically expands their ambitions and their sound, recalling a diverse range of artists, from Nine Inch Nails ("So Much Fun") to Scissor Sisters ("6 Ft Under the Dance Floor") to Robyn ("Freefall") to Karen O ("Laguna").

11. 'Siren Songs,' Trapper Schoepp

Schoepp's hard work and natural talent has created a lot of connections with noted artists, from getting Bob Dylan's blessing to complete his song "On, Wisconsin," to recruiting Wilco's Patrick Sansone as a producer, to recording his sixth album "Siren Songs" at Johnny Cash's cabin. But Schoepp also has made a name for himself as one of Milwaukee's finest Americana storytellers, who expands his horizons with the sweet sounds of Celtic folk for this charming collection.

10. 'Count Me In,'Destinee Lynn

Listening to "Count Me In," it doesn't take long to realize you should never count Destinee Lynn out. The Milwaukee rapper's wordplay is succinct and cutting, her bravado infectious and unstoppable, but what makes Lynn truly stand out is her unflinching honesty and vulnerability, whether she's taking stock of a woman's struggles on "She Pressure," getting candid about a lover's damage on "Let You Be Free" or holding back her tears while facing her heartbreak head on in "Not Gone Cry."

9. 'Wade Low,' Hosts

There's no disputing that Hosts frontman Miles Patzer gives his all on the Americana band's fourth album, and first since moving from Nashville to Milwaukee. Hearing Patzer holler over unvarnished, whiskey-and-tear-stained country tunes like "Right Where I Left You" and "Frost on the Roses," it sounds like he's about to start coughing up blood — his guttural howls are that visceral. But then he'll sing a ballad like "7 & 7" with a gentle warble, his voice dripping in honey.

8. 'The Flying Toad Circus,' Bug Moment

When emo rock broke through in the late '90s and early aughts, the Promise Ring was among the most accomplished and influential bands, in Milwaukee and beyond. Emo has come back in vogue, and in Milwaukee, Bug Moment just might be the Promise Ring's heir apparent, and the leader of an exciting new pack of young indie-rock bands. Jasmine Rosenblatt, Grayson Edward, Elias Dorsey and Aidan Hoppens masterfully express their sorrow, but they also push emo forward with novel sonic touches like the electronic shuffle that transforms "Slush" and trap snares that snap underneath vocal pining, folky guitar and ethereal synths on "Dust Mite."

7. 'Undeniably Ground-Breakingly Excellent,' Emmitt James

James certainly isn't shy with the hyperbole with the name of his first project since moving back to Milwaukee from Los Angeles. But the prolific rapper's latest album more or less lives up to the title, a testament to DIY determination, imagination and hard-earned skill, from the jazz-seasoned "1000 Words" to the playful and frank "WR-4R (Will Rap 4 Rent)," a perfect response on behalf of any artist asked to play a free gig in exchange for "exposure."

6. 'Paperflower,' Grace Weber

If 2021 album "A Beautiful Space" — made with Chance The Rapper's creative team the Social Experiment — was Grace Weber's creative breakthrough, "Paperflower" sees the R&B artist fully embracing and exhibiting that confidence. She doesn't do it by showing off, but with a less-is-more approach that makes smitten, beautifully rendered and restrained gems like "Lonely" and "Do4Me" shimmer.

5. 'Take It Out On Me,' Lady Cannon

It’s amazing how a songwriter as prolific as Martha Cannon can consistently have so much impact. In addition to releasing splendid L’Resorts albums at a head-spinning clip, Cannon's solo work continues to shine — particularly the thoughtfulness she puts into her lyrics, allowing her listeners to feel her tragic, self-sabotaging protagonists’ pain. With songwriting this remarkable, you can forgive the relative brevity of her latest Lady Cannon project.

4. 'The Fatalist,' Buffalo Nichols

Carl Nichols’ debut album as Buffalo Nichols’ on Fat Possum Records wasn’t what he had intended, with some studio sessions put aside in favor of simpler acoustic recordings (including demos). But it got the job done, leading to a “Late Show” spot and translating well for an economic live set. But on “The Fatalist,” you feel Nichols’ ambitions come to fruition, his gritty voice and soul-dripping guitar work supplemented by novel touches like hip-hop beats and vocal samples, his traditional blues sound stepping into the future.

3. 'Limonada,' Reyna

Milwaukee might never claim a finer pop songwriter than Felice Bryant, who with her husband Boudleaux, wrote immortal tunes like the Everly Brothers’ “Bye Bye Love.” And so it wasn't lost on me this year when Milwaukee sister pop duo Reyna made a nod to Boudleaux Bryant's "All I Have to Do Is Dream" on their song "Serotonin." Two decades after Felice Bryant's death, it’s clear that Vic and Gaby Banuelos are the finest pop songwriters in the city, inching as close to perfection with their work. And on their more mature and exquisite five-song EP "Limonada," there isn't a lemon in the bunch.

2. 'Emezov,' Wildered

No Milwaukee band took a bigger swing than under-the-radar folk duo of Nate Bjorge and Joshua Miranda. "Folk" doesn't suffice as a description for what Wildered has crafted on "Emezov." Yes, there are acoustic guitars, gentle vocals and wide-eyed epiphanies on songs like the emotionally naked "The Tree," which processes the conflicted feelings surrounding a father's death. But Wildered doesn't box itself in, fleeing the folk for gorgeous '80s pop bombast on "Go" and unearthing a sweet tenderness in the '80s rock staple "Your Love" that the Outfield never conveyed. Under the radar no more — not after this.

Our favorite Milwaukee album of 2023: 'No Things Permanent,' Rose of the West

The possibility of a sophomore slump could have been daunting for Gina Barrington, former GGGOOLLDD member Thomas Gilbert and their brooding synthpop band Rose of the West. They found success with one of their first two songs, "Hunter's Will," landing a crucial placement in a pivotal scene in the first season of "You," then followed it up with an impeccably crafted self-titled debut album. With sophomore album "No Things Permanent," they've made a masterwork that deserves to have a lasting impact, carefully building on the band's sturdy foundation to make something grander and more haunting without cutting corners with easy bombast or losing that precious fragility.

Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on X at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: These are our 15 favorite Milwaukee albums of 2023