SZA, Bruce Springsteen, Mitski top critic’s list

Music fans are busy comparing notes this week, as Spotify delivered its annual Wrapped data that details what each individual listener spent the most time listening to over the year.

It tells listeners what were their most-played artists and songs, as well as the number of minutes that they spent streaming on the platform.

And, in a fun twist, Spotify also assigns you a city/town that most matches your musical tastes.

I was one of those eagerly devouring the data and comparing my totals with those of my daughter. (Spoiler alert: She listened to FAR more music online than I did in 2023. That said, however, she didn’t listen to nearly as much vinyl — except what she heard through the wall between my office and her bedroom.)

Here are some of my results, in case you may wonder what your friendly neighborhood music critic spent his time listening to on Spotify this year.

My Top 5 Songs in 2023

1. “A Pearl,” Mitski

Credit my daughter for this one. She’s the person who introduced me to this talented singer-songwriter a few years back and pushed for her to be in regular rotation during our car trips and such.

2. “Son of a Son of a Sailor,” Jimmy Buffett

Buffett’s death in September hit me — and millions of other fans — quite hard. It also spurred a listening spree of the legendary performer’s two best albums — 1974’s “A1A” and 1978’s “Son of a Son of a Sailor.”

3. “SOS,” SZA

The title track to SZA’s second full-length kicks off one of the most thoroughly enjoyable R&B/soul albums of recent years.

4. “Vulcan Worlds,” Return to Forever

I was on a real RTF kick for a long stretch, returning again and again to this brilliant Stanley Clarke-penned song that so nicely showcases one of the most powerful groups that the jazz world has ever known.

5. “Mariners Apartment Complex,” Lana Del Rey

It’s one of the most mesmerizing songs I’ve ever heard. I truly thought that this would come in at No. 1 on my Wrapped list — if for no other reason than I spent one long bike ride basically just listening to “Mariners Apartment Complex” on repeat.

My top 5 artists in 2023:

1. The Dandy Warhols

What can I say? I have excellent taste in music. That’s why I spent 452 minutes listening to the Dandys on Spotify in 2023. The Dandys tune that I listened to most, by the way, was “Genius” — which is definitely a track that lives up to its title.

2. Bruce Springsteen

Inspired by seeing two great Springsteen shows in the Pacific Northwest early in the year, I apparently just stayed on the Boss train all year long.

3. SZA

The SZA show back in March at Oakland Arena was one of the best I saw all year long and it inspired me to keep the talented singer in heavy rotation.

4. Bob Seger

There probably aren’t many years where Bob falls out of — or, at least, far from — my Top 5. I’ve been listening to him since grade school and he remains one of my absolute favorites.