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In addition to their "mainstream' careers in pop, jazz and classical music, some of the most prolific and innovative contemporary composers are also hard at work in the parallel universe of computer games. Here are some of our favourite albums in this genre, released in the past year. 2023's Best Game Soundtracks Final Fantasy XVI - 祖堅 正慶, Soken Masayoshi The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Manaka Kataoka, Maasa Miyoshi, Masato Ohashi, and Tsukasa Usui, with Hajime Wakai Under the Waves - Nicolas Bredin Alan Wake II - Fried Music, Various Finnish Artists Starfield - Inon Zur Planet of Lana - 古川 毅, Takeshi Furukawa Hi-Fi Rub - Masatoshi Yanagi, Various Artists Baldur's Gate 3 - Borislav Slavov Lies of P - Yeakun Yoo Octopath Traveler II - 西木 康智, Yasunori Nishiki

We hear some of our best music at the movies and on TV and they often expose us to music that we'd otherwise never hear. Here is our selection of the most outstanding soundtracks from the past year. 2023 Year's Best Film Soundtracks BEEF - Bobby Krlic Rye Lane - kwes. Saltburn - Anthony Willis, London Contemporary Orchestra Kagami - Ryuichi Sakamoto Killers of the Flower Moon - Robbie Robertson The Boy and the Heron - Joe Hisaishi Oppenheimer - Ludwig Goransson Maestro - Leonard Bernstein Marbie - Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt Poor Things - Jerskin Fendrix Ferrari - Daniel Pemberton The Killer - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Past Lives - Christopher Bear, Daniel Rosen A Haunting in Venice - Hilda Guðnadóttir The Boys in the Boat - Alexandre Desplat The Crown: Season Six - Martin Phipps Cassandro - Marcelo Zarvos Big George Foreman - Marcelo Zarvos May December - Michel Legrand Master Gardener - Devonte Hynes Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One - Lorne Balfe Knock at the Cabin - Herdís Stefánsdóttir Infinity Pool - Tim Hecker Asteroid City - Various Artists Polite Society - Tom Howe, Shez Manzoor Nitin Sawhney - What's Love Got To Do With It?

Happy New Year everyone! As we do every year, we've combed our monthly playlists for the past 12 months for all the five star reviews (almost exactly 100, as it turns out) and created our "BEST OF" playlist for 2023. It's an impressive lineup that we're sure we'll come back to throughout the coming year(s). We hope you do too! Click to connect to 2023 YEAR'S BEST ALBUMS playlists Click to connect to 2023 YEAR'S BEST ALBUMS playlists

Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist Gordon Lightfoot (17 November, 1938 – 1 May 2023) achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music and is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s. Lightfoot was the first in a generation of Canadian singer-songwriters that included Cohen, Mitchell, Young, Sainte-Marie, Robertson, Cockburn, lang, Morissette, Sexsmith, McGarrigle, Feist, McLachlan, Adams, Furtado, Lavigne and others. Lightfoot's career and reputation soared to great heights in the decade from 1966 to 1976, when most of his albums received critical praise and commercial success. Subsequently, his output became less frequent. As many other similar artists lit up the scene with more dynamic alternatives to Lightfoot's familiar baritone voice and folk-based twelve-string acoustic guitar routine perceived as middle-of-the road. In 2002 Lightfoot underwent emergency surgery following a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. This delayed the recording and release Harmony , his 20th original album, which he had mostly recorded prior to his illness) until 2004. Further misfortunes followed - a minor stroke in 2006, that temporarily left him without the use of the middle and ring fingers on his right hand, the death of his manager Barry Harvey in 2007 and a death hoax (which he quickly dispelled) in 2010. Nevertheless, Lightfoot continued to tour, particularly in US, Canada and UK. Harmony would be Lightfoot's penultimate album. It was generally well received, but paled in comparison with his early classics. His last album Solo (2020), made up from demos that dated back to 2001, was similarly well received, especially as Lightfoot returned a stripped-back production that was reminiscent of his early recordings.

If you are not familiar with the name of Karl Berger, you are not alone. Sadly, I only became aware of this exceptional man by reading of his recent passing in the NYT. Karl Hans Berger (March 30, 1935 – April 9, 2023) was a German-American jazz pianist, vibraphonist, composer, educator, and musical thinker. With Ingrid Sertso (his wife) and trumpeter Ornette Coleman, Berger co-founded the Creative Music Foundation (1971) and Creative Music Studio (1972), a premier study center for contemporary creative music during the 1970s and 1980s; it closed in 1984. Based in Woodstock, New York, the Foundation and Studio brought together students and leading innovators in the jazz and world music communities. Unprecedented in its range and diversity, CMS has provided participants with an opportunity to interact personally with musical giants of improvisation and musical thought. The Foundation's advisory board included John Cage, Gil Evans, Buckminster Fuller and Willem de Kooning. Mr. Berger was a pianist and vibraphonist who performed and recorded with leading jazz musicians including Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, John McLaughlin, Carla Bley, Anthony Braxton, Jack DeJohnette, Pharoah Sanders, Dave Brubeck and Lee Konitz, among many others. The Studio's teaching alumni includes Cherry, Braxton, DeJohnette, John Cage, Steve Lacy, George Russell, Richard Teitelbaum, Cecil Taylor and Dave Holland. However, Berger also leaves behind an impressive discography that is well worth a listen. I've compiled a playlist of just four of his richly collaborative albums for our enjoyment.

Shuhada' Sadaqat | Sinéad O'Connor (8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) fearless | angelic | idealist | provocateur | vulnerable | determined | uncompromising | flawed | spiritual | profane | haunted | inspired | abused | generous | dangerous | poetic | enfant terrible | original | irreplaceable In This Heart from "Universal Mother" Chrysalis Records 1994 In this heart lies for you A lark born only for you Who sings only to you My love My love My love I am waiting for you For only to adore you My heart is for you My love My love My love This is my grief for you For only the loss of you The hurting of you My love My love My love There are rays on the weather Soon these tears will have cried All loneliness have died My love My love My love I will have you with me In my arms only For you are only My love My love My love PLAYLIST LINK HERE OR ON IMAGE

The Queen has left the stage, but her songs will forever be sung. Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock ; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) We commemorate a career that began in the nightclubs of St Louis in 1957 and soon after joining Ike Turner's band. Over the next 15 years, Ike & Tina Turner released a string of hit albums and singles, including "River Deep - Mountain High," "Proud Mary," and "Nutbush City Limits." They toured extensively, and they became known for their energetic live performances. However, Turner's personal life was not as successful as her professional life. She was in an abusive relationship with Ike, and she finally left him in 1976. Turner filed for divorce in 1978, and the divorce was finalized in 1979. After leaving Ike, Turner began a successful solo career. She released her first solo album, "Rough," in 1978. The album was a critical and commercial success, and it spawned the hit singles "What's Love Got to Do with It" and "Better Be Good to Me." Turner continued to release successful albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s. She also starred in several films, including "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" and "What's Love Got to Do with It?" (the latter of which was a biographical film about her life). In 2000, Turner announced her retirement from music. However, she returned to the stage in 2008 for a series of sold-out shows in Europe. She continued to tour and perform until 2013, when she announced her final tour. In addition to her musical achievements, Turner has also been active in philanthropy. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations, and she has worked to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and other global issues. Tina Turner is a true icon of music. She has inspired generations of fans with her powerful vocals, energetic performances, and glamorous style. She is a role model for women everywhere, and her story is one of triumph over adversity.

Wayne Shorter (August 25, 1933 – March 2, 2023) American jazz saxophonist and composer. Wayne Shorter appeared in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Davis's second quintet and then co-founded the jazz fusion band Weather Report. He recorded over 20 albums as a bandleader and leaves behind a library of jazz standards that place him among the very greatest players of all time. Click on the image to link to a playlist of five of my favourite Wayne Shorter recordings: Speak No Evil (1966) A lyrical offering with a little help from his friends Elvin Jones (drums), Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass) and Freddie Hubbard (trumpet) The Classic Blue Note Recordings (2011) The title says it all: this is about the best compact collection available of Shorter's classic period recording for this iconic label. Introducing Wayne Shorter (1959) - His first recording as a bandleader, already a unique presence on sax. Bitches Brew (with Miles Davis Quintet, 1970) A seminal album in jazz history, Bitches Brew defined the jazz-rock fusion. His partners in crime included Joe Zawinul (organ), Airto Moreira (cuica, percussion), John McLaughlin (guitars), Chick Corea (electric piano), Jack DeJohnette (drums), Dave Holland (bass), Don Alias (congas, drums, percussion), Bennie Maupin (bass clarinet), Larry Young (electric piano), and Lenny White (drums). Heavy Weather (with Weather Report, 1977) Another jazz-rock fusion album, this time in company with Joe Zawinul, Jaco Pastorius (bass), Alex Acuna (drums) and Manolo Badrena (percussion).

Many notable musical identities passed during 2023 including Vangelis, Betty Davis, Chris Bailey (of The Saints), Mark Lanegan, Glen Wheatley, Olivia Newton-John, Judith Durham, Archie Roach, Christine McVie, Ronnie Spector, Meat Loaf, Ramsey Lewis, Irene Cara, Joey De Francesco, Jim Seals (Seals and Crofts), Klaus Schulze (of Tangerine Dream), Loretta Lyn, Anita Pointer (of The Pointer Sisters), Jerry Lee Lewis and Margaret Ulrich (not to forget legends Uncle Jack Charles, Shane Warne, Rodney Marsh, Caroline Jones, Sidney Poitier, Vivienne Westwood and Pele). A handful of particular favourites left the stage in recent weeks - Jeff Beck, Renee Geyer, Pharoah Sanders, Robert Gordon and Terry Hall. Here's a selection of our favourite albums from their creative genius. Jeff Beck (24 June 1944 - 10 January 2023) The lyrical British guitarist, whose fusion of jazz, blues and rock spanned five decades - replacing Eric Clapton as lead guitarist in the seminal British band The Yardbirds in 1966, releasing a slew of solo albums and continuing to perform and record until last year's album "18" (a collaboration with Johnny Depp)! Renee Geyer (11 September 1953 - 17 January 2023) The volatile Australian lady of soul, jazz and R&B, who described herself as "a white Hungarian Jew from Australia sounding like a 65 year old man from Alabama". Robert Gordon (29 March 1947 - 18 October 2022) Rockabilly revivalist, who collaborated with similarly-minded guitarists Link Wray and Chris Spedding and seemed to capture the genuine spirit of Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Johnny Cash and Sam Cook. Terry Hall (19 March 1959 - 18 December 2022) Charismatic front-man singer and songwriter for Coventry's groundbreaking multi-racial band The Specials, whose songs expressed the angst of immigrant and working class youth amid the social decay of 1980's Britain. Hall and fellow Specials members Neville Staple and Lynval Golding subsequently formed the more pop-oriented Fun Boy Three, releasing two successful albums. Pharoah Sanders (13 October 1940 - 24 September 2022) A major figure in the development of free jazz and spiritual jazz as part of John Coltrane groups during the 1960s, Pharoah Sanders is remembered also for his many solo albums and many exceptional collaborations, including: "Journey in Satchidananda" (1971) with pianist Alice Coltrane; "The Spirits of Our Ancestors" (1991) with Randy Weston; "Promises" (2021) with Floating Points and London Symphony Orchestra.

Ryuichi Sakamoto (17 January, 1952 – 28 March, 2023) Japanese composer, record producer, actor, solo artist and one of three members of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), Ryuichi Sakamoto was an influential and inspiring innovator and musical pioneer of synthesised pop music, electro and techno in the 1970's and 1980's, who then turned to and mastered the full range of musical media including scores for Films, Television Series and Video Games Scores. His collaborations ranged from the likes of filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci, Pedro Almodóvar, Brian De Palma and Oliver Stone, pop musicians David Bowie, Iggy Pop and David Byrne, David Sylvian, Brian Wilson and Youssou N'Dour, Can’s Holger Czukay, experimental trumpeter Jon Hassell to installation works with Visual Artists. His work in recent years (the album async in 2017, and 12 in 2023 remained faithful to the experimental edge he had cultured throughout his career. His solo output was extensive: 21 Studio Albums, 11 Live Albums, 15 Compilation Albums, 6 Video Albums, 48 Soundtrack Albums and 3 EP's. With YMO, almost as prolific: 9 Studio Albums, 15 Live Albums, 10 Compilation Albums and 23 singles. He was recognised in avant garde and popular music, and showered with Awards, most notably winning an Academy Award for " The Last Emperor ", a BAFTA Award (" Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence "), two Golden Globe Awards (" The Last Emperor ", " The Sheltering Sky " and a Grammy (" The Last Emperor ")

Astrud Gilberto (born Astrud Evangelina Weinert (29 March 1940 – 5 June 2023) was a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer and songwriter, best known for her interpretation of the the immortal Antonio Carlos Jobim song "The Girl from Ipanema". Her 1977 album "That Girl From Ipanema" has been part of my vinyl collection since its release and her 1964 collaboration with the great tenor saxophonist Stan Getz is timeless - his tone and her malencholy voice, so incredibly complementary. Her early solo albums are still mesmerising. Samba. Samba. Samba.

Robbie Robertson (5 July 1943 - 9 August 2023) might not be a household name, but he deserves to be. Whether playing behind Bob Dylan (Blonde On Blonde, The Basement Tapes and The "Electric" Tour of UK), as a founding member of The Band, as a soundtrack composer (The Last Waltz, Raging Bull, The King Of Comedy, The Wolf Of Wall Street and Killers of the Flower Moon) or in his own right as solo artist with few peers, the Canadian-born guitarist and songwriter was one of the greats. Link To Spotify Playlist (or click on image)