People of the year and flavors of the day have already been rendered auld lang syne by our quad core processors and deft multitouch devices. In seconds, you can pop up scads of best-of and worst-of lists that spontaneously generate this time of year.

And everyone who blogs, texts, tweets and twitters is a critic.

I tried to come up with a Top 10 list of 2011 music releases myself, but found it impossible. Too many variables. Best according to originality? Execution? Message? Genre?

I don’t have a favorite kind of music or a favorite artist. I just know when I like something or when I connect with something. Then I share. But there’s so much music I’ve searched for or stumbled onto that I haven’t been able to share it all. Once a month, I choose one album — for sometimes random, sometimes serendipitous reasons.

Instead of a critic’s year-end list, here are a few releases of 2011 that I still think are worth sharing before we launch into a new year of even more ethereal music apps:

* “100 Years of Robert Johnson,” Big Head Blues Club: This is music that will never be forgotten or go out of style. 2011 marked the centennial of the blues pioneer and legend Johnson’s birth, and tributes abounded all year. Big Head Todd band members and an A-list of blues heavy hitters formed the ad hoc Big Head Blues Club to record 10 quintessential Johnson songs like “Cross Road Blues” and “Sweet Home Chicago.” Performers on this album, released in February, include B.B. King, Honeyboy Edwards, Charlie Musselwhite, Ruthie Foster, Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm. Perfect ingredients to go with my black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day.

* “Old Tyme Religion,” Hugo: This is my find of the year. Half British, half Thai, Hugo injects the eerie mystery of his childhood jungle into an international palette of music heavily influenced by American blues and rock. The word edgy is so overused that the descriptor has lost its edge, but it fits Hugo. There is no label for Hugo’s music. Imagine if you combined the rhythm of J.J. Cale, the spiritual inhibition of The Doors, the smooth vocals and synthesizers of Depeche Mode and the dark lyrics of Kurt Cobain. Each song on this album lured me into hearing more, but each time I had the sensation that I would fall off the edge of normalcy and into a labyrinth of some unnamed taboo. Released in May, this album is hauntingly beautiful.

*”En Mi Piel (In My Skin),” Buika: There’s something about Latin music that I find exotically romantic. Concha Buika exudes sensuality and transcends boundaries, geographic or political. Born of Equatorial Guinea refugees, Buika grew up on the Spanish island of Mallorca heavily influenced by gypsy music. This album, released in September, is a two-CD collection that spans Buika’s career and vast musical styles that range from flamenco to contemporary jazz to American pop. Regardless of the genre, Buika throws her husky, unadorned voice into each song’s emotion with the reckless abandon of a true chanteuse.

* “For True,” Trombone Shorty: By now, everyone has heard of Trombone Shorty, launched into mainstream music by the HBO series “Treme.” But Shorty’s musical reach extends well beyond New Orleans parish lines. I was hooked with “Backatown” in 2010, and have been continuously listening to “For True” since its release this September. Love the big sound of horns. If you’ve lost your groove or never had it and didn’t get it in your Christmas stocking, then find this album. Funky percussion and retro 1970s R&B tossed into a fresh salad of fusion and hip-hop will get you on your feet, moving and ready to start the new year with energized soul.

* “Rancho Alto,” Jason Boland and The Stragglers: I like country music, but it’s hard to define what that is anymore. And I really like Outlaw Country. If you can hum Merle Haggard, two-step to King George or drink long necks to Jerry Jeff, then I don’t have to explain. When Boland came out with this album in October, I knew that real country will stubbornly keep clawing its way through mass marketing machines and emerge the simple, sincere music of real people. Boland’s unaffected Okie voice, complemented with his band’s electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, steel guitar and dobro, delivers a picture of the courage of everyday living. Songs like “Between 11 and 2,” “Mary Ellen’s Greenhouse,” “Pushing Luck” and “Woody’s Road” epitomize rural America.

* “At the Crossroads,” James Carter Organ Trio: Now we’ve come full circle to Johnson’s “Crossroads.” Jazz saxophonist Carter’s ensemble (far larger than a trio) coats the blues with a polished big band swing jazz treatment in this November release. The jazz combo does manage to get down and bluesy on “Ramblin’ Blues” with Maybelle Smith’s commanding vocals, Carter’s sultry sax, Keyon Harrold’s muted trumpet and Vincent Chandler’s sliding trombone. Gerard Gibbs on organ is phenomenal and adds a gospel flare to “Walking the Dog.” The album goes full out traditional gospel with “Tis The Old Ship of Zion.” The final track, “The Hard Blues,” wraps a blend of American musical elements and time into a defining instrumental package that will challenge any label stuck on it.

Many of you have responded to and asked about the music I’ve shared. You’ve also shared some of yours with me and have steered me into new listening worlds. It’s obvious that music makes a connection when it wouldn’t have happened otherwise. So forget the critics’ lists. Let’s keep sharing our cup o’ kindness and not let auld acquaintance be forgot. Find the music that makes you happy, and have a Happy New Year!

Emily Tuttle is a freelance writer living in Minot. Her e-mail address is [email protected].