‘Bulo’s Fave Tunes Of 2025: The Top 10!!
But first, let us put all of the great tunes in one place for those who have not been breathlessly following along to the Countdown:
OK, here we go:
10:
9:
8:
7:
6:
5:
4:
It was only as I was ordering my Top 10 that I realized that these three songs create a trilogy reflecting community, diversity and inclusiveness, values that are most sorely needed in these dark times. While each addresses these needs in distinctly-different ways, together they demonstrate what music can bring us when brought to us by artists full of humanity:
3:
2. “This track was written by the indie singer-songwriter Kevin Morby, who recorded it in 2016 as a tenderhearted protest song. Staples’s rendition honors the original spirit, but her incomparable voice fills it with a luminous gravitas. Morby said that hearing Staples sing one of his songs has been “hands down the greatest moment and highest honor of my career.” He added, “As the person who penned ‘Beautiful Strangers,’ I feel I have every right to say; her version is better.”
1: A powerful and necessary message of inclusiveness. This grew on me from the first time I heard it until now. Both the song and video are works of art from truly beautiful people:
“It’s our differences that make us beautiful.”
Outstanding list, like every year. It encouraged me to make my own. I can’t resist a list. I first heard about some of these in your monthly roundups.
502s, “Summer Fling”. The Altons, “Waiting,”. Belair Lip Bombs, “Hey You”. Blood Orange, “The Field”. CMAT, “The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station”. Craig Finn, “Bethany”. Cymande, “Road to Zion”. Danny Widdicombe, “Stare Into the Sun”. Durand Jones and the Indications, “Flower Moon”. Eddie Chacon, “End of the World”. Emma-Jean Thackray, ”Stay”. Joyce Manor, “All My Friends Are So Depressed”. Laufey, “Lover Girl”. Lord Huron, “Bag of Bones”. Manic Street Preachers, “Decline &Fall”. Mike Farris, “Swingin’”. Royal Otis, “Good Times”. Rufus Wainwright, “Lost in the Stars”. Ryan Davis, “New Threats From the Soul”. Sharp Pins,”Popafangout”. Triptides, “Silent Life”. The Tubs, “Freak Mode”. Tyler Childers, “Nose on the Grindstone”. Wednesday, “Elderberry Wine”.
I’m a list obsessive, too. First take–the lead singer in that 502’s song looks like a young Bryan Townsend…with some added baby fat.
Big ups for The 502’s and Cymande, in particular.
I also notice that your choices tend to ‘go down easy’.
Super-enjoyable. Thanks for sharing!
I also like that they seem to be having so much fun.
I noticed the “go down easy” aspect myself. Didn’t realize I listened to so much of that this year. My jazz listening went in that direction too. I feel very RELAXED.
One way to minimize Trump tyranny…
As a champion time-waster, I’ve been looking at a lot of best of 2025 lists tonight and am more convinced than ever that many critics these days are victims of a bandwagon effect that results in high praise for artists few have heard of because it makes them look hipper than their readers, or praise for artists they don’t particularly like in order to cater to a young audience. (A third option is that they have to listen to so much music that they’re just relieved to find anything out of the ordinary. A fourth possibility is that some critics are so young they actually like this stuff.)
The biggest beneficiary of youth-pandering is TikTok person Addison Rae. She’s making a lot of top 10 lists, often at No. 1. A singer called Pink Pantheress is better but benefits from the same process. There’s an r&b singer named Dijon whose actually pretty decent, but there are a dozen modern r&b singers more worthy of his many Top 10 rankings.
I realize much of this music is not meant for me, but a lot of music I do like is meant for people younger than I am.
OK, screed over. The good thing about dropping this late at night is that there’s a good chance nobody will read it.