Steven Hyden’s Favorite Albums Of 2023

This year’s list is officially a Top 25, but there was so much good music in 2023 that my Top 25 actually includes 51 albums. Also, I’m starting my Top 25 with a No. 26 entry reserved for my favorite album from 2022 that I heard in 2023. I’m doing this because (unlike a lot of year-end lists) I respect the sanctity of the calendar, which precludes me (unlike a lot of year-end list makers) from pretending that an album that came out in 2022 belongs on a 2023 list simply because I posted my list in early December.