The 19th Annual
Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll:
2024

2024 Totals: Vocal Jazz

This category is for jazz albums -- mostly but not necessarily new releases -- that feature vocalists. It is up to the critic's discretion to decide which albums to consider here.

Critics were asked to designate any albums from their New Albums list that should be counted here. They were also asked to list up to 3 additional albums to count here. The lists are in the order provided, but there is no point system.

The listings are sorted by votes (at the end of the line). There is also a Notes section at the bottom of the page.


  1. Fay Victor, Herbie Nichols SUNG: Life Is Funny That Way (TAO Forms) 34
  2. Samara Joy, Portrait (Verve) 31
  3. Arooj Aftab, Night Reign (Verve) 16
  4. Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding, Milton + Esperanza (Concord) 16
  5. Catherine Russell & Sean Mason, My Ideal (Dot Time) 16
  6. Kurt Elling & Sullivan Fortner, Wildflowers Vol. 1 (Edition) 13
  7. Meshell Ndegeocello, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin (Blue Note) 11
  8. Jazzmeia Horn, Messages (Empress Legacy) 10
  9. Sara Serpa, Encounters & Collisions (Biophilia) 9
  10. Alexander Hawkins & Sofia Jernberg, Musho (Intakt) 7
  11. Ganavya, Daughter of a Temple (Leiter) 6
  12. Amirtha Kidambi's Elder Ones, New Monuments (We Jazz) 6
  13. Michael Mayo, Fly (Mack Avenue) 6
  14. William Parker & Ellen Christi, Cereal Music (AUM Fidelity) 6
  15. Lizz Wright, Shadow (Blues & Greens) 6
  16. Betty Bryant, Lotta Livin' (Bry-Mar Music) 4
  17. Vanisha Gould and Chris McCarthy, Life's a Gig (Fresh Sound New Talent) 4
  18. Bria Skonberg, What It Means (Cellar Live) 4
  19. Hilary Gardner, On the Trail With the Lonesome Pines (Anzic) 3
  20. Vanisha Gould, She's Not Shiny, She's Not Smooth (Cellar Live) 3
  21. Jo Harrop, The Path of a Tear (Lateralize) 3
  22. Youn Sun Nah, Elles (Warner Bros.) 3
  23. Lisa Rich, As Long as You're Living (Tritone) 3
  24. Veronica Swift, Veronica Swift (Mack Avenue '23) 3 *
  25. Andromeda Turre, From the Earth (Outside In Music) 3
  26. Immanuel Wilkins, Blues Blood (Blue Note) 3
  27. Alyssa Allgood, From Here (Next) 2
  28. Laila Biali, Wintersongs (self-released) 2
  29. Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band, Walk a Mile in My Shoe (Imani) 2
  30. Eirik Hegdal Eklektisk Samband, Turnchest (Particular) 2
  31. Al Jarreau, Wow! Live at the Childe Harold (1976, Resonance) 2
  32. Joe McPhee & Ken Vandermark, Musings of a Bahamian Son: Poems and Other Words (Corbett vs. Dempsey) 2
  33. Moor Mother, The Great Bailout (Anti-) 2
  34. Madeleine Peyroux, Let's Walk (Just One/Thirty Tigers) 2
  35. Queen Esther, Things Are Looking Up (EL) 2
  36. Cécile McLorin Salvant, Melusine (Nonesuch '23) 2
  37. Luciana Souza, Twenty-Four Short Musical Episodes (Sunnyside) 2
  38. Sweet Meg, Blues Than Blue (Turtle Bay) 2
  39. April Varner, April (Cellar Music) 2
  40. Cole Williams, How We Care for Humanity (Four Corner) 2
  41. Norma Winstone, Wheeler With Words (AMM) 2
  42. Norma Winstone & Kit Downes, Outpost of Dreams (ECM) 2
  43. Andrea Wolper, Wanderlust (Moonflower Music) 2
  44. John Zorn & Jesse Harris [Petra Haden], Love Songs Live (Tzadik) 2
  45. Cyrille Aimée, À Fleur De Peau (Whirlwind) 1
  46. Gino Amato, Latin Crossroads (Ovation) 1
  47. Roxana Amed, Becoming Human (Sony Music Latin) 1
  48. Daymé Arocena, Alkemi (Brownswood) 1
  49. Jamie Baum Septet+, What Times Are These (Sunnyside) 1
  50. Andrew Bird Trio, Sunday Morning Put-On (Loma Vista) 1
  51. Bruna Black & John Finbury, Vã Revelação (Green Flash) 1
  52. Silvia Bolognesi-Dudú Kouate-Griffin Rodriguez, Timing Birds (Astral Spirits) 1
  53. Chloé Cailleton & Nathalie Darche, Quart d'Heure Américain: Pour vous remercier de ne pas dédaigner ce petit rien (Pépin & Plume) 1
  54. Annie Chen, Guardians (JZ Music) 1
  55. Johnny Coley, Mister Sweet Whisper (Mississippi) 1
  56. Julia Danielle, Julia Danielle (Shifting Paradigm) 1
  57. Jacqui Dankworth, Windmills (Perdido) 1
  58. Christie Dashiell, Journey in Black (Christie '23) 1
  59. KJ Denhert, The Evening News (Mother Cyclone) 1
  60. Natalie Douglas, Back to the Garden (Club 44) 1
  61. Lara Eidi, Sun (self-released) 1
  62. Wendy Eisenberg, Viewfinder (American Dreams) 1
  63. Eliane Elias, Time and Again (Candid) 1
  64. Kurt Elling, Wildflowers Vol. 2 (Edition) 1
  65. Estonian Voices, Kallimale (Sheikid) 1
  66. Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly, MESTIZX (International Anthem) 1
  67. Robert Finley, Black Bayou (Easy Eye Sound '23) 1
  68. Mabe Fratti, Sentir Que No Sabes (Tin Angel/Unheard of Hope) 1
  69. Amy Gadiaga, All Black Everything (Jazz Re:Freshed) 1
  70. Ganavya, Like the Sky I've Been Too Quiet (Native Rebel) 1
  71. Renaud Garcia-Fons, Blue Maqam (L'Autre Distribution) 1
  72. Nubya Garcia, Odyssey (Concord Jazz) 1
  73. Caity Gyorgy, Hello! How Are You? (La Reserve) 1
  74. Barbara Hannigan, Hannigan Sings Zorn, Volume One (Tzadik) 1
  75. Iris Harley, Last Breath (self-released) 1
  76. Sylvanie Hélary & Orchestre Incandescent, Rare Birds (Yolk) 1
  77. Lauren Henderson, Sombras (Brontosaurus) 1
  78. Robin Holcomb, One Way or Another, Vol. 2 (Westerlies) 1
  79. John Hollenbeck & NDR Bigband, Colouring Hockets (Plexatonic) 1
  80. Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Live in London (Alligator '23) 1
  81. Javon Jackson & Nikki Giovanni, Javon & Nikki Go to the Movies (Solid Jackson/Palmetto) 1
  82. Laird Jackson, Life (self-released) 1
  83. Norah Jones, Visions (Blue Note) 1
  84. Alvina Jöz, Jöz (Cinemo '23) 1
  85. Julie Kelly, Freedom Jazz Dance (Laurelwood) 1
  86. B.B. King, In France: Live at the 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival (Deep Digs/Elemental Music) 1
  87. Abena Koomson-Davis, Where Is Love (WJ3) 1
  88. Laufey, Bewitched (AWAL '23) 1
  89. Allegra Levy, Out of the Question (SteepleChase) 1
  90. The London Experimental Ensemble With Richard Thompson, Wesley Stace, Sivert Hayem, Marissa Nadler and Gina Fergione, Child Ballads: The Final Six (Don Giovanni '23) 1
  91. K. Curtis Lyle-George Sams-Adi Du Dharma Joshua Weinstein-Damon Smith-Ra Kalaam Bob Moses-Henry Claude, 29 Birds You Never Heard (Balance Point Acoustics) 1
  92. Robbie Madison, Live at Sambuca (Madison Productions) 1
  93. Taj Mahal, Savoy (Stony Plain '23) 1
  94. The Taj Mahal Sextet, Swingin' Live at the Church in Tulsa (Lightning Rod) 1
  95. Claire Martin, Almost in Your Arms (Stunt) 1
  96. Zara McFarlane, Sweet Whispers: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan (Universal) 1
  97. Lyia Meta, Next (self-released) 1
  98. Nicole Mitchell & Ballaké Sissoko, Bamako*Chicago Sound System (FPE) 1
  99. Fred Moten-Brandon López-Gerald Cleaver, The Blacksmiths, the Flowers (Reading Group) 1
  100. Jacqui Naylor, Treasures of the Heart (Ruby Star) 1
  101. Diana Panton, Soft Winds and Roses (Sono) 1
  102. Rita Payés, De Camino al Camino (Sony España) 1
  103. Clarence Penn, Behind the Voice (Origin) 1
  104. Ivo Perelman-Fay Victor-Jim Morris-Ramon Lopez, Messa Di Voce (Mahakala Music) 1
  105. Rita Ray, Live in Concert (Funk Embassy) 1
  106. Reut Regev's R*Time, It's Now: R*Time Plays Doug Hammond (ESP-Disk) 1
  107. Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn, Quiet in a World Full of Noise (Merge) 1
  108. Matana Roberts, Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation '23) 1
  109. Adonis Rose Trio + One, For All We Know (Storyville) 1
  110. Myles Sanko, Let It Unfold (213 Music) 1
  111. Melvis Santa, Jazz Orishas (Distro) 1
  112. Sara Serpa & André Matos, Night Birds (Robalo Music '23) 1
  113. Simona Severini-Daniele Richiedei-Giulio Corini, Fedra (Parco Della Musica) 1
  114. Ben Sidran, Rainmaker (Bonsai) 1
  115. Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Swing Forever (Ovation) 1
  116. Becca Stevens, Maple to Paper (GroundUP Music) 1
  117. Milton Suggs, Pure Intention (Imani) 1
  118. Tierney Sutton and San Gabriel 7, Good People (JRL-SGS) 1
  119. Tyla, Tyla (Epic) 1
  120. Angela Verbrugge, Somewhere (OA2) 1
  121. Cory Weeds Meets Champian Fulton, Every Now and Then: Live at OCL Studios (Cellar Music) 1
  122. Lucy Wijnands & John Di Martino, Call Me Irresponsible: The Songs of Jimmy Van Heusen (Night Is Alive '23) 1
  123. Alice Zawadzki-Fred Thomas-Misha Mullov-Abbado, Za Górami (ECM) 1

Total albums receiving votes: 123. Of these, 12 were initially released in 2023 (9.7%), and 111 in 2024.

Notes

No selection on 42 (of 177) ballots (23.7%). This is up from 2023, which had no selection on 21 (of 159) ballots (13.2%).

Vocals albums that received votes in 2023 as well as 2024. These are numbered by their position in 2023. In both years, all votes are counted equally:

  1. Cécile McLorin Salvant, Melusine (Nonesuch '23) 27 + 2 = 29
  2. Veronica Swift, Veronica Swift (Mack Avenue '23) 1 + 2 = 3
  3. Matana Roberts, Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation '23) 4 + 1 = 5
  4. Sara Serpa & André Matos, Night Birds (Robalo Music '23) 2 + 1 = 3

The other '23 releases received no votes in 2023.

If an album received votes in the previous year, and received more votes this year, the two years' totals were added together. This applied to: