It’s that time of the year again, folks. The time when every critic and/or blogger tries to give you the definitive answer to that all important question: “What was good in 2011?”

These ‘end year lists’ come in many different forms, and cover almost any cultural or creative output imaginable, from best movies to best literary works. For one month the entire web is hell-bent on educating the masses on what they should be reading, watching or listening to. And it usually results in quite an interesting, if not, very entertaining read.

In the past four years I’ve contributed to this tradition by making a yearly Top 100 list of my favorite songs. Each year I would write a series of ten blogs, in which I would discuss ten songs per blog (counting down from a hundred).

This year’s “Soundtrack of 2011” series represents a collection of songs that piqued my interest over the past eleven and a half months. The reason for their inclusion in this list can be attributed to a number of things namely, lyrical content, musicality and sentimental value.

The list will cover a wide range of musical genres, but at the end of the day its main focus is on black music. Hip hop, soul, jazz and R&B are all very well represented in this list.

So, without any further ado……let the countdown commence!

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20. “Kool On” (ft. Greg Porn & Truck North) – The Roots

See number 15 on my list.

For now I’ll leave you with an excerpt from a review I find to be very spot-on:

“Undun is based on a character, Redford Stephens, who is faced with the experiences, limitations, and mortality of the streets and drug life. An incredibly dark and even sometimes morbid album, it conveys Redford’s existence in life and death as predestined. And so he gives in to the life, seeming to have no choice: “Illegal activity controls/my black symphony/Orchestrated like it happened incidentally.”

undun is wrought with dark, regretful tones, but it is the lyrics (delivered effortlessly by Black Thought, Big K.R.I.T., Aaron Livingston, Dice Raw, P.O.R.N., Phonte, Truck North, and Bilal) that drive the emotion. The grand leitmotifs of Redmond’s story are woven carefully in the lyrics, so they become vivid when paired with the slow, somber neo-funk tones.

The Roots are known for crossover success and integrating a wide array of genres and influences into their art, and this album is no exception. What makes this album exceptional, however, is the way they have taken intense themes and topics, yet blended them delicately into an album that any music fan will find remarkable. It is the rare piece of music that can speak to many, yet speak to one. The Roots have created a beautiful, heartbreaking album that accomplishes just that.” – (excerpt from prettymuchamazing.com)

19. “Holocene” – Bon Iver

I’ll be honest here and say that this album didn’t do all that much for me. Now I’m not saying it was bad, because that definitely wasn’t the case. But for some reason I just wasn’t that drawn to this project. Even when I first listened to it I felt the uncontrollable urge to go for the ‘skip’ button. I found this to be a really beautiful, but also unimaginably heavy album. Making it not the easiest of listens. If in the right mood, this can be perfect. But, if poorly timed, this will not last long in your mp3 or CD player. At least that was the case for me.

“Holocene” is one of the few exceptions on this self-titled album that I could listen to no matter what mood I was in. A beautiful and amazing piece of work, you’ll get no argument from me there. But not for everyone.

18. “What You Need” – The Weeknd

This dude came out of nowhere and took over the whole R&B game with his more than excellent mixtape “House Of Balloons”. This record literally oozes sex, like Jodeci on crack. But unlike those acts this is a way more forward thinking affair. “House Of Balloons” might just be the smoothest and most polished piece of work I’ve heard all year. It avoids the dirty ‘bump-and-grind’ pitfall and opts to go the other route; a much more luxurious sound entirely.

The beats here feel very hypnotic and sensual, with a slightly dark undertone. But The Weeknd is more than just smoothed out production values. There’s a very enigmatic mystic surrounding his persona. One can see it in every aspect of his work, from the videos to the artwork. It’s stylistic and extremely well executed.

“What You Need” is what happens when the perfect beat meets the perfect vocal arrangement. It’s simply sublime. But that can almost be said of any other song on this gorgeous project. It’s filled with new age R&B for the young and horny, but all with a great deal of sophistication.

17. “Life’s A Bitch” (ft. Royce Da 5’9 & Stokley Williams) – Elzhi

Whoever came up with the idea of putting Elzhi and the 6 piece-ensemble Will Sessions in a recording studio together deserves a medal. Their marriage of hip-hop and jazz is one of the finest I’ve heard all year.

The instrumentals on “Elmatic” are not simply live renditions of already great beats; they are creative re-interpretations that really flesh out the already existing beat. A remember seeing a video of DJ Premier not so long ago. He was given the Will Sessions instrumentals to listen to, and the expression on his face was that of a proud parent. I love that!

“Life’s A Bitch” was one of my all-time favorites growing up, and it still is. This version really took me by surprise, especially that R&B ending with Stokley Williams. Everything was perfect on this track, from Royce’s verse to that elegant outro. The best reworking of a classic I have ever heard.

16. “All Along The River” – Oddisee

Listening to Oddisee’s Rock Creek Park you’d never guess it was created in only ten short days. Oddisee, a talented producer but an even more gifted musician, gave us one of the deepest and most thoughtful recordings of the past 12 months.

Made up of great live instrumentation and sheer inventiveness, Oddisee decided to let the loop machine take a backseat this time around. And to great effect, I might add. Oddisee’s productions are some of the fullest and richest to have ever come out of the hip-hop corner. It’s almost as if his productions have an orchestral quality to them.

While others struggle to master their beatmachines, Oddisee has proven himself an authority on anything that can make sound. “Rock Creek Park” is one of my favorite albums of the year, with “All Along The River” as its definitive highlight.

15. “Sleep” – The Roots

The Roots can do no wrong in my book. Every single member in the Roots band is a highly gifted musician. That small fact gives their sound a richness that no amount of money can buy. I’d even go so far as to say that this band might just be the best in the world, and I don’t mean just in hip-hop.

The other thing that makes ?uestlove and his boys stand out is their constant drive to explore new avenues. They’re always looking for new ways to evolve and re-invent their sound. Each album/project is different from the one that preceded it.

And with “Undun” the boys have chosen to tackle the always tricky format of a concept album. To say The Roots crew succeeded, would be an understatement. They delivered probably the finest hip-hop record of 2011. “Undun” is a filler-free musical experience that will have you raping that repeat button until your fingers bleed.

Sleep is currently my favorite track, but almost every song on here is playing in the same league.

14. “Survive It” – Ghostpoet

Creative, though provoking, poetic, melodic, razor-sharp, intelligent, engaging, original, introspective, versatile, and most of all exciting, those are just a small selection of the words that come to mind when thinking about Obaro Ejimiwe (aka Ghostpoet) and his contribution to the musical landscape of 2011.

His album “Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam” was amazing. In many ways it reminded me of a young Roots Manuva. The similarities are obvious, and need no explanation. “Survive it” was one of those jams that stick to you. I played it almost continuously for the first few days after receiving this album. But even long after the album had come out I’d here a single melody line somewhere, and voila it would be stuck in my head again. Not a bad thing at all.

13. “The Day” – Pete Philly

My expectations for Pete Philly’s solo debut were very high. This was mostly due to the excellent “Open Loops” project, where we saw Pete working with a whole new list of partners, producers and other creative talent in order to release a string of songs through the internet. The “Open Loops” experiment was mostly a hip-hop affair, and delivered quite a few gems. His debut is a different kind of animal. First of it’s not really a hip-hop record per se. If you had to put it in a box, I’d say that box would be labelled soul.

First off, spitting rhymes has taken a backseat on “One”. Pete Philly has chosen to showcase his singing voice, and the result is a beautifully constructed record with a very warm and personal core. I admire artists that dare to take risks. And that is exactly what Pete did here.

“The Day” is my personal favorite. It’s one of those songs that makes you want to sing along to every line, hook and bridge. A beauty!

12. “HiiiPower” (Produced by J. Cole) – Kendrick Lamar

Breakthrough emcee of the year, no doubt. Kendrick Lamar went from relative obscurity to underground adoration. And rightfully so! Section 80 was flawed in my eyes, but it did succeed very well in one aspect:  showcasing the immense talent of this young black male.

His lyricism truly is refreshing. Take almost any song off of Section 80 and you will find proof of that. Where I thought this project could’ve done better was the production. But that’s just me. Songs like “Rigormortis” and “HiiiPower” were good examples of dynamic and fitting musical backdrops. But that can’t be said for everything on Section 80.

Therefore, I still believe Kendrick Lamar has yet to reach his full potential. And I’ll be following his career closely until he does. Because when he does finally discover the right sound to match his voice, it’ll be something extraordinary.

11. “Look What You’ve Done” – Drake

I’ve already said all I wanted to say about Drake and his stellar sophomore release “Take Care”. Some cats will dismiss it as merely soft R&B shit, but you would be wrong. This album is filled with unexpected depth and unrelenting emotion; of which “Look What You’ve Done” is the prime example. If this song doesn’t speak to you on a personal level or if you simply fail to see the honesty portrayed here, well son, then I can’t help you because you must be dead inside.

Verse 1

It’s like ’09 in your basement and I’m in love with Nebby
And I still love her but it fell through because I wasn’t ready
And your back hurt, and your neck hurt, and you smoking heavy
And I sit next to you, and I lecture you because those are deadly
And then you ash it and we argue about spending money on bullshit
And you tell me I’m just like my father, my one button, you push it
Now it’s “Fuck you, I hate you, I’ll move out in a heartbeat”
And I leave out and you call me, you tell me that you’re sorry
You love me, and I love you, and your heart hurts, mine does too
And it’s just words and they cut deep but it’s our world, it’s just us two
I see painkillers on the kitchen counter, I hate to see it all hurt so bad
But maybe I wouldn’t have worked as hard
If you were healthy and it weren’t so bad
Uh, maybe I should walk up the street, and try and get a job at the bank
Cause leave it up to me, J, and neeks, we’re probably end up robbing a bank
Then Wayne calls on my phone, conversation wasn’t that long
Gets me a flight to Houston in the morning
Oh it’s my time, yeah, it’s on
He’s thinking of signing me, I come home
We make a mixtape with seventeen songs
I almost get a Grammy off of that thing
They love your son man that boy gone
You get the operation you dreamed of
And I finally sent you to Rome
I get to make good on my promise
It all worked out girl, we shoulda known
Cause you deserve it