G. Love And Special Sauce

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Sun Jul 09 2023

3

I had never heard of this before, but my hopes were not high for this eponymously titled 90s white boy hip hop album by G. Love and Special Sauce. However, I should not judge an album by it's cover, nor its awful artist name, nor its generally questionable genre. This is reminiscent of music by Dirty Projectors with vocals by the Hiphopopotamus vs. the Rhymenoceros, and is really quite good (at least for the first 40 minutes or so). Cool, jazz infused, music with a great double bass sounding baselines, and easy enough vocals. At an hour long it could have done with losing the final third, which started to be a bit of a slog, but overall, I'm pleasantly surprised. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Blues Music Date listened: 08/07/23

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Wed Jul 12 2023

4

Never heard of this guy, but, despite a couple of duff tracks, I really like his scrappy, laid-back sound. Beck without the weirdness, or Fun Lovin' Criminals without the cringe, or Beastie Boys without the boyish aggression.

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Wed Jul 19 2023

4

The bluesy pseudo hip hop from the early-mid 90s really works for me. This is like a stripped down Beck from his Mellow Gold era. Best track: Cold Beverage

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Wed Jul 26 2023

4

Ah here's a band that I've heard so many references to, but have never actually heard a song from. Based on festival attendance, they run in a similar circle to the jam / indie bands that I like. The Things That I Used To Do opens up with a Cage the Elephant style spoke word snarl (understanding that these guys are predecessors). Super crunchy texture that I like out of the gate. Satisfying drum line with an equally comfortable bassline. Not something that would be single territory, but a low-key jam fit for a college house party. Blues Music takes over with a similar spoken word style through a reducer on top of a lazy drum and bass line. Creates a very chilled out atmosphere. Good music for munching Doritos. Garbage Man brings a little more attitude to the mix. This is about as head-bobbing as this album has gotten so far. I'm once again stricken by how similar this feels to Cage The Elephant. Digging the atmosphere. This would probably make for an awesome show song. Eyes Have Miles is a noodly number that stays in the same atmosphere. Instrumental is reminiscent of some less bright jazz / surf rock (mei ehara, robohands). Baby's Got Sauce flips into some bright guitar strokes and the most didactic vocals of the album so far. This is music tailor made for a middle of the day backyard summer kegger. I'm a little surprised this is the most popular song according to Spotify. Its a fine tune, but I actually prefer their more laid back songs so far. The chorus is kind of rough IMO. Rhyme for the Summertime is more effective IMO. It taps into the snare-tap drum beat paired with a surfy guitar tone that while brighter than most songs is still disappointed (minor) sounding. Feels similar to Mac Demarco a la This Old Dog. Cold Beverage is another head bobbing jam. Guaranteed crowd favorite that I'm sure helps to boost bar tabs. Simple concept, but honestly it works on the rawness of it all. Fatman follows this on with a fun little jam that lets things open up with a harmonica riff. Ends with some loose guitar noodling that segues into more reserved This Ain't Living. This Ain't Living feels like a more typical rock structure out of the gate; very effectively done. Walk To Slide is another standout in my mind. Love the lugubrious bassline that keeps things flowing / sliding all the way through. The echo on top of the sparkly guitar is a nice effect as well. This and Garbage Man are my favorites so far. Some Peoples Like That and Town To Town are both way down tempo crawls. Heavy blues influences shining through both. I enjoy both songs for what they are. Album finishes out with a traditional stripped down blues song with sparse acoustic guitar and hand clap making up the composition. This is a really pretty song and so far from where the rest of the album has been. I really enjoyed this album and see the appeal of G. Love. This is a rough and crunchy album that shows a decent amount of range, from the spoken word, almost rap like deliveries to traditional blues. Many of the songs sound like they are made for backyard barbeques or smoking a joint and watching cars drive by. I will absolutely come back for another listen. 4 leaning towards 5 / 5.

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Fri Jul 07 2023

3

Not the biggest of fans but mostly enjoyed this.

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Fri Aug 04 2023

5

loved this

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Sat Aug 19 2023

5

I'm surprised they didn't get more popular, because this is the White Stripes before the White Stripes.

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Mon Oct 02 2023

5

already heard it so many times

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Sat Oct 14 2023

5

Fun album

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Wed Jul 19 2023

4

Fun, Unique.

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Fri Jul 28 2023

4

Niiiice! Didn't get introduced to this album till about 1997 or 98 but listened to this a lot in college. I've seen G Love in concert a couple times. He's still great

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Mon Aug 07 2023

4

This takes me back. "Baby's Got Sauce," "Cold Beverages," "Rhyme for the Summertime"... So much to love here.

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Mon Aug 14 2023

4

This was an interesting one. It's astonishing by how much rap music can be improved if you take out the cringey, forced toughness/gangsterism/toxicity. Still not sure if it can actually be called rap, but since I usually don't like rap, pushing the genre boundaries seems like a good thing to me. Rounded up from 3.5

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Tue Aug 22 2023

4

Blues y hip-hop, una mezcla curiosa. Venga, un 4 por lo original.

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Fri Aug 25 2023

4

Funky. Raw vocals. Favorite tracks: Baby's Got Sauce

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Wed Sep 13 2023

4

Blues y hip-hop, una mezcla curiosa. Venga, un 4 por lo original.

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Fri Sep 15 2023

4

Digging it. 4 stars.

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Wed Sep 20 2023

4

This is my first encounter with this type of music, and to my surprise, it's not bad.

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Thu Sep 21 2023

4

great album, unique with some funk, rock, r&b

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Tue Sep 26 2023

4

Huh. This band slipped under the radar - it’s the right era, and right genre but I had never come across them. Growing up I’d have loved them - a bit of Beastie Boys, Sublime and a mellow JSBX - and the accent somehow is both grating and refreshing. Now I’ve kind of moved on from this blues / funk thing but still an interesting find for me.

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Wed Sep 27 2023

4

I enjoyed this, Tessa and I used to listen to a lot of G love. In the early 2ks.

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Fri Sep 29 2023

4

my levels of confusion here are through the roof. he's fucking insufferable with his whiteboy funk/rap shtick. But... for some reason i really enjoyed it. The rhythm section is really strong and give him his dues, he's pretty good on guitar and it all works together with his street lazy singing thing. i also love the really tight band that sounds sloppy thing. every problem i have with this band is his accent/ way of singing. Is this just what Philadelphia is like? everything i've heard of the place is that it's full of not rights.

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Mon Oct 02 2023

4

This album sounds like Rage Against the Machine if the rage was less about anger and more about just getting drunk and playing music with your buddies.

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Wed Oct 04 2023

4

I really enjoyed this a lot. Not sure if I’d listen to the whole album again but it was super cool

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Fri Oct 06 2023

4

Oh wow, why have I never heard of this before? First song it’s on for an easy 5 stars. Laid back jazzy white boy hiphop. But it got old real quick, very little variation throughout the album drags it down to a 4. Super interesting to hear that this predated Beck and Fun Loving Criminals by a good few years through

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Thu Oct 12 2023

4

I was really into this. Maybe it's not for everybody, but it has its own style which I enjoyed. Certainly has 90s sounds, but I don't mind that here.

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Sun Oct 15 2023

4

I had a roommate in '94 who brought this home. We liked Beck's Mellow Gold so this fit right into the soundtrack. Good memories listening to this album.

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Wed Oct 25 2023

4

was expecting something like Vanilla Ice, but not that definitely a nice surprise

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Thu Oct 26 2023

4

perfect barbequeing music I love it 4.5 tbh

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Fri Oct 27 2023

4

This thing fucking slaps. MAYBE IT'S THE SPECIAL SAUCE. It's gotta be the special sauce. I'm not so sure that I'd call what this dude does "rapping". He reminds me of a local band I saw in Nebraska of all places where they did Whole Lotta Love mixed with a lot of vocals similar to what G. Love is doing here. If he took off his shirt and wore a sock on his dick, he would have been bigger than Anthony Keidis.

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Wed Nov 01 2023

4

There are many blues appendices in Anglo music, skirting genres longer-lived in this universe. G. Love and Special Sauce becomes ever so slightly caricatured near the end, but the bass puts on a strong anchoring performance, liveness to balance the hip-hop swirling. Slack, stoned, on the nose: The shtick works at least once.

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Fri Nov 03 2023

4

Funky Rock, macht sehr viel Spaß

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Sun Nov 05 2023

4

took me back to being in college

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Fri Nov 17 2023

4

I hadn’t heard of this band. They sound like a really tight local band that holds the Saturday night residency at the coolest bar in town.

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Fri Dec 01 2023

4

I had never heard this before, but I enjoyed. I’d say 3.5 stars

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Thu Jul 06 2023

3

allez +1 pr la jolie voix

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Tue Jul 11 2023

3

Disco raro, muy de guitarra acústica y voz rota. Safa.

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Wed Jul 12 2023

3

Enjoyed what they were getting at, but there were a lot of duds. High 3

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Fri Jul 21 2023

3

Ik houd hier wel van. Net geen vier sterren omdat ik het iets teveel van hetzelfde vond.

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Fri Jul 21 2023

3

dit kon ik boven verwachting goed hebben! 2x gedraaid zelfs. Mooi open geluid.

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Fri Jul 21 2023

3

Best lekker die swampy funk, maar iets teveel van hetzelfde.

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Wed Jul 26 2023

3

I'll probably be seeing these dudes in OC later this year. I have no clue what I expected from this. Kinda thought it would be more Jack Johnson-ey? Realized I only said this because he covers a song by them. Digging the first 2 songs though. Blues Musak is solid. Pretty interesting rekkid. Definitely a different type of hip hop and honestly pretty surprised this came out in 94. I think I'll see them. I can see it being Citizen Cope-like.

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Wed Jul 26 2023

3

Started out fairly solid, and never really deviated from solid. Some cool hip-hop sounds to begin and moved a bit more towards blues. Good listen, nothing spectacular to me though.

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Wed Jul 26 2023

3

i liked it! v chill although maybe a bit same-y. unsure if this is really an album u need to listen to before u die though?

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Mon Jul 31 2023

3

Ok so based on the cover and title, here is my grand prediction: this is going to be a PG-rated version of Fun Lovin' Criminals/Everlast. PRETTY MUCH NAILED IT. A bit jazzier, but overall I'm satisfied with my guess there. I imagine this is what happens when you give a poor kid a scholarship to a music school, or when rich a music school kid gets into weed a few years too early. 3/5.

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Fri Aug 04 2023

3

There's definitely style, but it gets a bit repetitive.

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Mon Aug 07 2023

3

Aina hienoa ku taustat on oikeilla instrumenteilla soitettuja. Hauskaa ja rentoa meininkiä

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Mon Aug 07 2023

3

En muistaakseni ole tällaisesta bändistä ennen kuullutkaan. Rento meno ja pitää joskus ihan ajan kanssa kuunnella uusiksi kun jono on saatu kurottua kiinni.

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Mon Aug 07 2023

3

Average 3/5

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Thu Aug 10 2023

3

I don't know why this album cover and title is so familiar. The music certainly isn't. It's fine.

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Fri Aug 11 2023

3

Hard to even pinpoint what genre this is supposed to be mainly, not bad but way too long and too uneventful

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Wed Aug 16 2023

3

After a lifetime of hearing them being listed as 4th tier guests at 3rd rate music festivals around metro Detroit, it was nice to finally hear what the special sauce was. It was fine! Kinda rappy bluesy lazy music.

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Wed Aug 16 2023

3

G. Love gets play on radio margaritaville so I already had some familiarity. I enjoy the sound, this more of the same

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Wed Aug 16 2023

3

It’s fine. A bit drowsy.

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Fri Aug 18 2023

3

This dude has never appealed to me.

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Sat Aug 19 2023

3

It's like if Beck and White Stripes we're sewn together. unfortunately, even though it does what it does very well, it gets so dang samey and tired by the end of its bloated track list.

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Sat Aug 19 2023

3

Rating: 6/10

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Sat Aug 19 2023

3

One wants to like this more than one actually does, but it just sounds tired today. The modest ambitions are likable, for instance, as is the organic and overall DIY vibe, and it's just about as cool can be, but really not much else, musically, just kinda pretty good and sub-memorable. Would one say it's watered down even, only quasi cool? Beastie Boys-lite? Yes, one would. Nor is the retroactive comparsion to White Stripes so favorable for this lot (granted WS were aiming higher and for bigger impact). The rapping/singing only sorta works and the playing stays in the same vein, throughout. The coolest thing might be the band's name, and the triumph might be primarily attitudinal; the triumph is legit as far it goes, as the presentation seems credible and authentic, the problem being that attitudinal triumphs go not very far; musically, this is ultimately pretty meh. And as for making it safe for white rappers (not to mention unleashing Jack Johnson onto the world and/or facilitating the likes of Sublime), is that really such a public service?

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Tue Aug 22 2023

3

Beat Beck to the punch musically by a hare and by a mile skill-wise. Hits just the right amount of slacker against soloist to yield some arrangements that feel startlingly fresh and prescient. Some of the grooves are not my thing (I hate Beck for a reason after all), but this still managed to beat my expectations and provide a great listen

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Tue Aug 22 2023

3

Sucesión de canciones instrumentalmente muy sencillas, únicamente con una guitarra. Mezcla de cantautor americano joven con algún estilo country y tranquilo. No me ha aportado nada, aunque se escucha bien

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Sun Aug 27 2023

3

Gostei da utilização da bateria e a pegada acústica. Bom Blues.

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Mon Sep 04 2023

3

Loved it even it first came out.

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Fri Sep 08 2023

3

Only problem is, it's too long. It's not particularly good at any of the genres it blends, but I like the blend. Favorite song: this ain't living.

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Sun Sep 10 2023

3

Á þriðja lagi var ég alveg komin í gírinn. Góð plata.

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Mon Sep 11 2023

3

Album is too long and overstays its welcome. 40 minutes is a good album length. In direct contrast to yesterday's Linkin Park "Hybrid Theory" this is light guitar, roots blues, skiffle, rockabilly drumming and lethargic rapping about generally positive, albeit bland subjects. A rootsy bluesy version of Fun Lovin Criminals? Surprisingly infectious, but still way too long!

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Wed Sep 20 2023

3

Pretty laid back, competent but kind of empty rock for me. I can see ppl getting into it tho

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Wed Sep 20 2023

3

I first heard this in college because I had a friend who happened to be a big G Love fan - that would have been about 15 years after this came out. There are a some gems here, namely "Baby Got Sauce" and "Cold Beverage." Many of the others seem undercooked, very repetitive in terms of structure and themes, which had me thoroughly worn down by the end of the hour. I do admire their laid back style, and G Love obviously has one of those unique voices that you could recognize anywhere. In the end, it's a good band to know about but the album might be better for background mood than front to back listening.

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Sun Sep 24 2023

3

This is some generic 90s cool white guy stuff. “G. Love” is a ridiculous name and comes with it some really low effort lyrics. He may not be doing anything ground breaking but the combination of his laid back lyrics with the mix of the funky and jazzy instrumentals make this an okay album. It’s chill and laid back with just enough funk. 6.0/10

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Mon Oct 02 2023

3

Everything that has been said about this is true and 3/5 is kinda the correct score for something that's groovy but not the most original.

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Wed Oct 04 2023

3

Really like the bands playing on this, kind of a cool sloppy blues feel. The vocals I’m not super crazy about. Enjoyed listening but probably won’t go back

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Wed Oct 04 2023

3

G love- Cool instrumental. Like the sludgey blues grooves. Love the sound of the fat upright, trashy drums, and sloppy guitar. Not a fan of his voice or rapping. So many words but he never really says anything. Some cool dissonances. Also like that all the songs have endings. Surprised to see this album on this list I guess it’s more important/ influential than I thought?

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Wed Oct 04 2023

3

I think this is as bad as it sounds, but also I'm not sure. I liked the instrumentation.

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Thu Oct 05 2023

3

My question is, does he sound like that when he talks normally? Very specific era of music that has a “you know it when you see/hear it” vibe. Lots of nostalgia.

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Thu Oct 19 2023

3

Another record I thought I would dislike, but after listening (for the first time), it actually kept my interest and most of it I enjoyed. Kind of a hip-hoppy, bluesy sound that reminded me a bit of Beck and the grooves kept this album listenable...in small doses Definitely not something I would have seek out, but I guess it must be influential or maybe it's something in the special sauce got this on the essential list.

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Thu Oct 19 2023

3

Not a bad sound, but gets tired fast.

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Mon Oct 23 2023

3

Pas degueu mais un peu quand même

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Fri Oct 27 2023

3

S'alright. Solid bluesy jam band vibes. Feels a bit like a Beck rip-off but it's alright for all that.

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Mon Oct 30 2023

3

Very nostalgic and not as bad as I’d expected!

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Mon Oct 30 2023

3

Fav song: Cold Beverage

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Wed Nov 01 2023

3

It’s a cool experiment, but idk if it’s a hugely successful one, in that it combines rap and blues, but both sides are kind of substandard. This was probably the coolest thing on earth to some teenagers 30 years ago but it’s only a curio to me. C

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Thu Nov 02 2023

3

Nice sound

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Fri Nov 03 2023

3

meh

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Fri Nov 03 2023

3

Sleazy kind of mellow pop/rock album. I dig it in a way, but the album is too long and too samey to keep me interested. 6 out of 10

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Sat Nov 04 2023

3

Decent, not amazing to me.

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Tue Nov 07 2023

3

I've never been a big g. Love fan but it was an A-ok listen.

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Wed Nov 08 2023

3

TIL G. Love and Special Sauce did the Milk and Cereal song. Anyway, this is a new one for me. This is definitely something my friends in High School would have listened to, but it's a bit too laid back for me to listen to actively. Feels like something to have in the background when chilling outside on the patio or at a barbecue. The influences are obvious when compared to other similar acts of the 90s, like Sublime and Beck. They're not quite at the same level, but still not bad.

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Fri Nov 10 2023

3

Nothing special. All the tracks were very similar. Felt like it dragged on a bit.

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Fri Nov 24 2023

3

Oui pas pire, c'était quand mpeme nice mais bon, ca se ressemble quand meme gros du ébut juqu'à la fin. Je sui sun peu essouflé de faire des reviews de ces album,s. Je ne sais plus trop quoi dire. C'est correct mais je n'ai pas été époustoufflé .3

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Mon Nov 27 2023

3

Garden variety hip. Nothing that makes a re-listen worth the time

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Wed Nov 29 2023

3

Kind of reminds me of Beck.

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Fri Dec 01 2023

3

Sounds like college

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Sat Dec 02 2023

3

This is so college radio. 6/10

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Sat Dec 02 2023

3

5/10. Ehhhhh. I had a cold beverage to drink when they had that song about cold beverages, so that gets it an extra point

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Mon Dec 04 2023

3

Huh, not what I was expecting based off the band name, but it wasn’t bad.

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Mon Dec 04 2023

3

Haven't thought about G. Love in a very long time, probably because I would always just kinda tolerate when "Cool Beverage" come on the radio, but there is some nice, mellow stuff on here that I enjoyed, especially "Baby's Got Sauce" and "Fatman". Actually, I came around on "Cool Beverage" on this listen also. This isn't an album I'm likely to revisit in full (it really loses steam at the end for me), but I did add those tracks to some playlists, so I won't be forgetting about G. Love again in the future.

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Thu Jul 06 2023

2

There was a time in my life that I may have liked this more, but its not now

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Thu Jul 06 2023

2

C'est nul, quelle surprise !

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Sun Jul 09 2023

2

Not my style. 2.5

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Tue Jul 11 2023

2

Less energetic RHCP

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Wed Jul 12 2023

2

We’re on over 175 albums, and I keep going back to the title of this project. 1001 albums to listen to… before I die? THIS is an album I need to listen to? Before I die???? Didn’t like. I think there are better bands that do some of this. Give me any early Dispatch song, any record on any album, over this. This just feels like what is playing in a random coffee shop in Cambridge 20 years ago. I could tolerate it in that environment, but that’s as far as your gonna get me onboard. I found it monotonous and kind of tiresome. It does feel very adjacent to things I like, as a Vermonter. But that doesn’t make me like it. 2/5

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