While the name Afro Blue might bring John Coltrane to mind, this is more along the lines of the Mongo Santamaria version. It's almost some sweetened kind of jazz, but then miss Badu comes along. As soon as Badu puts her vocals on a track, it changes identity into something more mellow, almost spiritually in tune with the rhythm. Robert Glasper's version of Afro Blue is the love child of jazz and soul, resulting in something smooth that I can't really put my finger on, but it's there somewhere in between the piano keys, probably listening to D'Angelo and burning Nag Champa. It might even be the spirit of Neo Soul. 

Robert Glasper Experiment ft. Erykah Badu - Afro Blue 

It's not just Erykah Badu that came together with Glasper to contribute to his upcoming album Black Radio. There's also Prince approved trio KING, blessing yet another soulful track. Move Love, as it's called, is a more breezy composition, and when accompanied by KING it turns instantly relaxing. It melts beautifully together with Afro Blue. I think we got a well produced and impressively kept together album to look forward to. 

Robert Glasper Experiment ft. KING - Move Love  

You'd think music flows out every time Alice Smith opens her mouth. That powerful voice seems to come just as easy as speech to her. Making a cover of a Cee-Lo Green song is a piece of hard work, but in Alice's hands Fool For You is a completely new song. It doesn't stray that much from the style of the original, but the feeling and power that Alice contributes with is no joke. She keeps it straight forward, and even though it originally isn't her song, this definitely feels personal. 

While I felt like somthing lacked from her album For Lovers, Dreamers and Me, this makes up for it. The style fits her voice and attitude perfectly. This cover is interesting, it makes me wonder what her next step will be like, and if she will take her next album down the same way. It also makes me regret not going to the Alice Smith & Gary Clark Jr. concert while I was in New York even more, but that's just me. 

Alice Smith - Fool For You  

It's hard finding a 'Best albums of 2011' list that doesn't include Adele. Perhaps more than any artist, she has made a big impact in music this year with her sophomore album 21, or more specifically, the single Rolling In The Deep. The young singer has time and time again been praised for her voice, and there is no doubt about it. Adele does have a great voice. It trembles in the right places, carries when it needs to, and reaches the higher notes without trouble. She even has a hint of Neo Soul in her voice and way of delivery. It's seemingly a perfect fit for every end-of-the-year list.

So why can't I enjoy her music?

Technically, Adele sings very good. But her voice does not fully convey the feeling attemped in her songs. At some point it comes close, but ultimately falls short. This is especially the case with Rolling In The Deep. Adele starts off well, but when the song approaches the chorus Adele suddenly drops all of the initial energy. This is what puzzles me. Where 21 could have become a very personal album - Adele has said that the songs are inspired of an earlier relationship gone sour - it feels surprisingly flat in many places. Her voice does most of the work, but the emotions don't seem to be the same as they allegedly were when she wrote them down into songs. The album could very well be the case of material that once were very emotional to her, but that ultimately lost much of it's importance at a later time, and so the same emotions could not be summoned as before. Maybe the label, or her co-writers (the names Paul Epworth and Ryan Tedder stand out) are used to help artists take their emotions and turn it into a more easy-to-swallow formula. Whichever it is, there is something that seemingly mutes the personality of 21. 

This all comes down to my definition of Quality music. In it's absolute core, music is emotions conveyed through sound. More specifically, the artist's emotions. This, to me, is the difference between a technically good song, and a song that is captivating.Because no matter how unfair it may sound, a good voice and matching beat might take you to the top of the charts, but alone it's not enough to become Quality music. On the contrary, if you can inject your character and soul in a song, your voice doesn't need to be perfect. Think of artists like Nina Simone, Curtis Mayfield, or Lauryn Hill. They all have beautiful voices, but without all that emotion behind it, their songs wouldnt have been the powerful music that it is. 

Compared to many other songs holding the radio hostage right now, she gives the listener a hint of soul. But comparing her to Amy Winehouse (and those comparisons have been many) is unfair. Amy not only drew from real life events and feelings when writing, she made us feel like we knew her personally just through listening. I feel that Adele lacked this on 21, and therefore she didn't make it to my list. 

So now that we've officially finished off 2011, let's take a look at the best albums that the year had to offer. 

1. Me'Shell Ndegeocello - Weather 

After all the experimenting and soul searching Me'Shell has gone through on her prior albums, she finally found her way home. Me'Shell found herself, and it's not a glossy facade without a cloud in the sky. Me'Shell is smooth neo soul, in it's most human and beautifully flawed way possible. Sometimes her voice is fragile, sometimes bitter, sometimes sensual, but it's always Me'Shell. It's the voice of somebody that has gone through hard times and survived, trying to tear down the walls she built herself. Weather is coming to terms with yourself and the world. 'Hurt, are you foe or friend?', Me'Shell muses, accepting the cracks in the concrete and finding beauty where she never thought she would. It's the soundtrack of growing up, and in a way, it's a story of relief. 

Notable tracks:

Me'Shell Ndegeocello - Weather 

Me'Shell Ndegeocello - Petite Mort 

2. Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'  

Raphael found his niche on The Way I See It, and on his latest album he's developed the sound even more. This time he's more old school rock'n'roll, with a big dose of funk, rather than the Motown sound he tried out last time. It's an interesting look at music history that sweeps you in and gives you a month's worth of finger-snapping, head-nodding Quality music. Raphael doesn't attempt to modernize or alter too much, why change a winning concept? He has talent enough to make it just right, both vocally and with production. The only thing better than this album when it comes to retro sounds is experiencing it live.

Raphael Saadiq - Radio 

Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin' 

3. Gary Clark Jr. - The Bright Lights EP 

You never realize how much you've missed Hendrix-type blues until you hear it again. It's almost like walking into an old friend, hearing Gary Clark Jr. playing the guitar with a rare sincerity. The slower tracks show off blues at it's finest, just plain human feelings spread out on a bed of good music for you to listen and relate to. Gary Clark Jr. touches without meaning to, there's something in his voice that makes you stop for a second and reflect. Never have four tracks said so much as they do on The Bright Lights EP. 

Gary Clark Jr. - Don't Owe You A Thang 

Gary Clark Jr. - When My Train Pulls In 

4. Blitz The Ambassador - Native Sun 

Native Sun is that rare kind of album that you can listen to in it's entirety, every time. Every song stands just as well alone as it does fitted into the tracklisting. We haven't seen hip hop like this in a while, matter of fact, have we ever seen it quite like this? I'ts conscious rap meeting Fela in a form of organized chaos that proves to be completely wonderful and right at home. There's a triumphant horn section, rhythmic drums and Afrocentric themes; Blitz have returned to his roots, and he's done it with live instrumentation. The featured artists are impressive too: Native Sun is visited by Les Nubians crooning in French, soulful Corneille (where's he been hiding anyway?) and skilled rapper Shad. But they never outshine the album itself. Native Sun is it's very own, welcoming you to a better world where hip hop is equal parts lyricism, instrumentation, roots, and personality. 

Blitz The Ambassador - Free Your Mind 

Blitz The Ambassador - Accra City Blues  

5. The Roots - Undun 

The Roots have never been this mature before. This is a completely new approach: a journey from birth to death told backwards through pieces of classical music and backpacker rap set to ?uestlove's drums. Black Thought is as introspective as ever, the instrumental moments are just beautiful, and the closer the it gets to the story's conclusion, the more honest it gets. There are one or two tracks fit for a more mainstream audience, but all in all it doesn't seem as if The Roots will get any airplay this time either. And something is telling me that they're pretty happy with being hailed as the almost famous kings of hip hop underground. If only they could ditch Greg Porn once in a while. 

The Roots ft. Aaron Livingston - Sleep 

The Roots - Finality (4th Movement) 

6. Cunninlynguists - Oneirology 

Kno is turning darker by the minute, and Oneirology might be the darkest Cunninlynguists have ever gone. As the producer of the three man team, he thrives when making concept albums. The more pulled together the theme is, the more dramatic he gets, and the production of Oneirology borders at sheer megalomania with it's dreamlike twists and turns. Deacon the Villain and Natti are holding the lyrics down as usual, and even though they have as broad a theme as dreams to play around with, they just can't help but bringing some of their trademark socially aware material on. The album makes a good job of capturing the complexity of our subconscious, and the eerie mood of the project pulls you down into the elusive world of oneirology: the study of dreams.

Cunninlynguists ft. Rick Warren - Stars Shine Brightest (In The Darkest of Night) 

Cunninlynguists ft. Anna Wise - Darkness (Dream On) 

7. Superstar Quamallah & DeQawn - Talkin' All That Jazz 

Backpacker rapper Superstar Quamallah has hid well lately, but 2011 he came back, and he had newcomer DeQawn in tow. Their album Talkin' All That Jazz was... well, basically what it sounds like. It's an album that doesn't take itself too seriously, but still offers lots of entertaining word play, good beats, and the return of the Nation of Gods and Earths to rap. Inspirations are obvious; there are references to golden age New York hip hop like Tribe Called Quest and Slick Rick, and even '70s Soul group The Floaters. At their best they even bring Poor Righteous Teachers to mind. Yes, that nice. 

Superstar Quamallah & DeQawn - Guerilla Tactics 

Superstar Quamallah & DeQawn - Conversations 

8. Akua Naru - The Journey Aflame 

The newly arrived rapper's debut album is vibrating with warm energy and sensual in it's tone, but don't confuse her for just another hip hop sex kitten. Naru goes deeper than that, exploring both the block and the mind. Her rhymes are calm and methodic, distinctively feminine without conforming to the strict norms of being a female emcee. Strong women like Nina Simone, Toni Morrison and Lauryn Hill are referenced over intoxicating beats, and Naru even tries (and succeeds) with some spoken word over smooth jazz. The Journey Aflame is a beautiful, meditative and sensuous experience, made for late nights.

Akua Naru - Nag Champa  

Akua Naru - The Ride 

And now for some Honorable Mentions:  

Blu & Exile - Give Me My Flowers While I Can Smell Them  

Another step in the direction of sophisticated hip hop dressed up in hipsterish behavior. Some might argue that Blu is striving a little too far out of known hip hop territory, but the rapper's relaxed way of rhyming together with the laidback vibe of Exile's many soulsamples would hopefully be able to calm even the most mainstream-stressed hearts.

Blu & Exile - The Only One 

Jesse Boykins III - Way of a Wayfarer 

It's not only hip hop that decided to try and take a new approach to the craft lately. Jesse brings neo soul into the grey zones with his breezy mellow-vocals-over-trippy-beats style. Through adding electronic producers like Gold Panda the songs get a dreamy feeling, and that is where Jesse thrives the most. While some of his songs slide over a bit too much to the electro side, most of the EP manages to balance the influences in a fresh way.

Jesse Boykins III - Back Home (Mermaids & Dragons) 

King - The Story EP 

The silky-voiced trio are only one short EP into the game, but are already approved by Prince (yes, that Prince). Together, KING have developed a very warm and harmonious type of Neo Soul. It was enough to convince The Artist, and more than enough to have us mere mortals fiending for more. 

King - Hey 

Ocote Soul Sounds - Taurus 

Let's throw in some instrumental latin jazz mixed with afrobeat. Ocote Soul Sounds lends rhythms from both funk and rock, and ultimately soaks it in flavorful modernized salsa. It's an interesting mix, and makes for a lively album that is slickly pulled together into a 50 minute fusion jam session. Taurus is the best album of Ocote Soul Sounds to date, and hopefully they'll continue along this way (even though it would be interesting to see what they'd do to some Middle Eastern tunes). 

Ocote Soul Sounds - Cumbia La Magdalena 

Lenny Kravitz - Black And White America 

To be honest, this is only here because of tracks Liquid Jesus and Superlove. It's baby-making soul slipping over into the Bee Gees era. Does it sound scary? Might be, but you won't be able to stop humming.

Lenny Kravitz - Liquid Jesus