OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES
true feats of audio greatness.
WINNER: The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Performed by Laurence Fishburne
It's a tricky exercise to nail down the best performances amid a Best of the Year collection that is—by definition—awash in great performances. So we tried to home in on listens where the voice is the star, the thing that makes this list unmissable. We felt this in the chemistry that twinkles between Ryan Sampson and Sian Polhill Thomas in Miscellaneous 0125, and Grace Gummer's raw portrayal of a young woman in crisis in My Dark Vanessa was a perpetual punch to the gut. The powerful cast behind In Love and Struggle made that struggle capital-R Real, and what can we say but Alanis Morissette transported us Gen-X women to a previous time. But it was Laurence Fishburne's rendition of The Autobiography of Malcolm X that resonated the most for us, this year of all years. His performance brings a new reverence and urgency to the ever-relevant 1965 classic.
Outstanding Performances: Four More
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Alanis Morissette
- Words + Music, Vol. 8
- By: Alanis Morissette
- Narrated by: Alanis Morissette
- Length: 1 hr and 31 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A down-to-earth global pop star. A deeply spiritual, cerebral powerhouse. A famously outspoken introvert. For her millions of fans, and the few unacquainted, defining rock luminary Alanis Morissette is an exercise in dichotomies and nuance. And though her most formidable traits are seemingly at odds with one another, they are, oddly enough, completely emblematic of all of us: complex, conflicting, and, most importantly, ever evolving. With her striking command of language and profound emotional fluency, the 46-year-old covers an enormous amount of personal ground with listeners.
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Music x Words
- By Patrick on 10-23-20
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My Dark Vanessa
- A Novel
- By: Kate Elizabeth Russell
- Narrated by: Grace Gummer
- Length: 16 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, 15-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful 42-year-old English teacher. 2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due. Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, who reaches out to Vanessa, and now Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: Remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past.
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I apologize
- By Judy George on 03-13-20
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Miscellaneous 0125
- By: Berri George
- Narrated by: Ryan Sampson, Sian Polhill Thomas
- Length: 1 hr and 51 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A spirited factory worker on a mission. A nerdy manager with a propensity for puzzles. An unexpected adventure. Charmingly British and off-beat, Miscellaneous 0125 is a story about following your dreams, healing past traumas, and the joy of truly being understood.
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Unique, entertaining, and surprisingly moving
- By Isabella on 09-02-20
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In Love and Struggle
- By: The Meteor
- Narrated by: Full Cast
- Length: 1 hr and 42 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In Love and Struggle brings together a group of prestigious women of color to share their stories during this unique calendar moment, a leap year which serves as a bridge, uniting Black History Month and Women's History Month. A slate of participants includes actor Sarah Jones, law professor Anita Hill, commentator Brittany Packnett Cunningham, model and speaker Aaron Philip, poet Mahogany L. Browne, writer Bassey Ikpi, scholar Salamishah Tillet, author Jodie Patterson, and hip-hop artist Mumu Fresh.
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Stop and listen to these women. You will not regret it.
- By Anonymous User on 06-13-20
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Alanis Morissette
- Words + Music, Vol. 8
- By: Alanis Morissette
- Narrated by: Alanis Morissette
- Length: 1 hr and 31 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A down-to-earth global pop star. A deeply spiritual, cerebral powerhouse. A famously outspoken introvert. For her millions of fans, and the few unacquainted, defining rock luminary Alanis Morissette is an exercise in dichotomies and nuance. And though her most formidable traits are seemingly at odds with one another, they are, oddly enough, completely emblematic of all of us: complex, conflicting, and, most importantly, ever evolving. With her striking command of language and profound emotional fluency, the 46-year-old covers an enormous amount of personal ground with listeners.
-
-
Music x Words
- By Patrick on 10-23-20
-
My Dark Vanessa
- A Novel
- By: Kate Elizabeth Russell
- Narrated by: Grace Gummer
- Length: 16 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, 15-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful 42-year-old English teacher. 2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due. Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, who reaches out to Vanessa, and now Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: Remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past.
-
-
I apologize
- By Judy George on 03-13-20
-
Miscellaneous 0125
- By: Berri George
- Narrated by: Ryan Sampson, Sian Polhill Thomas
- Length: 1 hr and 51 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A spirited factory worker on a mission. A nerdy manager with a propensity for puzzles. An unexpected adventure. Charmingly British and off-beat, Miscellaneous 0125 is a story about following your dreams, healing past traumas, and the joy of truly being understood.
-
-
Unique, entertaining, and surprisingly moving
- By Isabella on 09-02-20
-
In Love and Struggle
- By: The Meteor
- Narrated by: Full Cast
- Length: 1 hr and 42 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Love and Struggle brings together a group of prestigious women of color to share their stories during this unique calendar moment, a leap year which serves as a bridge, uniting Black History Month and Women's History Month. A slate of participants includes actor Sarah Jones, law professor Anita Hill, commentator Brittany Packnett Cunningham, model and speaker Aaron Philip, poet Mahogany L. Browne, writer Bassey Ikpi, scholar Salamishah Tillet, author Jodie Patterson, and hip-hop artist Mumu Fresh.
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Stop and listen to these women. You will not regret it.
- By Anonymous User on 06-13-20