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KSUT music show hosts pick their favorite songs of 2023

What a year for music!

From emerging artists to established favorites, 2023 was truly a banner year for what we call "music discovery." KSUT hosts did their best to bring new songs and sounds to you, either through our Music Blends or specialty shows.

Now it's time for a little review. On this page, you'll find a collection of 'Best of 2023' lists submitted by our staff and music hosts. It's a nice opportunity to look back—and to turn you on to music you might have missed.

Have fun exploring the lists, and thank you for listening to KSUT!

KSUT Top 12 Songs of 2023

  1. boygenius - “Not Strong Enough” (26 spins)
  2. Sunny War feat. Chris Pierce and Allison Russell - “Love’s Death Bed” ( 23 spins)
  3. The Wood Brothers - “Pilgrim” (22 spins)
  4. boygenius - “True Blue” (21 spins)
  5. Ana Egge - “Heart Is a Mirror” (20 spins)
  6. Fruit Bats - “Rushin’ River Valley” (20 spins)
  7. Nickel Creek - “Strangers” (20 spins)
  8. Devon Gilfillian - “All I Really Wanna Do” (19 spins)
  9. Everything But the Girl - “Nothing Left to Lose” (19 spins)
  10. Eilen Jewell - “Lethal Love” (18 spins)
  11. Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy feat. Rhiannon Giddens - “Woman of the House” (18 spins)
  12. Band of Heathens - “Don’t Let the Darkness,” (18 spins)

Spins are compiled from KSUT Music Blends (Morning, Afternoon, Saturday) and our locally-produced specialty music programs.

KSUT music host top picks

Bobby Hemenger

  1. Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter and Nate Smith - “Boogie Down”
  2. Montis, Goudsmit and Directie - “Root Up”
  3. Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox feat. Emma Smith - “One Week”
  4. Lucas de Mulder and the New Mastersounds - “Ginger Beat”
  5. Wynton Marsalis - “Potato Head Blues”
  6. Joey Alexander - “Blue”
  7. Nubya Garcia - “Lean In”
  8. Joshua Redman and Gabrielle Cavassa - “Stars Fell on Alabama”
  9. Steve Smith and Vital Information - “A Prayer for the Generations Part 5”
  10. Stacey Kent - “Thinking about the Rain”

Bobby hosts Close Enough For Jazz.

Chris Aaland

  1. Jaime Wyatt - “World Worth Keeping”
  2. Band of Heathens - “Don’t Let the Darkness”
  3. boygenius - “Not Strong Enough”
  4. Sierra Hull - “Fox Hunt”
  5. Rhiannon Giddens - “You Put the Sugar in My Bowl”
  6. Deer Tick - “Forgiving Ties”
  7. Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real - “Sticks and Stones”
  8. Tommy Prine - “Mirror and a Kitchen Sink”
  9. Jobi Riccio - “Sweet”
  10. Tianna Esperanza - “Buy You a New Attitude”

Chris is KSUT's Development Director and hosts Tales of the New West and the Tuesday Afternoon Blend.

Clark Adomaitis

  1. Community Pancake - “Blush ‘Til I Die”
  2. PinkPantheress, Ice Spice - “Boy’s a liar, Pt. 2”
  3. Danny Brown feat. Kassa Overall - “Jenn’s Terrific Vacation”
  4. The Weeknd, Madonna feat. Playboi Cartini - “Popular”
  5. Earl Sweatshirt - “Vin Skully”
  6. Yeat - “No morë talk”
  7. JPEGMAFIA, Danny Brown - “Garbage Pale Kids”
  8. Pink Pantheress - “Mosquito”
  9. Tyler, the Creator - “DOGTOOTH”
  10. Gintaras, Dritty Pope - “Open the Door”

Clark is the reporter for the Voices From the Edge of the Colorado Plateau news reporting project, of which KSUT is a part. He occasionally hosts the Saturday Blend on KSUT.

Colten Ashley

  1. URANIUM - Pure Nuclear Death and An Exacting Punishment
  2. Locrian - Solar Lodge (EP)
  3. Daughter - Stereo Mind Game
  4. Crisis Actor - “Pusherman” (single)
  5. The Keening - Little Bird
  6. STCLVR - POST SELF ABANDONMENT
  7. GGGOLDDD - PTSD (EP)
  8. Maraud - Sacrifice (EP)
  9. Diesel Dudes - New Muscles
  10. Dorian Electra - Fanfare

Colten is the Tribal Media Center Coordinator and hosts the Cyberpunk Radio Hour on KSUT Tribal Radio.

Jessica Kirwan

  1. Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves - “I Remember Everything”
  2. The Budos Band - “Frontier’s Edge”
  3. Jack Harlow - “Lovin on Me”
  4. Slowdive - “alife”
  5. Altin Gün - “Aşk”
  6. GROUPLOVE - I Want It All Right Now (album)
  7. The Motet - “Natural Light”
  8. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - “Strawberry Woman”
  9. Allah-Las - Zuma 85 (album)
  10. Black Pumas - “Ice Cream (Pay Phone)”

Jessica is KSUT's Underwriting Manager.

Jill Davis

  1. Goose - “Autumn Crossing”
  2. The Record Company - “I’m Working”
  3. Dope Lemon - “Broke Down Casino”
  4. Bella White - “Unknown Legend”
  5. Daft Punk - “Instant Crush”
  6. Songs from the Road Band - “Pay Your Dues”
  7. Billy Strings feat. Willie Nelson - “California Sober”
  8. Fruit Bats - “Rushin’ River Valley”
  9. The Revivalists - “Good Old Days”
  10. Kitchen Dwellers - “7 Devils (Limbo)”

Jill is the Festival Director for KSUT Presents.

Jim Belcher

  1. boygenius - “Not Strong Enough”
  2. boygenius - “Cool about It”
  3. Umphrey’s McGee - “Staircase”
  4. Wilco - “Evicted”
  5. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - “Save the World”
  6. Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway - “White Rabbit”
  7. Porno for Pyros - “Agua”
  8. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram - “Midnight Heat”
  9. U2 - “Atomic City”
  10. Ghost Light - “Diamond Eyes”

Jim is KSUT's Morning Edition host. He also hosts the Wednesday and Friday Morning Blends and Strange Brew.

JJ Hirt

  1. Bella White - “Rhododendron”
  2. Town Mountain - “Devil in Disguise”
  3. Rachel Baiman - “Old Songs Never Die”
  4. Caitlin Canty - “Odds of Getting Even”
  5. Charles Wesley Godwin - “Winter’s Come and Gone”
  6. Band of Heathens - “I Got the Time” (acoustic version)
  7. Margo Price feat. Sierra Ferrell - “Change of Heart”
  8. Tyler Childers - “Rustin’ in the Rain”
  9. Leftover Salmon - “Simple Twist of Fate”
  10. Mipso - “Carolna Rolling By”

JJ hosts the Tuesday Morning Blend and Down Home Girl.

Jonathan Hunt

(in no particular order)

  • Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - “Death Wish”
  • Hozier - “Francesca”
  • Lydia Loveless - “Runaway”
  • Stephen Marley - “Old Soul”
  • Stephen Sanchez - “Evangeline”
  • Foo Fighters - “Rescued”
  • Deer Tick - “Forgiving Ties”
  • Black Pumas - “More Than a Love Song”
  • Jenny Lewis - “Psychos”
  • Joy Oladokun - “We’re All Gonna Die”

Jonathan is KSUT's Membership Manager.

Kenny B

(in no particular order)

  1. Vieux Farka Touré feat. Amadou and Miriam - “My Sahel”
  2. Tijuana Cartel - “Bird of Prey”
  3. Sampa the Great feat. Chef 187, Tio Nason and Mwanjé - “Never Forget”
  4. Newen Afrobeat and Lido Pimienta- “Grietas”
  5. NAPALMA - “Mbeguel”
  6. The Polish Ambassador feat. Kool Keith - “Electric Mind”
  7. CloZee - “Visions”
  8. DAH - “Otherside”
  9. Dirtwire - “You Got to Move”
  10. Kayla Scintilla - “Immunity”

Kenny is Station Manager and Program Director for KSUT Four Corners Public Radio. He hosts the Monday Morning Blend and kūni Nashwá.

Kirsten Langmade

  1. Lizzie No - “Lagunita”
  2. Mitski - “My Love Mine All Mine”
  3. Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves - “I Remember Everything”
  4. Durand Jones - “Wait Til I Get Over”
  5. Pretenders - “Let the Sun Come In”
  6. Slow Pulp - “Doubt”
  7. Portugal. The Man - “Dummy”
  8. The Motet - “Natural Light”
  9. Big Thief - “Vampire Empire”
  10. Kurt Vile - “Another Good Year for the Roses”

Kirsten serves on KSUT's Board of Directors and hosts the Wednesday Afternoon Blend.

Mark Duggan

(in no particular order)

  • Meshell Ndegeocello - “Virgo”
  • Say She She - “Don’t You Dare Stop”
  • Young Fathers - “Geronimo”
  • The Reds Pinks and Purples - “The Town That Cursed Your Name”
  • Gina Birch - “Feminist Song”
  • The Church - “The Hypnogogue”
  • Everything But the Girl - “Run a Red Light”
  • Lana Del Rey - “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd”
  • Nabihah Iqbal - “The World Couldn’t See Us”
  • Ghost Train Orchestra with Kronos Quartet and Joan As Police Woman - “Why Spend a Dark Night with You”

Mark is the Digital Content Manager for KSUT.org. He also hosts Box of Visions.

Rob Rawls

  1. Van Morrison - “Flip, Flop & Fly”
  2. Taj Mahal - “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t (My Baby)”
  3. Bettye LaVette - “Plan B”
  4. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - “Help Me”
  5. The Barnstormers - “Johnny’s Gone”
  6. Gary Clark Jr. and Emmaline - “Down Home Blues”
  7. Jon Cleary - “Two Wrongs”
  8. The Rolling Stones - “Live by the Sword”
  9. Joe Bonamassa - “Twenty-Four Hour Blues”
  10. Tom Hambridge - “Ain’t It Just Like Love”

Rob hosts the Monday Afternoon Blend and Barrelhouse Blues.

Robb Brantley

  1. Big Thief - “Born for Loving You”
  2. Shakey Graves feat. Sierra Ferrell - “Ready or Not”
  3. Iris DeMent - “Workin’ on a World”
  4. Henhouse Prowlers - “Lead and Iron”
  5. Cat Clyde - “Mystic Light”
  6. Upstate - “I’ll Come Around”
  7. boygenius - “Not Strong Enough”
  8. Phoebe Hunt - “Nothing Else Matters”
  9. Band of Heathens - “Don’t Let the Darkness”
  10. Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway - “Alice in the Bluegrass”

Robb is KSUT's Business Manager and hosts the Thursday Afternoon Blend.

Susie B

  1. boygenius - “Not Strong Enough”
  2. Ruthie Foster - “Love Is the Answer”
  3. Fruit Bats - “Rushin’ River Valley”
  4. Allison Russell - The Returner (album)
  5. Darling West - “Oh Love”
  6. Ana Egge - “Heart Is a Mirror”
  7. Natalie Merchant - Keep Your Courage (album)
  8. Rhiannon Giddens - “Fox in the Henhouse”
  9. Xavier Rudd - “High Times”
  10. Jaime Wyatt - “Feel Good”

Susie B hosts the Friday Afternoon Blend and Women Be Wise.

Tami Graham

  1. Danielle Ponder, “Some of Us Are Brave”
  2. Rachel Garlin, “You Don’t Know”
  3. Stephen Marley, “Old Soul”
  4. Joy Oladokun feat. Chris Stapleton, “Sweet Symphony”
  5. Iris DeMent, “Workin’ on a World”
  6. Sunny War feat. Chris Pierce & Allison Russell, “Love’s Death Bead”
  7. Jaimee Harriss, “The Fair and Dark Haired Lad”
  8. Flatland Cavalry, “Mountain Song”
  9. Cat Clyde, “Everywhere I Go”
  10. Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything”

Tami is KSUT's Executive Director. She hosts the Thursday Morning Blend and San Juan Sunrise.