Georgia Today Podcast — Best Music of 2025: GPB Staff Picks

Date: December 31, 2025
Host: Orlando Montoya (Georgia Public Broadcasting)

Episode Overview

This special New Year’s Eve episode of Georgia Today pivots from news to celebration, as the GPB News team shares their favorite music discoveries of 2025. Staff from different departments offer their “albums of the year,” ranging from neo soul revivals to hip hop, Americana, and whimsical jazz. The episode is filled with personal stories, memorable tracks, and revealing insights about why each selection resonated with them throughout the year.

Staff Picks & Highlights

1. Stone Foundation — Revival of Survival

Staff: Krista York Wooten, Music & Culture Writer
Segment Start: [00:47]

• Pick: Revival of Survival by the British neo soul band Stone Foundation.
• Why: Krista describes the album as a source of hope and resilience amidst chaos, praising its positive mantras and irresistible groove.
• Quote:

  “Its positive mantras plus irresistible grooves … counteracted the chaos with hope whether on distant shores or looking out my window at home.” — Krista York Wooten [00:47]

• Memorable Track: Lyrics sampled:

  “It’s that beat I know… tells me where I’m going… it’s that beat I know, tells me where I’ve been.” [01:14]

2. Geese — Getting Killed

Staff: Chase McGee, Senior Newsroom Producer
Segment Start: [01:22]

• Pick: Getting Killed by Geese, a Brooklyn-based band.
• Why: Chase admires the album’s lyrical density, comparing its frontman, Cameron Winter, to Bob Dylan, predicting a long future for the band.
• Quote:

  “I’ve seen people evoke names like Dylan in comparison, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you see a long future ahead for these artists.” — Chase McGee [01:22]

• Memorable Moment: Features a snippet from the single “Taxes”:

  “Dr. Dr. Heal yourself.” [01:48]

• Recommendation:

  “If you’re into them, check out the whole album front to back.” — Chase McGee [01:55]

3. Rachel & Vilre — West of Broadway

Staff: Mark Chilla, Radio Operations Manager
Segment Start: [02:01]

• Pick: West of Broadway by Rachel & Vilre.
• Why: The album evokes the charm of digging through crates for forgotten Broadway albums from the ’40s and ’50s, full of original, whimsical jazz tunes.
• Quote:

  “It makes you feel like you’re digging through the crates of a record store and uncovering a lost Broadway cast album...” — Mark Chilla [02:01]

• Favorite Track: “Is It Jim?” — a bizarre, hilarious song about a woman whose partner is replaced by a tortoise.
• Memorable Lyric Noted:

  “I love that he rhymes the word ‘tortoise’ with ‘enormous’, ‘laborious’, ‘fortress’. It’s just great.” — Mark Chilla [02:52]

• Sampled Lyrics:

  “But who would leave a tortoise?” [02:44]

4. Shallow Water — God's Gonna Give You A Million Dollars

Staff: Mark Davenport
Segment Start: [03:05]

• Pick: God’s Gonna Give You A Million Dollars by Shallow Water.
• Why: The album masterfully blends Americana instrumentation with “slowcore”—moving between ethereal country soundscapes and intense, distorted sonic peaks.
• Quote:

  “It’s this great combination of both Americana and style [of] slowcore… beautiful ethereal country instrumentation to the loudest distortion you can imagine.” — Mark Davenport [03:05]

5. D’Angelo — Voodoo and Black Messiah feat. The Vanguard

Staff: Victoria, Audio Engineer
Segment Start: [03:34]

• Pick: Though she highlights 2025 hip hop releases from Tyler, the Creator (Don't Tap the Glass), Kendrick Lamar (GNX), Clipse (Let God Sort Em Out), and Earl Sweatshirt (Live Laugh Love), her most meaningful album was revisiting D’Angelo’s Black Messiah (2014).
• Why: The album remains deeply personal, connecting Victoria to her music studies and reflecting on D’Angelo’s influential legacy.
• Quote:

  “As I re-listen to the album… I get to relive how deeply personal his comeback was in 2014 and thus how deeply his influence was felt.” — Victoria [04:17]

6. Ruby Francis — Pages of Philosophy (EP)

Staff: Khari Sampson, Copy Editor
Segment Start: [04:37]

• Pick: Pages of Philosophy EP by Ruby Francis, a London R&B and neo soul artist.
• Why: Khari is a longtime fan since 2017, appreciating her soulful vibe and loyal to anything she releases.
• Quote:

  “I’ve been a super fan of Francis since 2017 and this is clearly my album of the year… I pick up everything that she puts out.” — Khari Sampson [04:37]

• Sampled Lyrics:

  “Red Wine… Tell me about your history. Comfort and familiarity.” [05:05]

7. Wale — Everything Is A Lot

Staff: Pamela Kirkland, Host, Morning Edition
Segment Start: [05:16]

• Pick: Everything Is A Lot by Wale.
• Why: As a long-time Wale fan, Pamela feels this album returns to the sound that first drew her in, combining laid-back beats, soulful samples, and honest, vulnerable lyrics.
• Quote:

  “It’s really an album that you can just chill out to, but when you listen, you can hear just how dynamic he is in those lyrics.” — Pamela Kirkland [05:16] “No skip albums are rare for me, but this is definitely one.” — Pamela Kirkland [06:02]

• Sampled Lyrics:

  “God’s good, but I often question him when he listen, the hate is bigger than me. The weight is bigger than me. They crashing out. I feel like I’m a Talladega winning.” [05:52]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “It’s that beat I know—it tells me where I’m going, it’s that beat I know—it tells me where I’ve been.”
  — Stone Foundation, introduced by Krista York Wooten [01:14]

• “I’ve seen people evoke names like Dylan in comparison.”
  — Chase McGee on Geese’s lyricism [01:22]

• “Who would leave a tortoise?”
  — Mark Chilla delighting in Rachel & Vilre’s lyrical play [02:44]

• “Beautiful ethereal country instrumentation to the loudest distortion you can imagine.”
  — Mark Davenport on Shallow Water’s dynamic range [03:05]

• “As I re-listen to the album… I get to relive how deeply personal his comeback was in 2014…”
  — Victoria on D’Angelo’s enduring influence [04:17]

• “No skip albums are rare for me, but this is definitely one.”
  — Pamela Kirkland on Wale’s Everything Is A Lot [06:02]

Episode Flow & Key Timestamps

• [00:06] Intro & Episode Purpose: Best Music of 2025 discussion — Orlando Montoya
• [00:47] Krista York Wooten: Stone Foundation, Revival of Survival
• [01:22] Chase McGee: Geese, Getting Killed
• [02:01] Mark Chilla: Rachel & Vilre, West of Broadway
• [03:05] Mark Davenport: Shallow Water, God's Gonna Give You A Million Dollars
• [03:34] Victoria: Hip hop highlights & D’Angelo spotlight
• [04:37] Khari Sampson: Ruby Francis, Pages of Philosophy (EP)
• [05:16] Pamela Kirkland: Wale, Everything Is A Lot
• [06:15] Closing remarks & well-wishes for New Year

Final Thoughts

This episode is a heartfelt and eclectic celebration of music from the GPB team, each recommendation revealing a bit about the person behind the mic. The picks span genres and generations, underscoring music’s emotional power—whether by providing comfort, nostalgia, or a new discovery to look forward to in the new year.