It’s that exciting time of year again… time to begin our Album of the Year Awards process! 2025 has given us a plethora of new music to discover – just check out these stats:

Highlighting and honouring the highest quality DSD music is what we do at NativeDSD. And there is no better way than to let you, our trusted music-loving audiophiles, vote on the top albums from the last year.

How do we select the nominees for our anticipated Albums of the Year Awards? As has been our tradition, NativeDSD has asked Senior Reviewer Bill Dodd and Technical Advisor Brian Moura to carefully review the year’s DSD releases and bring our listeners their nominations in several musical categories.

This is a great way to applaud and reward the excellent music and performances that the music labels and artists have brought us this year. And it also is a guide for our listeners to see what we have selected as the best DSD music in 2025.

Nominations Part 2 features the Jazz and Vocal selections from 2025, chosen with great deliberation by Brian Moura. These categories are divided into to groups, with Nominations Part 3 following.

Jazz Duo

Fausto Mesolella & Michele Ascolese
Fonè – SACD275

Wandering Guitarists was recorded live and then transferred from the Analog Master Tape to Stereo DSD. The album features the guitar duo of Fausto Mesolella and Michele Asculese. It is the 10th album at NativeDSD featuring Fausto Mesolella. The music is upbeat and energetic, offering listeners a very joyful listening experience.

Iman Spaargaren & Peter Björnild
Sound Liaison – SL1078A

For their first Pure DSD 256 recording, Sound Liaison released the album In Essence. This is a Live recording that uses One Microphone, a Josephson Engineering C700S, to capture the music of the Jazz Duo of Iman Spaargaren (clarinet & saxophone) and Peter Bjørnild (double bass). The 13 songs are classics including “Willow Weep For Me”, ‘My Funny Valentine’ and ‘In a Sentimental Mood’. Played in a mellow style with the two musicians in perfect sync. It is quite a debut for the label’s entry into the Pure DSD 256 market.

Jazz Trio

And So On Trio
The Audiophile Society – AS36

NativeDSD’s first release from the new Audiophile Society label features The Music of Vince Guaraldi. Best known as the soundtrack of the Peanuts comic strip TV specials, the songs are performed here by the And So On Trio. A group of young Jazz musicians who play the music in a way that is both fresh and familiar. This one will bring back some fine memories. 

Martien Oster, István Gyárfás & Zoltán Oláh
Hunnia Records – HRES2403

This album’s title is a play on words about the Jazz Trio’s origin story. Featuring two guitarists and a double bass player it Is an unusual trio configuration. Guitarist Martien Oster’s credits include performing and recording with Monty Alexander, Red Holloway, Diana Krall (her first record), and Dr. Lonnie Smith. The trio plays Jazz classics from Wes Montgomery, Ray Brown, and other famed songwriters in a way that the Jazz just flows effortlessly. This is one of my favorite albums of the year. 

Rembrandt Trio
Just Listen Records – JL035

Albums from the Rembrandt Trio are always worth an immediate download in my book. The trio explores and performs many types of music including Jazz and World Music. On The Blue Hour Sessions, we are treated to a Pure DSD 256 Stereo recording of the trio playing 11 songs that you will all know. This album is so popular that it not only hit the number 1 Best Selling Album spot at NativeDSD for several weeks in a row this year, but it has also never left the Top 10 Sellers list since it’s release in May! That says more than what I could add here about one of the finest releases of 2025. 

Áron Tálas, Danny Ziemann & Jorge Rossy
Hunnia Records – HRES2502

I wondered a bit about this one given the title. It turns out that pianist Aron Talas asked his musical friends Danny Ziemann (Double Bass) and Jorge Rossy (Drums) to join him for a light hearted take on a number of standards including “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To”, “Almost Like Being In Love”, “So Danco Samba” and “Here’s That Rainy Day”.  The trio plays the tunes at a rapid-fire pace, so this may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But I did find the music entertaining and a change of pace from what I would expect from a Jazz Trio.

Jazz Ensemble

The Steve Davis Project
DMP – 034004

This album has been requested by multiple NativeDSD customers ever since DMP licensed its albums for release. It was one of the first Stereo DSD recordings made and it uses a prototype Direct Stream Digital (DSD) Analog to Digital Converter and the Sonoma DSD Workstation for a Pure DSD release. The goal of the album according to Producer Tom Jung and Drummer Steve Davis is to create a Jazz album “where the emphasis is as much on the space as the notes.” The album succeeds – both in creating a heightened sense of space and imaging – and as a fine Jazz album. Either way, it’s one to add to your DSD collection. 

Lex Jasper Quartet
Sound Liaison – SL1074A

Lex Jasper is known as a Jazz pianist and bandleader. Here he assembles an all-star quartet of Jazz musicians from Europe in a Live recording at the MCO studios in The Netherlands. The quartet plays 12 Jazz standards in several different tempos that range from soft and delicate to quite upbeat. Lex Quisite, a play on words from the bandleader’s name, offers a variety of musical moments but it’s always a joy to listen to this album. 

Jeremy Mohney Quintet
Octave Records – OCT0024

From the cover of Dreams Of You with a couple in the moonlight on a swing, you might be expecting an album of quiet and romantic music. Instead, what Dreams Of You brings is 10 original compositions, most of which are very much in the Swing Jazz style played by Jeremy Mohney and his Jazz Quartet. Kudos to the Quintet for playing all new and original songs in this well recorded Stereo DSD 256 album.

Joscho Stephan Trio & Guests
MGL Musik Produktion – 291805

Guitarist Joscho Stephan and his Trio invite 5 of their favorite guitarists to join them in a Live Guitar Heroes concert. The album features a variety of music styles and guitar favorites including “Breezin'”, “In A Sentimental Mood” and “Mainstreet Breakdown”. Whether the Trio and the Legends play Swing Jazz, Chet Atkins style guitar or a Bossa Nova rhythms, the music is always entertaining, and the playing is at the highest levels. These players really are at the “legend” level. I would recommend listening to this album – but not trying to duplicate the guitar pyrotechnics displayed here. Very entertaining and at times just amazing.

Vocals – Pop & Rock

America
In-A-Kustik – 01655074

Celebrating the 55th Anniversary of the band America, In-A-Kustik brought us the album Greatest Hits In Concert in Pure DSD. It features 17 tracks including all of the group’s biggest hits in a live recording that brings more of an acoustic feel to the familiar songs. An album to sit back and enjoy. 

Ben Folds with Regina Spektor, Tall Heights, Steven Reineke & the National Symphony Orchestra
NSO Live – NSO0021D

Ben Folds Live was shrouded in mystery as it approached its release on the 4th of July this year. NativeDSD received the album tracks and assets but could not talk about it until the release date. Ben Folds Live was recorded at the Grammy Winning Pop Star’s expense as a gift to the National Symphony Orchestra and his fans as he exited his role as one of the NSO’s artistic advisors and developer of its “Unclassified” series of Pop Concerts with major pop music stars. This edition of the album has 4 bonus tracks (not found on the Stereo CD) and guest performances by Pop Star Regina Spektor and the vocal duo Tall Heights. It’s a wonderful tribute to Folds’ musical performances with the National Symphony Orchestra.

Al Jarreau
2xHD & Resonance Records – 2XHDRE1269

2xHD Mastering and Resonance Records teamed up this year to bring us Wow! Live in Performance with singer Al Jarreau and his trio. The live performance was recorded to Analog Tape in 1976 and has now been moved from the vaults to release on this new album. It features the singer’s take on several favorites including “Take Five,” “Fire and Rain” and Count Basie’s “Shiny Stockings.” Al Jarreau fans will not want to miss this one.

Vocals – Jazz

Patricia Barber
Impex Records – IMP7006D

Split is Jazz Singer Patricia Barber’s first album. It has been newly remastered by Jim Anderson and Ulrike Anderson for Impex Records. The remastered edition is Exclusively Available at NativeDSD. Split features 10 tracks – 6 of which are favorites in the American Songbook and 4 are original compositions by Patricia Barber. The album offers listeners a unique look into the early days of Patricia Barber’s storied career. Her performance of “Two For The Road” by Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse is an album highlight not to be missed. 

Carmen Gomes Inc.
Sound Liaison – SL1081A

When Peter Bjørnild and Frans de Rond at Sound Liaison began recording in Pure DSD 256 this year, the first question in my mind was when will we get an album in that format from Carmen Gomes Inc. NativeDSD listeners know that the wait was not long with the release of the album Bluesy May.  Like their earlier albums, this one features standout instrumental performances, bluesy and passionate Jazz vocals from Carmen Gomes on songs including “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying.” The album was a # 1 seller at NativeDSD and one listen to the album quickly tells you why.

Carmen Gomes Inc.
Sound Liaison – SL1072A

Thousand Shades Of Blue was one of the early releases by Carmen Gomes Inc. It features songs that really match the strengths of this band including “I’m On Fire”, “Wicked Game” and “Fever” among others. In this new “HRES” edition, the album has been remixed and remastered using less processing than the original release. The result of this “less is more” approach is a significant improvement in clarity and detail. Making an album that was already a favorite even more so. 

The NativeDSD Team would like to thank Bill Dodd and Brian Moura for having spent many hours listening to all of the albums released in 2025, and for selecting the albums they believe worthy of this commendation.