2025 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. Voting in this category is optional.

Critics were asked to designate any albums from their New Jazz 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, so we only count votes.

The listings are sorted by votes (at the end of the line). The arrow at the end of the line will route you to a page listing all of the critics who voted for the album. Some entries may have footnotes. There is also a Notes section at the bottom of the page.

1. Cécile McLorin Salvant, Oh Snap (Nonesuch) 34 →
2. Tyreek McDole, Open Up Your Senses (Artworks) 17 →
3. Sara Serpa & Matt Mitchell, End of Something (Obliquity) 14 →
4. Tessa Souter, Shadows and Silence: The Erik Satie Project (Noanara Music) 10 →
5. Kenny Barron, Songbook (Artwork) 9 →
6. Theo Bleckmann, Love and Anger (Sunnyside) 8 →
7. Dee Dee Bridgewater + Bill Charlap, Elemental (Mack Avenue) 8 →
8. Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell, We Insist 2025! (Candid) 7 →
9. Lena Bloch & Kyoko Kitamura, Marina (Fresh Sound New Talent) 4 →
10. Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Dawn (Stretch) 4 →
Kurt Elling & Christian Sands, Wildflowers Vol. 3 (Big Shoulders) 4 →
11. Nnenna Freelon, Beneath the Skin (Origin) 4 →
12. Sheila Jordan With Roni Ben-Hur & Harvie S, Portrait Now (Dot Time) 4 →
13. Ingrid Laubrock, Purposing the Air (Pyroclastic) 4 →
14. Amina Claudine Myers, Solace of the Mind (Red Hook) 4 →
16. Ledisi, For Dinah (Candid) 3 →
17. Fred Moten & Brandon López, Revision (TAO Forms) 3 →
18. Laura Ann Singh, Mean Reds (Out of Your Head) 3 →
19. Kandace Springs, Lady in Satin (SRP) 3 →
20. Nicole Zuraitis & Friends, Live at Vic's Las Vegas (La Reserve) 3 →
Sonya Belaya, Dacha (Ropeadope) 2 →
21. Brigitte Beraha's Lucid Dreamers, Teasing Reflections (Let Me Out) 2 →
22. Holly Cole, Dark Moon (Rumpus Room/Universal) 2 →
23. Colin Hancock's Jazz Hounds & Catherine Russell, Cat & the Hounds (Turtle Bay) 2 →
24. Allan Harris, The Poetry of Jazz: Live at Blue Llama (Blue Llama) 2 →
25. José James, 1978: Revenge of the Dragon (Rainbow Blonde) 2 →
26. Emi Makabe, Echo (Sunnyside) 2 →
27. Paul Marinaro, Mood Ellington (Origin) 2 →
28. Camila Meza, Portal (GroundUP Music) 2 →
29. Maria Muldaur, One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey (Nola Blue) 2 →
Anaïs Reno, Lady of the Lavender Mist (Club44) 2 →
30. Boz Scaggs, Detour (Concord) 2 →
31. Deborah Silver & The Count Basie Orchestra, Basie Rocks! (Green Hill) 2 →
32. Emma Smith, Bitter Orange (La Reserve) 2 →
35. Kris Adams & Peter Perfido, Away (Jazzbird) 1 →
36. Ambrose Akinmusire, Honey From a Winter Stone (Nonesuch) 1 →
37. Irene Amata, Sembianze (Prodastar) 1 →
38. Gino Amato, Latin Crossroads 2 (Ovation) 1 →
39. David Amram, Honors Guthrie and Ochs: Old Souls (Guthrie Legacy) 1 →
40. Annahstasia, Tether (Drink Sum Wtr) 1 →
Atlantic Jazz Collective, Seascape (Alma) 1 →
41. Gaelle Bagot & Juan Manuel Nieto, Jardin D'ailleurs (Musique Live) 1 →
42. Gary Bartz & NTU, The Eternal Tenure of Sound: Damage Control (OYO) 1 →
43. Camille Bertault, Voz E Vocês (Sunnyside) 1 →
44. Silvia Bolognesi & Eric Mingus, Is That Jazz? (Fonterossa) 1 →
45. Sacha Boutros, Sacha: Paris After Dark (Hear Me Roar) 1 →
46. Nicholas Bussmann - Sven-Åke Johansson - Yan Jun, Tea Time (Ni-Vu-Ni-Connu '24) 1 →
47. Brian Byrne, She Must Go (Timberlake) 1 →
48. Liz Cole, I Want to Be Happy (self-released) 1 →
49. Stella Cole, It's Magic (Decca) 1 →
Brittany Davis, Black Thunder (Loosegroove) 1 →
50. Caroline Davis & Dustin Carlson, Sprites (Out of Your Head) 1 →
51. Angel Bat Dawid & Naima Nefertari, Journey to Nabta Playa (Spiritmuse) 1 →
52. Dena DeRose, Mellow Tones (HighNote) 1 →
53. Harvey Diamond & John Lentz, How Strange the Road Should Be So Easy (Orchard of Pomegranates) 1 →
54. Doideca, Sketches (Underpool) 1 →
55. Sophie Dunér & Steve Beck, Stockhausen: Tierkreis/Schwartz: The Neon Pterodactyl (Urlicht) 1 →
56. Sinne Eeg & Jacob Christoffersen, Shikiori (Stunt) 1 →
57. Kurt Elling & Sullivan Fortner, Wildflowers Vol. 1 (Edition '24) 1 →
58. Kurt Elling & Joey Calderazzo, Wildflowers Vol. 2 (Edition '24) 1 →
Enji, Sonor (Squama) 1 →
59. Esinam & Sibusile Xaba, Healing Voices (W.E.R.F.) 1 →
60. Estonian Voices, Kallimale (Sheikid '24) 1 →
61. Silvana Estrada, Vendrán Suaves Lluvias (Glassnote) 1 →
62. Lorraine Feather, The Green World (Relation) 1 →
63. Dominique Fils-Aimé, Live at the Montreal International Jazz Festival (Ensoul) 1 →
64. Flyways, Mutualism (Daily Music) 1 →
65. Vanisha Gould, She's Not Shiny, She's Not Smooth (Cellar Live '24) 1 →
66. Caity Gyorgy, Hello! How Are You? (La Reserve '24) 1 →
67. Fred Hersch & Rondi Charleston, Suspended in Time: A Song Cycle (Resilience Music Alliance) 1 →
Jazzmeia Horn, Messages (Empress Legacy '24) 1 →
68. Ineza, Ibuka (Ineza Music) 1 →
69. Chris Ingham Quintet, Walter/Donald (Downhome) 1 →
70. Alfie Jackson Sextet, The Peacocks (JackoJazz) 1 →
71. Carrie Jackson, Jersey Bounce (Arabesque Jazz) 1 →
72. Kazzrie Jaxen & Don Messina, The Dance (New Artists) 1 →
73. Anthony Joseph, Rowing Up River to Get Our Names Back (Heavenly Sweetness) 1 →
74. Nancy Kelly, Be Cool (Origin) 1 →
75. Amirtha Kidambi's Elder Ones, Live in Vilnius (Fern Flower) 1 →
76. Carla Kihlstedt, 26 Little Deaths (Cantaloupe Music) 1 →
Rebecca Kilgore, A Little Taste: A Tribute to Dave Frishberg (Cherry Pie Music '24) 1 →
77. Kokayi, Live at Big Ears: The Standard Knoxville, TN (Why!Not) 1 →
78. Kokoroko, Tuff Times Never Last (Brownswood) 1 →
79. Lex Korten, Canopy (Sounderscore) 1 →
80. Laufey, A Matter of Time (AWAL) 1 →
81. Damon Locks, List of Demands (International Anthem) 1 →
82. Lovers, Lettres D'Amour (Thanatosis) 1 →
83. Lucía, Lucía (La Reserve) 1 →
84. Sandra-Mae Lux, Seasons in Jazz (ECN Music) 1 →
85. Seth MacFarlane, Lush Life: The Lost Sinatra Arrangements (Verve) 1 →
Lili Maljic, The Nearness of You: In Loving Memory of Jim Rotondi (Pacific Coast Jazz) 1 →
86. Georgia Mancio & Alan Broadbent, A Story Left Untold (Roomspin) 1 →
87. Michael Mayo, Fly (Mack Avenue '24) 1 →
88. Christian McBride Big Band, Without Further Ado, Vol. 1 (Mack Avenue) 1 →
89. Kelsey Mines & Vinny Golia, Collusion and Collaboration (Relative Pitch) 1 →
90. Joni Mitchell, Joni's Jazz (1968-2023, Rhino) 1 →
91. Moor Mother, The Great Bailout (Anti- '24) 1 →
92. Jason Moran - Trondheim Jazz Orchestra - Ole Morten Vagan, Go to Your North (Yes) 1 →
93. David Murray Quartet, Birdly Serenade (Impulse!) 1 →
94. Maggie Nicols & Geoff Eales, Beautiful Love (33 Jazz) 1 →
Michelle Nicolle, The Silent Wish (self-released) 1 →
95. Nori, Walking Foot (Go Stop Music) 1 →
96. Ola Onabulé & Nicolas Meier, Proof of Life (Rugged Ram) 1 →
97. Hanna Paulsberg Concept & Elin Rosseland, Himmel Over Hav (Grappa) 1 →
98. Ami Taf Ra, The Prophet and the Madman (Brainfeeder) 1 →
99. Marion Rampal, Song for Abbey (Les Rivières Souterraines) 1 →
100. Andreas Røysum Ensemble, With Marvin Tate (Motvind) 1 →
101. Andreas Schaerer, Anthem for No Man's Land (ACT Music) 1 →
102. Shout Section Big Band + Tatum Langley, Tatum's Swingin' Session!!! (self-released) 1 →
103. Ben Sidran, Are We There Yet (Bonsai/Nardis) 1 →
Claudia Solal & Benjamin Moussay, Punk Moon (Jazzdor) 1 →
104. Marianne Solivan, Break's Over (Imani) 1 →
105. Carmen Souza, Port'Inglês (Galilo MC '24) 1 →
106. Silt Remembrance Ensemble [Luke Stewart], The Order (Cuneiform) 1 →
107. Olivia Trummer, Like Water (Warner Music Italy) 1 →
108. Saadet Türköz & Anaïs Tuerlinckx, Le Chant Des Noiseuses (ScatterArchive) 1 →
109. Julia Úlehla and Dálava, Understories (Pi) 1 →
110. Savina Yannatou Primavera en Salonico and Larnia Bedioui, Watersong (ECM) 1 →
111. Adrian Younge, Something About April III (Jazz Is Dead) 1 →
112. Shiri Zorn - George Muscatello - Mauricio Zottarelli, Looking for the Light (self-released) 1 →

Total albums receiving votes: 120. Of these, 11 were initially released in 2024 (9.1%), and 109 in 2025. This is down from 9.7% in 2024.

This category was optional. 63 critics (37.7%, up from 23.7% in 2024) did not vote in this category, so 104 critics did vote. Of those, 23 (22.1%) voted for 1 album, 9 (8.6%) voted for 2 albums, 67 (64.4%) voted for 3 albums, 5 (4.6%) voted for 4 albums.

Notes

Vocals albums that received votes in 2024 as well as 2025. These are numbered by their position in 2024. In both years, all votes are counted equally:

6. Kurt Elling & Sullivan Fortner, Wildflowers Vol. 1 (Edition '24) 13 + 1 = 14
8. Jazzmeia Horn, Messages (Empress Legacy '24) 10 + 1 = 11
11. Michael Mayo, Fly (Mack Avenue '24) 6 + 1 = 7
19. Vanisha Gould, She's Not Shiny, She's Not Smooth (Cellar Live '24) 3 + 1 = 4
27. Moor Mother, The Great Bailout (Anti- '24) 2 + 1 = 3
45. Kurt Elling & Joey Calderazzo, Wildflowers Vol. 2 (Edition '24) 1 + 1 = 2
45. Estonian Voices, Kallimale (Sheikid '24) 1 + 1 = 2
45. Caity Gyorgy, Hello! How Are You? (La Reserve '24) 1 + 1 = 2

The other '24 releases received no votes in 2025.

• Nicholas Bussmann - Sven-Åke Johansson - Yan Jun, (Ni-Vu-Ni-Connu '24) 1
• Rebecca Kilgore, A Little Taste: A Tribute to Dave Frishberg (Cherry Pie Music '24) 1
• Carmen Souza, Port'Inglês (Galilo MC '24) 1

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:

• None.