I used to tell people that Stevie Wonder is my religion. I wasn't very clever or unique but I know exactly what you mean. There's a lot of positive music that feels forced and not quite as genuine, but Stevie's positivity and expression of human love is infectious. It really feels like he wasn't just writing songs he thought would be hits (even though he's one of the best to ever do that) he was writing songs about how he felt the world could be if people listened. I'm pretty cynical most of the time, but Stevie Wonder is one of the best artists at melting through that and making me want to be a better person.

Obviously my username is Phish. They're a different beast and I don't typically push their music on others because they're so hard to get into. I will say, however, that I've never seen the world more positively than I've seen it deep in thought during a trance-like Phish jam that explodes into a soaring peak. It's just one of those things that if you know, you know.

Kamasi Washington also really lifts me up. Particularly "The Rhythm Changes" and "Testify", which are similar in a way.

Fun topic. I'll need to think of some others. There are some good ambient albums that kind of set a positive mental tone for me. Julianne Barwick comes to mind.