Ann and Stan on 2021 in film

Stan's "2021 in films (Ann and Stan)" and Ann's "2021 in films (Ann and Stan)"  are their annual joint-posts on the year in film which we always cross-post here.

Ann and Stan here doing our usual year look back at films.  In 2021, the pandemic continued.  And a lot of bombs depressed the country even further.  DUNE?  Denis Villeneuve had already destroyed BLADE RUNNER when some idiot decided he was the one to reboot DUNE.  Then you had Stephen Spielberg apparently now on fumes deciding to remake (ruin) WEST SIDE STORY.  In "Why the West Side Story remake flopped," Marcia outlined many of the reasons the film flopped and we think this one is the most important one on her list:

 

Problem three?

Lack of star power.  A bunch of nobodies.

In 1961, the original film came out.  West Side Story, at that point, had been a huge hit on Broadway.  Jack Warner didn't say, "Let's put the Broadway cast on film!"  No.  He knew nobodies weren't going to cut it.  

Rita Moreno was an often photographed Latina actress (she'd had no real box office on her own and was better known for her cheesecake photos than for her films).  She was still better known than the Broadway cast.

But Jack Warner knew that the film needed a star.  Someone who people would pay money to see.  Natalie Wood was a big name.  She'd been a child star.  In 1955, she 'grew up' with Rebel Without A Cause and earned an Academy Award nomination.  She followed that with one popular film after another (and with the classic The Searchers).  West Side Story came out after her massive hit (and Academy Award nominated performance in) Splendor in the Grass.  West Side Story came out before her massive hit Gypsy.  

Natalie Wood was huge.  Where was the huge star that Spielberg cast in his remake?

No where to be found.

Get it?  When the first film was made in 1961, while the show was a Broadway success, Jack Warner knew it required a star to carry it on the big screen.  Somehow that reality eluded Stephen Spielberg -- maybe his mental state's degrading?  

It was a bad film.  There were so many of them.  But here's our top ten of 2021's best.

10) BRUISED.

Halle Berry scored both in front of and behind the camera with this film (stream it on NETFLIX) which she starred in and directed.  It's a big story with lots of elements -- domestic issues, alcoholism, dreams -- failed and ongoing -- and sports -- and director Halle navigates them so well, weaving throughout in a manner that holds you and moves you.

9) THE POWER OF THE DOG.

Jane Campion returns in this film that features Kirsten Dunst delivering her finest performance in years.  There's much to admire in this film but there's also Benedict Cumberbatch and we just don't buy him.  He's got a real problem of hollow performances.  And he  and his stretched out face (did he have face lift?)  are the weak point of the film.  (Stream it on NETFLIX.)

8) THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS.

We loved THE MATRIX.  We loved that first film.  It was rooted in what appeared to be a world we might live in.  The two sequels took us away from that and meant less to us.  This film takes the threat back into the world we know -- or what we think is the world we know.  And it roots itself in the relationship of Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss).  The chemistry between those two characters is still strong and present and we care whether Neo and Trinity will get together.  The film has a lot to say about our would and the way we are controlled.  Neil Patrick Harris makes a great villain.  Everyone delivers and we really need to note Brian J. Smith because we were huge fans of SENSE8.  (Stream it on HBO MAX.)

7) THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD.

A strong action film starring Angelina Jolie as a forest ranger who has to protect the son of a whistle-blower.  Angelina really delivers in this film but so does everyone.  Taylor Sheridan has gotten performances worthy of praise from the entire cast including Tyler Perry and Jon Bernthal (the latter of whom we've not been impressed with before).  It's a worthy and impressive credit on Nicholas Hoult's already outstanding filmography.  And it's a strong action film that more than holds your attention.  We're hoping that this year or 2023 will bring a teaming of Angelina and Channing Tatum in an action film.  (Stream it on HBO MAX.)

6) THE MAURITANIAN.

Benedict Cumberbatch is the Stella Stevens of film in the 21st century.  He keeps getting cast and delivering the same performance over and over.  Hear he sports a strange and weird southern accent that goes to just how miscast he was.  Otherwise, this is a first rate film directed by Kevin Macdonald and based upon the 14 year imprisonment of Mobamedou Ould Slahi by the US government.  Shailene Woodley, Tahar Rahim and Zachary Levi are standouts but Jodie Foster? If Jodie Foster isn't nominated for an Academy Award, it'll be the greatest snub since the Acadmey ignored Cher in MASK.

  

5)  ETERNALS.

It wasn't critics that piled on, it was industry publications like VARIETY and THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.  They hated this film and wanted you to believe that Americans did as well.  These same trade papers pimped DUNE over and over in their desperate efforts to save that under-performing bomb.  Enough Americans paid to see ETERNALS for the film to be the sixth biggest grosser in North American ticket sales.  DUNE?  Not even in the top ten.  Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao directed this film with a sure touch.  She's managing both a large cast and many themes and she pulls it off and then some.  Strong praiseworthy work from Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Bill Skarsgard, Gemma Chan, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Haaz Sleiman and Barry Keoghan.  This film offers thrills and some deeper meanings as the Eternals have seven days to save the earth.  (Starts streaming on DISNEY+ on January 12th.)

 

 

4) WHAT WOULD SOPHIA LOREN DO?

Raising a family and working outside the home, Nancy Kulik often found herself questioning what the choice she should make was and, at those times, she asked, "What would Sophia Loren do?"  Born in America after her parents arrived from Italy, Nancy grew up with Italian cinema and no one shined brighter or intrigued her more than Academy Award winner Sophia Loren.  This film not only details how that played out in Nancy's life it also brings Nancy face-to-face with Sophia.  Quirky and touching.  (Stream on NETFLIX.)

3) SUMMER OF SOUL (... OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED).

Ahmir Thompson (Questlove of The Roots) directed an incredible documentary of the year.  It examines the Harlem Cultural Festival held in 1969 which features live performances by Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, The 5th Dimension, Sly and The Family Stone, The Staple Singers, Mahalia Jackson, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Blinky Williams and the Chamber Brothers.  That footage alone makes the film worth seeing.  Thompson also provides context and films interviews (like Mavis Staples reflecting on dueting with Mahalia Jackson at the festival). (Stream on HULU.)

 

2)  TINA.

Director TJ Martin delivered the best documentary of the year -- and this was a strong year for documentaries -- if our list was a top fifteen, Andre Gaines' THE ONE AND ONLY DICK GREGORY would make the list.  It's a strong documentary but what kicks TJ Martin's documentary onto the list and so high on the list is that this is a reconfiguring of the way we see Tina Turner.  A rock legend whose songs will live on for some time, one of the great live performers of all time, she is also someone that we think we praise when we ask her about the abuse she survived.  Tina is very upfront about the post-traumatic stress she suffers from as a result of Ike Turner terrorizing her and how questions can be structured in such a way -- and often are -- that she has to relive the abuse.  Remember, Stephen Spielberg offered her a role in THE COLOR PURPLE but she turned it down saying she'd already lived it.  Tina's life has happiness now and it's the sort of happiness we all aspire to.  If you think you know TINA, make a point to check out this documentary.  Great documentaries like TINA and SUMMER OF SOUL expand, enlarge our understanding.  (Stream on HBO MAX.)

1) SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS.

An amazing, fast paced adventure that is one of the most visually accomplished films of the year.  There's really no superlative you can't attach to this film and it gives you a zip the way great films (think GOODFELLAS) do.  And give it up for Awkwafina because she delivers and makes the film.  Yes, she's great as the love interest.  But the most important point she serves in the film is being us, the audience.  Her questioning and disbelief echoes the audience in the beginning and as she accepts and witnesses events, we suspend disbelief as well.  Simu Liu offers true star power and should be the star of many more films.  Destin Daniel Cretton has made an unexpected classic -- and we mean classic film, not just classic superhero film.  This is film making at its finest and this could be the first superhero film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

 

 

Going out with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:" 

 

Ruth's YOUTUBE Report

Ruth:  So, by way of introduction, before I started my own site, I would show up here every week doing a report on public radio -- PACIFICA RADIO mainly, but some NPR, some AIR AMERICA, and some PRI as well.  And then PACIFICA became a gross embarrassment.  Let us go into that.

The network found new prominence as the Iraq War started back in 2003.  And it used that war to raise money.  They were embarrassing before 2008 and I tried to be nice about the first moment that ever horrified me on PACIFIA RADIO, truly left me in horror.  It was Kris Welch's Thursday program (LIVING ROOM) and a man I will not name -- not out of playground loyalty but because I am not here to promote whores -- who was a KFPA personality and who had 'reported' from Iraq showed up to tell Kris how good the war was going.  And Kris did not strongly (or, really, weakly) push back on that assertion.  The Iraq War, an illegal war (and an ongoing one to this day), has never gone well unless you mean for Hailburton and other corporate interests. 

So it should not have been that surprising to watch them all walk away from the Iraq War.  They did it when the Democratic Party had the power to end the Iraq War.  They walked away from Iraq when the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and the White House.  Instead of holding the Democratically controlled federal government accountable, they spent each hour defending the Democratic Party from verbal 'attacks' by Republicans.  

Another horror moment that occured early on?  That hideous Aimee Allison calling for copies of THE NEW YORKER to be burned.  This was free speech radio and this was supposed pacifist and Green Party member Aimee Allison trying to launch book burning, call it what it was.  She gave that tirade on air and did so because a cover of THE NEW YORKER offended her.  

What a fake ass.

And KPFA was full of them.  

FLASHPOINTS is the only program that is worth listening to on KPFA or KPFK or WBAI or KPFT or WPFW.  All those of hours of programming and only five hours a week that are dedicated to telling truths.  

So then I started covering other media forms including podcasts.  These days, I stream YOUTUBE programs.

In 2021, the ten must-stream programs were . . . 

10) REVOLUTIONARY BLACKOUT.

I can hear some of you asking, "Huh?"  Yes, indeed.  This is the YOUTUBE program formerly known as FRED HAMPTON LEFTISTS.  They really need to get their house in order.  With all the recent backstage drama, the last thing they needed was a name change.  If they can focus on what is taking place in the world and end their backstage bickering, that would be great and that would allow the show to be higher on my top ten list.

9) SHADOW PROOF.

Kevin Gosztova hosts this program and he covers important topics, keeps his nose down and does the work.  He is not flashy and I wonder if that is part of the reason more people do not know about SHADOW PROOF?  Of all the programs on my top ten list, this is the one that people are usually most unfamiliar with.  That is a shame because this is one to stream if you care about whistle-blowers, justice, and the efforts of government and corporations to censor.  

8) THE DIVE WITH JACKSON HINKLE.

Mr. Hinkle is a favorite of Rebecca's and for good reason, he does not pretty up the truth.  If RISING and its hosts are issuing propaganda, Mr. Hinkle will step up and call it out.  His allegiance in 2021 was solely to the truth.  I actually wanted to write an e-mail to Jimmy Dore asking him to feature Mr. Hinkle on a program.  I am sure that Mr. Dore has had Mr. Hinkle on his program but Mr. Hinkle defends Mr. Dore from multiple attacks -- usually from paid whores like Sam Seder.  Just felt like it would be doing a solid for Mr. Dore to bring on Mr. Hinkle.

7) BLACK POWER MEDIA.

 A number of important topics are covered by this program and a number of important voices are featured.  For me, the most important is Jared Ball.  Dr. Ball has long been a voice of sanity.  They address multiple topics (including self-defense) and multiple age groups.  This is a program to get the word out on.

6) USEFUL IDIOTS.

I do not know how to do this other than to recommend it.   Katie Halper is one of the hosts.  The other host?  His name has been copied and pasted here when USEFUL IDIOTS is noted.  But his name has never been typed at this site.  A family member of the other host asked long ago, when the host was living large in Russia, asked C.I., to please not note him because the family member felt C.I. might have to rip the other host.  As a result, C.I. has never said postive or negative things about this host or noted the host's name.  (An interview at THIRD with a journalist did include the other host's name because the journalist cited the other host as one of his favorite journalists.)  USEFUL IDIOTS was a must-stream program when it was associated with ROLLING STONE and it is even more of a must-stream now that it is on its own.

5) SABBY SABS.

I do not trust Ms. Sabbs when she is doing entertainment that goes beyond her age range.  By that I mean, she did a strong dissection of SEX AND THE CITY and its hideous reboot recently.  It noted problems and issues that even the harshest reviews had ignored.  Praise to her for that.  But apparently anything earlier than 2008 finds her on shaky ground.  For example, she recently said (this past week) that THE VIEW was not a political show until recently.  That is wrong.  Star Jones would be the most infamous example with her war on marriage equality as she screeched that she voted Jesus when she went into the voting booth so she could not support gay people getting married.  As a Jew, I am not all that familiar with Jesus Christ but I do not remember his sermon that thou shall not pleasure anyone of your same sex or marry them.  Ms. Jones may know something about gay marriage, I mean, the rumor is she married a gay man who was in the closet and that is why they divorced.  Whether she knew about gay marriage or not, she was a huge embarrassment.  Then, following 9/11, you had their huge war on the left as they rushed to enlist up with Bully Boy Bush.  It was a vicious attack and, as C.I. has noted, Barbara Walters had to show up the next day to issue an apology for an attack that never should have been launched.  (Lisa Ling was on both episodes -- she did not take part in the attack and looked as if she was appalled by what her co-hosts were saying.) That included Joy Behar, Star Jones and Meredith Viera trashing Jane Fonda on air for her Vietnam activism.  So, no, Ms. Sabs, THE VIEW did not recently stumble into politics.  They had politics in the show all along.  So it is hit or miss when she addresses entertainment.  But when she addresses issues of today, she is generally more sure footed and she has enough personality to make it on my list of recommended, must-watch YOUTUBE programs.

4)  THE JIMMY DORE SHOW.

Mr. Dore is a comic and we really need a laugh these days.  He explores the absurdity and betrayal of politics and politicians.  He shines a light on the rot, a much needed light.  I enjoy his humor, his perspective and his call for justice. As Mike recently noted, "Jimmy Dore has been one of the best things about 2021.  His show is funny and to the point and grabs up so many important issues."

3) THE KATIE HALPER SHOW.  

Largely focused on domestic issues.  Ms. Halper is energetic and curious -- two qualities that make for a great host.  She often has an ecletive guest choice.  I wish she would have more women on -- I wish that of all the programs on this list.  I also wish she would bring Greg Goldberg back.  I made a point to start streaming her regularly when she had Mr. Golberg on after I found out he was the guy who wrote "I Hate The War."  I would love it if she would bring him back on for any reason at all but especially if she would bring him on to talk about that song which was the best song response to the Iraq War, to any war.

Here is a video of Mr. Golberg and the rest of the band performing "I Hate The War" live.

And here is a video of mcrtmt performing the song.

It really is a great song.  C.I. used to note it every Thursday here.  Sundays would be Donovan's "And The War Drags On" or Joni Mitchell's "Hejira," but Thursdays would be "I Hate The War."

2) RICHARD MEDHURST.

Mr. Medhurst has an international scope for his program.  You can go through many programs on YOUTUBE and not find a single episode in a week's worth of programming that looks beyond the US.  Mr. Medhurst's father is British and his mother is Syrian, both were members of various United Nations missions.  He does not fall for propaganda and he is a voice that is steady and true.  

1) THE CONVO COUCH.  

A great show with international and national scope.  Pasta Jardula and Fiorella Isabel report, they go to the places they report on, and they are not part of some echo chamber.  They exist to tell what they see.  And that offends a lot of people who are more interested in embracing false narratives than they are in knowing the truth.  I should also mention Jonny Tsunami who is the engineer and editor and much more.  For years, when I would praise WBAI's LAW AND DISORDER RADIO, I would not include Geoff Brady.  That was not an intentional snub, I just knew who was on air.  When LAW AND DISORDER was at its best, Mr. Brady had a great deal to do with that.

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[Ruth also covered programming for the years 2020, 2019, 2016, 2015, 2014,  2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008.]

2021 in music

Kat: 2021?  The bulk of the music released wasn't so much bad as it was mediocre.  In fact, if I had to pick the worst album of 2021, I'm amazed by how easy it is.  There are no runners up, no close seconds, it's an obvious choice, Bruce Springsteen's THE LEGENDARY 1979 NO NUKES CONCERTS which flopped back in November.

The ego knows no bounds -- that's the only reason for The Bitch to release this garbage.  First off, "the legendary" aspect of the No Nukes Concerts was never Bruce.  And the album reminds you of that, he's never sounded more like a Bob-Seger rip off than he does on this recording.  The stars?  The legends?  That would be The Doobie Brothers, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder and Crosby, Stills & Nash.   Bonnie Raitt -- a decade away from real fame -- did deliver a strong set; certainly stronger than anything Bruce had to offer.  Another legend?  MUSE -- the organization that put on the concerts.  

His ego allows him to make it all about himself and his ego allows him to pretend his medicore set warranted an individual release.  American music lovers made it to clear to him that no release was required as THE LEGENDAY 1979 NO NUKES CONCERTS became his worst charting album in the US in over fifteen years.  And it's his sixth album since 2008 not to go gold.  Yes, the bloom is off what passed for his rose.

From fakes to greats, let's look at the best of 2021.)

10) Helado Negro's FAR IN.

Helado Negro (stage name of ) began recording back in 2009 and on FAR IN the various strands he's offered in previous years come togther to make a classic set of songs.

"There Must Be A Song Like You" is my favorite track on the album.

9) Nick Jonas' SPACEMAN.

Nick made a solid album, a smooth ride of synth-pop that recalls efforts by George Michael and Prince without sounding like he's trying to copy them.  An album that I've listened to every week since it came out in March. 

8) Laura Nyro's GO FIND THE MOON.

Known to most music lovers for her songwriting, Laura was a singer-songwriter.  Her vocals seem perfectly normal today and give Mariah Carey credit for that -- Mariah has enlarged the scope of singing in popular music.  When Laura was doing huge vocal leaps, for example, it put some off.  But even those who couldn't get behind her singing, couldn't help humming along with the songs whe wrote.  Blood, Sweat and Tears' "And When I Die," The 5th Dimension's "Wedding Bell Blues," "Save The Country," "Sweet Blindness," "Soul Stoned Picnic" and "Blowin' Away," Barbra Streisand's "Stoney End" and Three Dog Nights' "Eli's Coming." GO FIND THE MOON is a tape of Laura Nyro's audition when she was shopping for a label before she'd ever recorded classic albums like ELI AND THE THIRTEENTH CONFESSION, THE FIRST SONGS (originally titled MORE THAN A NEW DISCOVERY), CHRISMAS AND THE BEADS OF SWEAT and NEW YORK TENDABERRY. 

7) Lil Nas X's MONTERO.

Marcia clued me in to this album.  Lil Nas X produced an album of rich and wonderful songs.  

"Sun Goes Down" has the kind of assurance that Lauryn Hill sported on her amazing solo debut THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL.  And the album is sure footed and filled grooves that stick in your head and stay with you.  

6) Billy Davis Jr. and Marilyn McCoo's BLACKBIRD: LENNON-MCCARTNEY ICONS. 

A strong selling release due to the talents of former 5th Dimension-ers Marilyn and Billy and of songwriters John Lennon and Paul McCartney.  The success of the album was a sweet reward for one of music's longest lasting couples (Marilyn and Billy married back in 1969).  It was also ignored by Ann Powers -- NPR's musical gadfly --  and the others who seemed to feel that their absurd attack on The Beatles as racists made them look 'woke' when it really only revealed how stupid they really were -- stupid, uninspired and idiotic.  Ann's the 'feminist' who never supports women.  I'll praise her for her piece on "Brick" all those years ago but, looking back, isn't it telling that her 'feminism' is never about women.  A male group does a song about abortion and she's got a million words plus.  But women release albums over and over each year and she looks the other way over and over.  So she was the right person to offer up 'leadership' for the lost cause attack on The Beatles.  Like Roberta Flack's earlier Beatles tribute album LET IT BE ROBERTA: ROBERTA FLACK SINGS THE BEATLES, Marilyn and Billy find new interpretations for the songs.  My favorite is the title track but I love the whole album and their version of "Help" ranks right up there with Tina Turner's rendition. 



Billy soars on that song.  But the set finds both Marilyn and Billy in fine voice and, with regards to Marilyn, let's remember this is the voice of "(Last Night) I Didn't Get To Sleep At All," "Wedding Bell Blues," "One Less Bell To Answer" and "Never My Love," so that's really saying something.  Here's their version of "Blackbird."

 

5)  The War On Drugs' I DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE.

The band basically worked on this album for three years.  You can tell.  These aren't doodles or practice sessions.  This is an album that sounds like a George Martin production.  Lucious joins the group for the title track.

Check out "Change."

It should make you want to check out the whole album if you haven't already.  

4) Diana Ross' THANK YOU.

2021 saw Diana Ross release another studio album.  2015 saw the release of DIANA ROSS SINGS SONGS OF THE WIZ.  That was an album MOTOWN pulled from the vaults.  Recorded as a part of the campaign for THE WIZ, the film fizzled at the box office before the album could be released.  The official soundtrack had already been released.  Sadly, "Is This What Feeling Gets" was cut from the film -- it was the best song on the soundtrack album (a few instrumental musical bars are heard in the film).  Diana sang every song from the film.  But MOTOWN didn't release the album (recorded in 1978) until 2015 (when NBC was staging a live production of THE WIZ).  But THANK YOU was a studio album that Diana's been working on at her home studio throughout the pandemic.  It's an incredible album.  It's up there with her greats -- albums like THE BOSS, diana, SURRENDER, TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING, SWEPT AWAY, etc.  She's put forward an album that's about survival and love.  It reminds me of Stevie Wonder's SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE.  Every song is unique and adds to the overall theme.  Diana's vocals are amazing, the way she textures and caresses the notes (especially on "I Still Believe" and "All Is Well").  It's a great album.  And give her huge props for not doing a duet album which seems to be the cheap way too many are going these days (looking at Elton John to name but one).

3) Joni Mitchell's  JONI MITCHELL: LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL -- 1969.

A lot of live albums came out this year (Dionne Warwick had a good one) but this was the finest.  Joni hitting one of her peaks -- there would be more to come -- and fully harnessing all of her talent into one thrilling performance.  I love this album -- I got it on vinyl.  I got all the albums on vinyl on this top ten except the one at number one.  I'll come back to that.  

It's a first rate album and I can't praise it enough but, honestly, I'm looking forward to later releases from the archives.  Specifically?  The FOR THE ROSES period.  It was a classic upon its release back in 1972.  For the bulk of the 80s, the focus was on BLUE.  COURT & SPARK was Joni's most commercial album.  And it is a great album but the 80s saw a real push to see BLUE recognized as the classic it is.  By the 90s, it was considered her finest album.  FOR THE ROSES was released between those two albums and the push for BLUE to get its deserved recognition seems to have resulted in FOR THE ROSES being forgotten.  The songs on that album are truly amazing (not just Joni's big hit "You Turn Me On I'm A Radio") and I'm longing for the release of alternate takes and live performances from that album and hoping it will remind the music world just how great FOR THE ROSES remains.

2) Adele's 30.

Adele issued the best selling album of the year and did so at the end of the year -- the album came out in November.  Poor Taylor Swift, a pretender to the throne whose tributes to artists -- no one seems to notice this -- are to White women only.  Why is it that Taylor's neither written a song for, say, Diana Ross, nor offered some form of tribute?  While Ann Powers and others wanted to create racism where it didn't exist, they failed to note that Taylor's created a sisterhood and it's one of saluting White women only.  Adele outselling her? Makes me very happy.  WIKIPEDIA notes:

In the United States, 30 became the top-selling album of 2021 after its first three days.^[101] With 500,000 pure copies sold in the timeframe, it surpassed Taylor Swift's Evermore (2020), which previously held the title with 462,000 copies. The album also claimed the biggest sales week of the year, topping the 369,000 copies that Red (Taylor's Version) sold earlier that month. 30 moved 575,000 album-equivalent units in the three-days span.^[102] The following day, 30 surpassed Certified Lover Boy by Drake for the biggest opening sales week of 2021 for an album, earning 660,000 equivalent album units in its first four days in the country, 560,000 of that sum being album sales.^[103]

The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 839,000 album-equivalent units, including 692,000 pure album sales and 185.39 million on-demand streams. It surpassed the sales of any album in its previous 11 months combined, and tallied the highest album sales week since the 1.2 million copies sold by Swift's Reputation (2017).^[104] 30 also outsold the other 50 best-selling albums that week combined, as well as the other top 10 best-selling albums that week combined and tripled.^[105] All of the 12 tracks from 30 charted on the Billboard Hot 100 following its release, with six of them in the top 40. Adele's sum of chart entries rose from 14 to 25, tying with Billie Eilish as the female artist with the third-most entries on the chart in 2021, behind Swift (40) and Summer Walker (18).^[106]

30 remained at number one in its second week with 288,000 units earned, including 225,000 pure album sales and 81.33 million on-demand streams, scoring the biggest second-week sales of the year, and the largest second-week total for any album since Drake's Scorpion (2018) moved 335,000 units.^[107] 30 had sold over a million physical copies in the US, becoming the first 2021 album to reach the milestone and the first overall since Swift's Folklore (2020).^[108] In its third chart-topping week, 30 gained 193,000 units, marking the largest third week for any album since Scorpion.^[109] It also became the first album to spend its first four weeks at number one since Morgan Wallen's Dangerous: The Double Album in early 2021, and the first by a woman since Folklore did so.^[110] The same week, 30 moved 41,000 vinyl LPs, becoming the best-selling vinyl album of 2021.^[111] Garnering 212,000 units in its fifth week, 30 achieved the highest fifth-week units for an album since 25, and became the first album of the 2020s to earn over 200,000 units in three separate weeks; Adele reached 39 total weeks atop the Billboard 200, tying Elton John as the British soloist with the most weeks at number one on the chart.^[112]

And it could have sold even more but for Pete Pete Buttigieg and the broken supply chain taking place under his watch.  Those seeking a physical copy of 30 struggled -- especially if they were WALMART shoppers -- because there was difficulty getting the album in stores on vinyl (CD copies were easier to find).  Imagine for a moment how many physical copies Adele could have sold if the WALMARTs with the big Adele displays had all actually had copies of the vinyl album to put in the slots on that cardboard Adele stand -- the spots where they were supposed to go but, too often, were just filled with CDs.

"I need some substance in my life, something real, something that feels true."  I think we can all share that and you'll recognize your own life in all the songs on this album.  Adele's gone through a lot and it's all on this record.  I love this record and, at least right now, I love it more than 21 which was my favorite Adele album.  It's extraordinary.

So why isn't it number one?  You could make that argument about Diana's album as well or Joni's.  I knew all along what my top four would be but spent all of November and December trying to figure out which of the top four was the number one?

I went back and forth and changed my mind repeatedly.  There were four incredible albums and I toyed with a four-way tie.  It was a very difficult choice.  In the end, I went with the album I listened to the most during the last four weeks.

1) Chase Rice's THE ALBUM.

Not a huge fan of country music.  Love and respect the output of Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, think Brad Paisely is first rate but country isn't really my thing.  Then came this album.  I love every track on it.  I have no interest in the Grammys.  Drake withdrew from the 2022 Grammys.  I wasn't impressed with the awards before the latest nominations but after they managed to completely ignore Chase Rice?  The Grammys are grossly out of touch.  I love this album, I listen to THE ALBUM every day.  Every day.  That's how great it is.  I love his gravely voice.  I love the songs.  I think this is an album like Joni Mitchell's BLUE that will grow and grow in stature as the years pass.  It's hard for me to pick one song to highlight so I'll go with Elaine's pick, "Lonely If You Are."

It's an emotionally honest album that cuts deep.  It's full of life and it's messy (my way to work in one more video, yes), but most of all, it just feels so honest.  I have no idea who hurt Chase so much but he shares the hurt and sorrow and the joy all on this album.

 My complaint?  It's still not on vinyl.  I listen to it on streaming.  I wish I had it on vinyl.   This is the year that vinyl outsold CDs, there's been a real revival.  But you can't get Chase's album (THE ALBUM) on vinyl.  A lot of people bought it on CD -- so many that twice this year after THE ALBUM was released, AMAZON had to note that it was out of stock.  It's a shame that the best album of the year resulted in no Grammy nominations but it's also a shame that we can't get a copy on vinyl.

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Click here for my 2004 music piece, here for 2005, 2006 in music, 2007 in music, here for 2008, here  for my 2009 piece, here for my look at the decade, here for my 2010 piece, here for my 2011 piece,  here for my 2012 piece, here for my 2013 piece, here for my 2014 piece, here for my 2015 piece, here for my 2016 piece. here for my 2017 piece,  here for my 2018 piece, here for my 2019 piece,  here for my look at the decade, and here for my 2020 piece.