If 2022 was a year of at least trying to return to normalcy, part of that process for music makers was putting all they had to say out there, releasing the pent up accumulation of ideas accrued over two years of pandemic living.
This list includes one artist who made a major label debut with a 34-song triple album, and a collective of musicians that released five free ones in a single day. And my alphabetized honorable mentions makes room for double albums by Big Thief and Kendrick Lamar, plus SZA's new 23-song "SOS," released just under the wire this month.
Not everything is oversized. Some entries find strength in simplicity and restraint. But all benefit from a sense of release, that now is beyond the time to get back out there and reconnect with the world.
