The 50 Favorite Albums of A Black, Gay Music Critic
Recently, Rolling Stone queried 300 artists, producers, music industry executives, and journalists about their 50 favorite albums in order to compile a list of the “500 Greatest Albums.” They ain’t ask my Black, gay ass, so I decided to create my own ranking based on a lifetime of listening to R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop, Funk, Club Music, and Jazz and more than two decades of writing about these genres professionally. (Check tha resume.)
Craig Seymour’s 50 Favorite Albums
- Mary J. Blige — My Life
2. Nina Simone — The Great Show Live in Paris
3. The Notorious B.I.G. — Ready To Die
4. Billie Holiday — Lady In Satin
5. Aretha Franklin — This Girl’s In Love With You
6. Rufus — Ask Rufus
7. Janet Jackson — The Velvet Rope
8. Luther Vandross — Busy Body
9. Jenny Burton — In Black & White
10. Labelle — Nightbirds
11. Jay-Z — Reasonable Doubt
12. Dinah Washington — Dinah Jams
13. Joni Mitchell — For The Roses
14. Mary J. Blige — Mary
15. Miles Davis — Someday My Prince Will Come
16. Aretha Franklin — Amazing Grace
17. Beyoncé — Beyoncé
18. Prince — Parade
19. Phyllis Hyman — Somewhere In My Lifetime
20. Ten City — Foundation
21. Philadelphia Classics mixed by Tom Moulton
22. Parliament — Mothership Connection
23. D’Angelo — Voodoo
24. Aaliyah — Aaliyah (You know damn well it ain’t online.)
25. John Coltrane — My Favorite Things
26. Gladys Knight and the Pips — Claudine (Original Soundtrack)
27. Rufus — Rags To Rufus
28. Sam Cooke — Night Beat
29. Valerie Simpson — Exposed
30. The Spinners — Live
31. Chaka Khan — Chaka Khan
32. Teena Marie — It Must Be Magic
33. Aaliyah — One In A Million (Argue with her uncle.)
34. Diana Ross — Diana
35. Donny Hathaway — Live
36. Sister Lucille Pope and the Pearly Gates — Our Silver Anniversary in Gospel
37. Donna McGhee — Make It Last Forever
38. Grace Jones — Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions
39. Faith Evans — Faithfully
40. Sylvester — Living Proof
41. Gwen Guthrie — Padlock EP
42. Erykah Badu — Mama’s Gun
43. The Notorious B.I.G. — Life After Death
44. Mariah Carey — The Remixes
45. Madonna — Madonna
46. Lil’ Kim — Hard Core
47. Ultra Naté — Blue Notes In The Basement
48. Lalah Hathaway & Joe Sample — The Song Lives On
49. SZA — Ctrl
50. Martha Wash — Martha Wash
So, check out these albums…
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