For What It’s Worth: My Favorite 5 Songs of 2023
I love the fact that I go into every year with absolutely no idea what new songs are going to end up being forever cemented in the timeline of my life. It just happens. In 2023, five songs did exactly that — and none of them were released in 2023. Heck, a few of them date back to the 1930s and 1940s. But they all went deep and that’s where the magic happens. These are my five favorite songs of 2023.
You Gotta Move— Mississippi Fred McDowell
I read and listened to everything related to blues history I could get my hands on in preparation for a road trip a buddy and I made to the heart of the Mississippi Delta to explore the holy land of America’s music in the spring. But this song was the one that rose to the top. The slide — the voice—the beat—the lyrics—the raw groove … it just FEELS like the Mississippi blues and everything we experienced. The juke joints. The landscape. The old cotton gins. The grave sites. The time period, circumstances and culture that gave birth to this — the deepest root of American music. And the reverence of it all. This song will forever give me the chills.
Up Above My Head— Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Just as soon as I returned home from that Mississippi Delta Blues experience, I dove straight into my next obsession — the story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. It’s absolutely amazing to me that gospel music’s first true superstar picked up a guitar and basically morphed her music into the birth of rock n roll. Her booming voice and other-worldly guitar chops served as the very inspiration for Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and so many others to do what they did. Heck, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix … the list goes on and on. They all point back to Sister Rosetta Tharpe. This song and this video demonstrate all of that. I was already sucked into her story … but, when I discovered she was born in the tiny Arkansas Delta community of Cotton Plant, I dove even deeper and I’m looking forward to making a road trip to experience her birthplace for myself in the months ahead.
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Summer Breeze — Seals & Crofts
Ahhhhhhhhh! This song will forever remind me of hot, sweaty summer nights after packing up the fleet of paddle boards at Rockford Grange in the foothills of south Missouri, and beginning the drive back to Bentonville at about 11pm. Once per month during the warmer time of year, Reese (my oldest daughter’s boyfriend) and I are in charge of setting up before and cleaning up after full-moon paddle board events on a remote lake. It’s fun but it’s also a ton of work … and always extremely hot. But, this spring and summer, it became customary for Reese and I to queue up “Summer Breeze” and blast it on the car stereo as we rolled out of Rockford Grange with the boards in tow. We’d be dead tired and sweaty, but singing along to this song at the top of our lungs quickly made everything beautiful again — every time. Not to mention it’s just so good. Those voices and harmonies together are absolute gold.
Helpless (cover)— Molly Tuttle with Old Crow Medicine Show
I definitely got deep into the Molly Tuttle catalog of songs in 2023. But it was about half way through the year that I stumbled on this one, in particular — an all-time favorite of mine written by Neil Young, but recreated here by Molly Tuttle with backing from the guys in Old Crow Medicine Show. And it’s SO DAMN GOOD!!! Molly’s voice and style just fit like a glove all over this song. One of those listens that prompt a big ol’ “HELL YES” from me every time.
Could Be Worse— Arkansauce
Over the past couple of years, I’ve seen Arkansauce play live more times than anyone else. No fewer than 7 times, actually. And, while it’s hard for me to pick a favorite tune from this Arkansas-based foursome, this one rose to the top for me in 2023 when they played it as part of a set at The Railyard in downtown Rogers, AR. It was one of those moments where you realize how absolutely beautiful and in sync four human beings can be making music together. Arkansauce ALWAYS brings it, whether on stage at a big outdoor festival or a tiny indoor venue. But “Could Be Worse” is one I ALWAYS find myself singing in the car, in front of the stage, wherever. It’s hard for me to describe what I feel in moments like this — but listening to this song, and the others on this list— give me the kind of feeling that leaves no doubt music is the most powerful and magical art form on the planet.
