2023: Reinvention, Reflection, and Relentless Creativity

By 2023, the comeback was complete—so the challenge became evolution.
Tours weren’t just back, they were bigger. Albums weren’t just expected, they were ambitious. Masters artists were no longer proving they could return; they were proving they still had something to say, and the world was finally listening.

2023 wasn’t about nostalgia. It was about reinvention. Some legends took bold sonic leaps, some crafted intimate statements, and others doubled down on the raw power that made them icons in the first place.

The result? A year of fearless releases that reminded us why we built Masters Radio in the first place: to spotlight the artists who refuse to fade quietly into the background.

New Music from Masters Artists in 2023

Here’s a look at the most compelling new releases from artists who first broke through 20+ years ago—still pushing boundaries, still staying vital, still earning their spot on the stream.

Rock Heavyweights, Redefined

Foo Fighters – But Here We Are
A cathartic, deeply emotional album processing loss and channeling grief into anthems. Loud, heartfelt, and unmistakably Foo.

Metallica – 72 Seasons
Thrash titans delivering a 77-minute onslaught. Proof they can still summon the fury decades later.

Blur – The Ballad of Darren
Their first album in eight years—introspective, melancholic, and beautifully restrained.

Sonic Storytellers & Dreamers

Peter Gabriel – i/o
Released track by track through the year, this is Gabriel at his most expansive—both musically and visually.

Depeche Mode – Memento Mori
A dark, cinematic meditation on mortality, yet strangely hopeful. Their best in years.

The Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds
Yes, they did it. A late-career triumph full of swagger, bite, and even a few tender moments.

Voices That Only Get Better

Dolly Parton – Rockstar
An all-star rock covers record featuring Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, and more—Dolly proves she can front a band as well as anyone.

Annie Lennox – Original Sin
Elegant, haunting, and powerful. A masterclass in vocal storytelling.

Chris Isaak – Everybody Knows It’s Christmas
Retro holiday cool that sounds like it was cut on Sun Records in 1959.

Roots, Blues & Americana Stories

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Weathervanes
Songwriting clinic. Fierce, literate, and musically muscular.

Lucinda Williams – Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart
Gritty, soulful, and defiant—Lucinda at her most autobiographical.

Buddy Guy – The Blues Don’t Lie
A ferocious statement from an elder statesman who still plays like his guitar is on fire.

Surprises, Side Trips & Experiments

Boygenius – the record
Supergroup of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus proving that collaboration can spark lightning.

Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman…
Weird, hypnotic, and full of swagger. A desert-rock fever dream.

Iggy Pop – Every Loser
Raw, stripped down, and dripping with punk attitude.

2023: Not Just Back—Still Leading

2023 confirmed it: Masters artists aren’t passengers on the musical highway. They’re still driving it.

They didn’t just show up for the encore.
They wrote a new setlist.

And we were here for all of it—every risk, reinvention, and unexpected masterpiece.