We are thrilled to announce that the Albumism family continues to expand in the new year with the key addition of Daryl McIntosh. Daryl’s unbridled, lifelong passion for music, his uncanny ability to capture the emotional dimensions of album nostalgia, and his unblemished sincerity as a writer are sure to further enrich our editorial platform. We look forward to Daryl’s contributions and perspectives in the future, and encourage the Albumism community to check out his great work, including his recently published 45th anniversary tribute to Michael Jackson’s debut album Got to Be There.

“Music has always been important in my life and is the fabric that intertwines almost every memory and interaction between my closest friends and family,” Daryl confides. “We rarely finish a conversation that doesn’t include the reference to an incredible album, whether it’s the songs my mother sang to me as an infant from Stevie Wonder’s 1972 masterpiece Talking Book, or my older brother introducing me to hip-hop through A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory in 1991.”

More about Daryl:

Great music provided the soundtrack to my childhood growing up in West Baltimore during the late 80's and throughout the 90's. And not just the Juice Crew, Hit Squad and Native Tongues records that blared from car radios during our impromptu football and basketball games, but the Spinners, Kool & The Gang, and Donny Hathaway were served up alongside my mother and grandmother's soul food, giving me a balanced diet of rhythm and blues, which helped me to recognize the original records that were being cut up by Pete Rock, DJ Premier, and Large Professor.

My love affair with music followed me as I entered adulthood in the 00's, when a close friend and I ran a small spoken word venue while stationed at Fort Sill, OK, giving us the opportunity to showcase regional talent in the Texas/Oklahoma area and me the chance to spin Floetry and Little Brother records, while occasionally playing area favorites by UGK and Eightball & MJG during our downtime of military service.

Now deep into my professional career and raising three girls with my beautiful wife, collecting the old vinyl records that reared me in my youth has become my major outlet, along with completing my first novel about how music overcast the tragedies and celebrations of my childhood.

Follow Daryl on Twitter via @D_Tosh410

Daryl’s 5 Favorite Albums of All Time:

Amy Winehouse’s Second & Final Album ‘Back to Black’ Turns 20 | Album Anniversary

Uncomfortable, raw and resoundingly real, the late-great singer’s second and final album is soul music of the highest quality that will stand the test well beyond fifteen years.

XTC’s ‘Skylarking’ Turns 40 | Album Anniversary

With a bevy of great songs beyond the controversial hit single “Dear God,” ‘Skylarking’ can easily be considered the finest album of XTC’s career.

Black Sheep’s Debut Album ‘A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing’ Turns 35 | Album Anniversary

While the Native Tongues influence is unmistakably evident, Black Sheep’s debut LP contains plenty that distinguishes the duo from their musical siblings.