While overall music revenues are down dramatically, vinyl sales continue to increase. The cost for an artist to release music on vinyl can be 5-10 times more expensive than on digital formats. Pristine sound has its costs.

Reward those artists who are willing to sacrifice profit in exchange for a superior product. Here are some of the standouts from 2023:

10. Ivan Neville: “Touch My Soul” — A portrait of Jimi Hendrix and the album cover for Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” are represented on Ivan Neville’s new release, “Touch My Soul.” While those are certainly musical touchstones, the record’s real themes are family and the city of New Orleans. The deaths of Charles Neville (1938-2018) and Art Neville (1937-2019) signaled the end of an era. Ivan, son of Aaron Neville (b. 1941), ensures the family legacy continues well into the 21st century. Along with pops, uncle Cyril and other Neville clan members, the guest list includes Bonnie Raitt, Michael McDonald, Doyle Bramhall II and Trombone Shorty. The album also contains the most unexpected cover of the year, his funk-drenched take on Talking Heads’ “This Must Be The Place.” The Neville legacy lives on …

9. Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway: “City of Gold” — Fresh off a Best New Artist nomination and Best Bluegrass Album win during the 2023 Grammy Awards for her “Crooked Tree” album, Molly Tuttle returns with her band’s latest release, “City of Gold.” And it is better in almost every way, including Golden Highway sounding like a well-oiled machine rather than merely backing musicians. The songwriting is more varied, the darks are much, much darker, the humor funnier and the social commentary … well, that is for the listener to decide. The future of bluegrass is in good hands.

8. Calvin Johnson: “Gallows Wine” — Calvin Johnson, the Pacific Northwest’s patron saint of the underground, headed to Mississippi during the pandemic to record with the band Hartle Road. The album’s press release announces, “Rock ’n’ roll is dead. ‘Gallows Wine’ [KLP287] is a wake for its charred remains.” And what a wake it is.

7. Brad: “In the Moment You’re Born” — For many, the greatest male vocalist to come out of the Pacific Northwest is Shawn Smith (1965-2019), best known as a member of Brad, Satchel, Pigeonhed and as a solo artist. At the time of his death, these were the tracks he was working on to present to Brad bandmates. Remaining members Stone Gossard, Keith Lowe and Regan Hagar decided to complete Shawn’s demos as Brad’s final release. An amazing album, made all the more intense as the listener realizes what foreknowledge Shawn seemed to possess.

6. Metallica: “72 Seasons” — Metallica released its self-titled “Black” album 32 years ago, becoming the hard music mainstream. While that release made them worldwide megastars, their days as a premiere thrash metal band were over. Subsequent releases lacked a connection with their first four seminal albums — that is until now. “72 Seasons” is reminiscent of “Kill Em All” (1983), “Ride the Lightning” (1984), “Master of Puppets” (1986) and/or “…And Justice for All” (1988) — with a frenetic pace, gargantuan riffs, actual guitar solos and possibly James Hetfield’s high point as a lyricist/vocalist. And the best part, 77 minutes and not a single ballad to be found!

5. Samantha Fish/Jesse Drayton: “Death Wish Blues” — Blues guitar-slinger Samantha Fish and outlaw country outsider Jesse Drayton extend their comfort zones to make the “feel good” album of the year with “Death Wish Blues.” No ambiguity here, the album is full of sexual tension and innuendos. Songs like “Lover on the Side” and “No Apology” remind of Tammy Wynette/George Jones or Loretta Lynn/Conway Twitty flinging stuff at each other in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Don’t miss out on the excitement, their live shows reportedly take things to the next level.

4. Bernie Worrell/Cindy Blackman Santana/John King: “Spherical” — In 1994, New York-based experimental guitarist John King collaborated with P-Funk keyboard wizard Bernie Worrell and Cindy Blackman (two years into her first stint as Lenny Kravitz’s drummer). The tapes, featuring rock, funk, blues, noise and experimental, were lost for 29 years! Found and cleaned up, this release is a godsend for fans of all three musicians, especially the late Bernie Worrell (1944-2016). He totally deserves top billing. Those who like their Hendrix with a side of Sonny Sharrock, please take notice!

3. dEUS: “How To Replace It” — The art-rockers from Antwerp, Belgium, have toned down the experimentations from previous releases and focused on the structure of each individual song. Often the music is quite minimal, demanding attention on the lyrics and Tom Barman’s vocals. The results are magnificent. At times, he sounds like a young Leonard Cohen or even a little of Serge Gainsbourg. The 12 individual pieces of art create a wondrous whole.

2. Joe Keithley: “Stand” — Taking time out from fronting Canada’s hardcore punk stalwarts D.O.A., as well as a Burnaby, British Columbia, city councilman, Joe Keithley’s latest solo release, “Stand” indicates he has no intention of slowing down. Keithley and D.O.A. have always been about music as an instrument of social change and “Stand” continues that vein. The music could be from any ‘70s album by Kris, Waylon, Johnny or Willie. The cover of Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and Leadbelly’s “There’s a Man Going Around Taking Names” fit seamlessly with the 10 originals with topics taken from current headlines. “Fentanyl Blues” should be required listening for everyone.

1. London Brew: “London Brew” — By 1970, Miles Davis got rid of three-piece Italian-tailored suits and traditional jazz. He heralded a new era with “Bitches Brew,” fusing jazz and rock, causing purists to turn their heads but opening the ears of the rest of the world. It became one of the definitive releases of the 20th century.

To celebrate the album’s 50th anniversary, British producer/guitarist Martin Terefe organized a series of concerts with 20-some current British jazz musicians. The plan was to use the original pieces as inspiration for improvisations performed live.

With everything set, the pandemic put plans on hold. After a second postponement due to ongoing restrictions, they decided to record and release the music instead of holding concerts.

In December 2020, most were able to congregate in the studio, while some collaborated digitally. After three days, Terefe had 12 hours of improvisation.

Terefe followed the hallmark of the original release of “Bitches Brew,” recording with rock and roll techniques, ignoring the strict confines of jazz. It features little to no editing, just where to begin and end songs from the source jams — the result is 88 minutes of audio bliss.

The record pays homage to Davis’ original while taking everything to a different level. It is heartening to see such a seminal release still resonates and continues to inspire artists to go beyond the expected to achieve the truly unexpected. Heck, even Miles would be proud of this.