Comebacks We Want to See in 2013

Though 2009's The Ecstatic was met largely with a positive response, it continued a trend in Mos Def's recent work of exploring bits and pieces of song concepts often without committing to structure or execution beyond a few interesting ideas. While this strategy can result in thrilling work (such as in the case of Mos' collaborators Madlib and the late J Dilla), in the case of an artist as capable as Mos Def, the song sketch model is often unsatisfying, more tantalizing than fulfilling. If Mos could combine the energized experimentation of The Ecstatic with the more focused, full-bodied songwriting of his classic Black on Both Sides, he could easily strike artistic paydirt once again.

One of the greatest comebacks we've ever seen was Johnny Cash's. Right before passing away, a weathered, grey-haired Cash reinvented himself for one last run, and he did it with class. Without that last comeback, Cash's legacy might have been different. The way it played out was beautiful, and a whole new generation got to call themselves Johnny Cash fans. Most music lovers know about Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground, but his latest ventures back into music have been less than stellar. For the sake of younger fans getting to appreciate one of the quintessential NYC badasses while he's still around, we hope Lou Reed pulls off a Cash-style comeback in 2K13. Rick Rubin - where you at?

Teasing two singles ("9th Inning" and "Triple Threat") in 2012, Missy Elliott reminded listeners that she existed in the midst of a seven-year hiatus since her last album The Cookbook. There's no time like the present for Missy to jump back in the ring and reclaim the throne she vacated through silence. Never known for risk aversion, the current musical climate could not be better for the sort of sonic adventurism that became Missy's trademark on the road to chart dominance. Whether re-teaming old standby Timbaland or enlisting a bevy of the endlessly created producers floating around at the moment, Missy's tendency uptempo experiments that combine the best of the past with a glimpse of the future would make welcome additions to hip-hop's recent creative renaissance.

Since he has released enough Christmas music to tide us over until the next apocalypse (which is coming in 2017, by the way, so get ready), we'd love Sufjan Stevens to return to the sort of eccentricities that made his seminal albums Greetings from Michigan and Illinoise, as well as his ambitious 2010 LP The Age of Adz so compelling. Though it's hard to ask for a comeback from a man who has been sensationally prolific, Sufjan has also promised much that we've yet to hear—the remaining 48 albums in his 50 states project, for example. We certainly aren't trying to cramp the man's experimental style. But, for a moment: Come home, Sufjan, and at least let us marinate on the 10 volumes (and one rap mixtape) worth of Christmas music you've put out before you go ahead and put out more on that front.

“But wait,” you say. “DOOM released something last year!” Indeed he did, collaborating with producer Jneiro Jarel to form JJ DOOM on Keys to the Kuff. We even enjoyed it, but it flew largely under the radar and didn't feel like a DOOM event, neither as inherently exciting or guarded as a new DOOM solo album, nor as anticipated as some of the masked man's higher profile collaborations (a certain sequel to a certain classic album springs to mind). DOOM hasn't released a solo album since 2009's stellar Born Like This and his combination of off-kilter muzak beats and mush-mouthed, multi-layered rhymes are always welcome.

Pete Doherty can't possibly keep on keeping on the way he's been doing things. But after years of a troubled life, the notorious ex-frontman of The Libertines and all-around British badass/poet/addict/artist/sensitive soul seems to be closing in on a change. He moved to Paris to get clean, and although he's still on heroin, he's admitted that he's starting to realize that he's getting older and that a change may be in order. Even at his lowest of lows, Pete has proven himself capable of making some truly beautiful music, and if he could manage to pull himself together, the possibilities are endless. For years, we've worried that Pete Doherty might be on the way out. Finally, we're starting to feel like maybe he could be on the way back in. It would be a welcome return.

Few producers have dominated the popular musical landscape as the Neptunes did between 1999 and 2006. Turning out hits and spectacularly oddball success in equal measure (and, on occasion, in the same package) with clockwork regularity, the Neptunes rightfully became production deities, guaranteed hit makers whether conscripted by rappers, singers, or bands. The last half decade has seen glimpses of former 'Tune greatness, but the duo of Pharrell and Chad has failed to deliver the flood of idiosyncratic hits that once seemed to flow from them infinitely.

By most accounts, R&B had a stellar year, a sort of corner-turning moment marked by mature, ambitious releases from artists like Miguel and Frank Ocean, as well as continued sonic exploration by the Weeknd, inc., How to Dress Well, and AlunaGeorge. If you are talking about R&B after the 1980s, then you are talking about a landscape molded by Prince (among a few important others). The Purple One lent brash sexuality, intricate songwriting, inventive production, and sprawling concepts to topics and ideas well-worn in the genre, setting out a blueprint that undoubtedly influenced two of Ocean and Miguel, not-so-coincidentally 2012's bastions of R&B rebirth. With recent single "Rock and Roll Love Affair" proving that Prince certainly still has some juice left, the way is made for Prince to reinsert himself in the modern R&B discussion and release an album to rival his younger contemporaries.

Do we need to explain this one in particular detail? 2013 will mark a decade since the duo's diamond selling Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, and seven years since their last studio album, the Idlewild soundtrack, largely overlooked for the uneven movie to which it was attached. In the interim, Big Boi has released two stellar solo albums and André 3000 has scorched earth across spectacular guest verse after spectacular guest verse, though, admittedly, never often enough. You can count the number of times André and Big Boi have joined forces on record since Idlewild on one hand. Isn't it about time for that new Outkast album? The rumors and details are unclear, and it seems unlikely that this will actually happen anytime soon, but we can hope.

DMX released an album in 2012. Did you listen to it? Probably not, which is a shame, because few artists exhibit more heart and energy with such unflappable frequency as the barker from Yonkers. How better, then, to harness DMX than to call up long time producers Dame Grease and Swizz Beats, young fire starters like Lex Luger and Young Chop, and an army of X's loudest contemporaries Waka Flocka, Gunplay, Danny Brown, and, for good measure, M.O.P.? X's righteous rage has long been one of his strongest musical traits, and a return to fiery form would further stoke the flames of rap's current aggro/punk fixations.

When Interpol's Turn On the Bright Lightsarrived in 2002, it embodied the atmosphere of post-9/11 New York, all anxious atmosphere wrapped around propulsive arrangements that demanded movement. A little more than a decade since Interpol became, if ever-so briefly, indie rock royalty, the world is as tense and uncertain as ever. While indie rock has veered away from the garage and dance tendencies that typified turn of the century records, Interpol's original, muscular formula remains a perfect parcel for delivering the message of the time and we can imagine what a producer like Jamie xx could add to that dynamic.

The last time Phoenix released an album, it was kind of a moment. Do you remember Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix? It was one of the catchiest albums of 2009. But more importantly, it struck this sweet spot between a current synthy sound and more traditional pop/rock songwriting that allowed the project appeal to both mainstream and indie crowds. The album had lasting power, but after a couple of years, the French band gracefully stepped out of the spotlight, and good thing, too, as it made us miss them even more. Just recently, we got word that they've started working on their 2013 album, and instead of trying to recaputre the accessibility of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the band has said that they'd like to go in a more experimental direction. It's a risky move but a respectable one, and we're hoping that it puts Phoenix back on top.

We're still rooting for Charles Hamilton. While dedicated fans can track prolific output spread across CH's blogs and Soundcloud accounts, the talented rapper/producer hasn't released the sort of unified statement that would ignite the passion of people who want to listen to Hamilton but may be daunted by his eccentricities. Charles has made it pretty obvious that he's uninterested in playing any of the games that go along with any level of mainstream appeal/success, but it's still unclear if his absence from "the game" is partly due to his own personal issues and beefs.

When you bring up the name "Charles Hamilton" these days, most people don't take it seriously, but we'd love for him to set aside all the industry insider drama and just make something that fans can get into. Maybe he will always be an outsider, and maybe he isn't the kind of person meant to be on the covers of magazines and in meetings with major labels uninterested in anything other than the bottom line, but there are plenty of outsider artists that do just fine, and if CH could just manage to find his spot in it all, we think he has a lot to offer.