Best Albums of 2022 So Far

(A list in perpetual flux, I hope it goes without saying — expect a few additions, maybe some subtractions and plenty of transpositions. I include a couple very-late-in-2021 titles, though release dates in the streaming age can sometimes be amorphous. 2022 Product reports here; I’ve reconsidered some scores. And clearly, the below tally could go longer, but I’m trying to limit myself to A’s, A-‘s and highish B+s.)

1.  Fulu Miziki Ngbaka (Moshi Moshi UK EP)
2.  Babes Wodumo Crown (West Ink ’21) 
3. Cäthe Chill Out Punk (Träum Weiter! Germany)
4. Bright Dog Red Under the Porch (Ropeadope)
5. The Kahil El’Zabar Quartet A Time For Healing (Spiritmuse ’21)
6. Mali Obomsawin Sweet Tooth (Out of Your Head)
7. K.O.G.: Kweku T Ghana Zone 6, Agege (Pura Viva France)
8. Phelimuncasi Ama Gogela (Nyege Nyege Tapes Uganda)
9. Club D’Elf You Never Know (Face Pelt)
10. Bas Jan Baby U Know (Lost Map UK)
11. Avalanche Kaito Avalanche Kaito (Glitterbeat Europe)
12. Horsegirl Versions of Modern Performance (Matador) 
13. Lady Aicha & Pisco Crane’s Original Fulu Miziki of Kinsasha N’Djila Wa Mudjimu (Nyege Nyege Tapes Uganda)
14. Brasil Novo (Musica Macondo UK)
15. Moonchild Sanelly Phases (Transgressive)
16. David Murray Brave New World Trio with Brad Jones and Hamid Drake Seriana Promethea (Intakt Switzerland)
17. The Comet Is Coming Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam (Impulse!)
18. Sun Ra Arkestra Directed By Marshall Allen Living Sky (Omni Sound)
19. Nduduzo Makhathini In the Spirit of Ntu (Blue Note)
20. WeFreeStrings Love in the Form of Sacred Outrage (ESP Disk)
21. King Stingray King Stingray (Cooking Vinyl Australia)
22. The Cloaks: A Cloakwork Orange (Abolano)
23. The Mauskovic Dance Band Bukaroo Bank (Les Disques Bongo Joe Europe)
24. Black Midi Hellfire (Rough Trade) 
25. Ibibio Sound Machine Electricity (Merge) 
26. Deca Smoking Gun (Coalmine)
27. Suzi Analogue Infinite Zonez (Disciples)
28. The Afrorack The Afrorack (Hakuna Kuala Tapes Uganda)
29. SpellBook Deadly Charms (Cruz Del Sur Italy)
30. Allen Ravenstine Crossing Daylight (ReR Megacorp)
31. La Roche Liye Liye (Nyege Nyege Tapes Uganda)
32. Hieroglyphic Being There is No Acid in This House (Soul Jazz UK)
33. One More Grain Beans on Toast With Pythagoras (Gunung UK)
34. Lola’s Dice Pura Maldad (8192 Netherlands)
35. David Krakauer Mazel Tov Cocktail Party! (Table Pounding)
36. Panic Shack Baby Shack (Brace Yourself EP)
37. Wet Leg Wet Leg (Domino)
38. Arre! Arre! We Ride the Universe (PNKSLM)
39. Chief and the Doomsday Device Flux Populi (Frownland)
40. Oneida Success (Joyful Noise)
41. Earthgang Ghetto Gods (Dreamville)
42. DJ Travella Mr. Mixondo (Nyege Nyege Tapes Uganda)
43. Hieroglyphic Being The Shittest Sounds U Don’t Ever Want 2 Hear With Spiritual Name Titles 2 Prove How Deep I Am (Mathematics Recordings)
44. Theo Parrish DJ Kicks Detroit Forward (!K7 Europe)
45. The Neptune Power Federation Le Demon de A’Mour (Cruz Del Sur Italy)
46. Hook From, Hook (Shimron Tapes)
47. Sinkane Cartoons in the Night Vol. 1: Live 2019 (City Slang Europe)
48. Edoheart Pandemonium (Edoheart EP)
49. Chacon/Nakatani/Santistevan Inhale/Exhale (Other Minds)
50. Tomasz Dąbrowski & The Individual Beings (April Denmark) 
51. Noori & His Dorpa Band Beja Power! Electric Soul & Brass from Sudan’s Red Sea Coast (Ostinato)
52. Lady Wray Piece of Me (Big Crown)
53. Voivod  Synchro Anarchy (Century Media)
54. Black Space Riders We Have Been Here Before (Black Space Germany)
55. Tarbaby feat. Oliver Lake Dance of the Evil Toys (Clean Feed)
56. Miranda Lambert Palomino (Vanner/RCA)
57. Louis Sclavis Les Cadences Du Monde (JMS France)
58. Charlotte Adigéry Topical Dancer (Deewee Belgium)
59. El Khat Albat Alawi Op.99 (Glitterbeat Europe)
60. Emmanuel Jel Shangah (Gatwitch Canada)
61. Sonja Loud Arriver (Cruz Del Sur Italy)
62. Tim Berne / Matt Mitchell One More Please (Intakt Switzerland)
63. Yard Act The Overload (Zen F.C./Island)
64. Linda Ayupuka God Created Everything (Mais Um Discos UK)
65. Metrolight Copyright Strike (Tee Pee EP)
66. Brötzmann Graves Parker Historic Music Past Tense Future (Black Editions Archive)
67. Tower Shock to the System (Cruz Del Sur Italy)
68. Ingrid Andress Good Person (Warner Nashville/Atlantic)
69. Uffie Sunshine Factory (Company)
70. Nightingales The Last Laugh (Tiny Global Productions UK)
71. Iara Rennó Oríkì (Dobra Discos/Altafonte)
72. Goat Oh Death (Rocket Recodings)
73. Saint Abdullah/Eomac Patience of a Traitor (Other People)
74. Coughin’ Vicars Ritual Discipline (Akram)
75. Raw Poetic/Damu the Fudgemunk Laminated Skies (Def Pressé)
76. The Sheepdogs Outta Sight (Warner Canada)
77. J.D. Allen Americana Vol. 2 (Savant)
78. The Mysterines Reeling (Fiction UK)
79. DJ Marz & DJ Jester Made in USA (Djjesterthefilipinofist/Losflyingturntables)
80. Eric Wagner In the Lonely Light of Mourning (Cruz Del Sur Italy)
81. Priscilla Block Welcome to the Block Party (Mercury Nashville/InDent)
82. Abel Selaocoe Where is Home/Hae Ke Kae (Warner Classics)
83. Ghost Impera (Loma Vista)
84.  Messa: Close (Svart Finland) 
85. Anna Vaus Younger Version of Myself (Longshot EP)
86. Confidence Man Tilt (Heavenly)
87. Jesters Of Destiny Distorting Everything (Full Contact)
88. Funeral Chic Roman Candle (Prosthetic)
89. Haunt Windows of Your Heart (Iron Grip)
90. Kimberly Kelly I’ll Tell You What’s Gonna Happen (Show Dog Nashville)
91. Ashley McBryde Lindeville (Warner Nashville)
92. The Young Gods Play Terry Riley in C (Two Gentlemen Switzerland)
93. Elzhi/Georgia Anne Muldrow Zhigeist (Nature Sounds)
94. Bad Boy Chiller Crew Disrespectful (Relentless UK)
95. Phantom Spell Immortal’s Requiem (Wizard Tower UK)
96. Black Spell Season of the Damned (Regain Sweden)
97. Bekor Qilish Throes of Death From the Dreamed Nihilism (I, Voidhanger Italy)
98. La Société Étrange Chance (Les Disques Bongo Joe France)
99. J.I.D. The Forever Story (Dreamville)
100. Night Demon Year of the Demon (Century Media)
101. 700 Bliss Nothing to Declare (Hyperdub)
102. Two Shell Icons (Mainframe Audio EP)
103. Breland Cross Country (Atlantic)
104. Worm Bluenothing (20 Buck Spin)
105. Lainey Wilson Bell Bottom Country (Broken Bow)
106. Taylor Swift Midnights: 3am Edition (Republic)
107. Pillbox Patti Florida (Monument)
108. Coco Em Kilumi (InFiné France)
109. Alela Diane Looking Glass (Believe)
110. Thus Love Memorial (Captured Tracks)
111. Special Interest Endure (Rough Trade UK)
112. Rose Mercie ¿Kieres Agua? (Jelodanti/Celluloid Lunch France)
113. Hoodoo Gurus Chariot of the Gods (Big Time Australia)
114. Brennen Leigh feat. Asleep At the Wheel Obsessed With the West (Signaure Sounds)
115. Blackhaine And Salford Falls Apart (Head II UK EP)
116. Willie Nelson A Beautiful Time (Legacy)
117. Guts Estrellas (Heavenly Sweetness France)
118. Bragglights End ’22 (Bragghaus EP)
119. Wau Wau Collectif Mariage (Sahel Sounds/Sing A Song Fighter)
120. Ada Rook Ugly Death No Redemption Angel Curse I Love You (Ada Rook)