Solid year for aging rockers remembering what made them great in the first place. The stars aligned and the Robinson brothers somehow managed not only to bury the hatchet and reform The Black Crowes, but put out a terrific album and toured on it without imploding. Miracles can happen! X called it a career, but not before going out with an epic bang. And Jack White’s return to peak White Stripes form was such a welcome surprise. Best record he’s made in a couple decades, can’t wait to hear it live at the Mission next year!
| Artist | Album | Label | |
| 1 | Jack White | No Name | Third Man |
| 2 | Sprints | Letter to Self | City Slang |
| 3 | Hermanos Gutierrez | Sonido Cosmico | Easy Eye Sound |
| 4 | The Black Crowes | Happiness Bastards | Silver Arrows |
| 5 | Yannis & the Yaw | Lagos Paris London | Transgressive |
| 6 | Jon Batiste | Beethoven Blues | Verve |
| 7 | X | Smoke & Fiction | Fat Possum |
| 8 | St. Vincent | All Born Screaming | Total Pleasure |
| 9 | Various Artists | Congo Funk! Sound Madness from the Shores of the Mighty Congo River (Kinshasa/Brazzaville 1969-1982) | Analog Africa |
| 10 | Mdou Moctar | Funeral for Justice | Matador |
