Obama Includes Cardi B, the Carters and Nancy Wilson in List of Favorite 2018 Songs

By Chris Willman

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Read it and weep, music fans and presidential historians. There’s a new list out of the best tracks of 2018, and although it reads like it could be leaked results from a critics’ poll, it’s actually a personal favorites list posted on Instagram by former president Barack Obama, upon whom the nation’s few remaining actual music critics have nothing.

Assuming he really heard all these songs and does not have his playlists ghost-curated, Obama remains not just a tasteful patron of the arts but someone actively engaged in what the kids would call “music discovery.”

Among his picks are retro-soul and modern R&B, as you’d expect from the 21st century’s most celebrated Al Green fan: He loves H.E.R. as much as the Grammy nominating committees, and Leon Bridges, Janelle Monae and Prince’s open vault make it in, too. But his something-for-everyone list also encompasses mainstream country’s bubbling-under upstart Ashley Monroe, indie rockers Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett, Grammy-beloved singer/songwriter , world music from Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara and hip-hop from Kendrick Lamar. It includes acts as off the beaten track as Londoner Tom Misch, who mixed jazz and electronica, and as very much on the beaten track as Cardi B. Language-wise, there are some NSFTOO (not safe for the oval office) picks; “Apes**t,” by his pals the Carters, tops the alphabetical list, optional asterisks intact.

“As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists,” Obama wrote. “It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved. It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors, artists, and storytellers — some who are household names and others who you may not have heard of before. Swipe through to see my best of 2018 list — I hope you enjoy reading, watching, and listening.”

Tagged on at the end of the contemporary list is a nod to the recently passed-away Nancy Wilson, “one of the great jazz singers of all time.”

The snubs list is led by officially presidentially proclaimed “jackass” Kanye West, who yet again has failed to make the coveted Obama list.

Current office-holder Donald Trump has not yet posted his year-end best list, so Lee Greenwood still has a shot at a presidential seal of approval.