G. Love And Special Sauce

Cannot stand this guy's affected vocals, and every song was the same

A quirky little piss-take band. An unusual set up of guitar, drums and double bass. Watching some of their videos on Youtube, they have an oddball charm that’s missing from the album.

Not really my music style

Ok wow wtf was this. I won’t give it one star because I can totally see how G. Love has legs at a music festival—this is exactly the kind of wanna-be bluesy music that a bunch of white folks who have considered dreadlocks would groove to. It begs for a sack to be hackeyed, and I hated almost every minute of it.

Unreal this album is 57 minutes.

disjointed at times, not smooth like I'd expected of blues.

Not at all what I was expecting based on the album cover but the “sloppy” sound was not the special sauce for me and makes this album the third in a row that was just kind of irritating. Has like 40 seconds worth of fun moments on it.

Never heard of them. Talking to music is NOT MUSIC. Just like rap crap. The talking ruins all the songs.

I thought this kind of thing was brilliant in the 90s. Not so much now.

I would be shocked if this wasn’t objectively the worst album on this list.

Wok star. Wok star. Wok star. Wok star. Wok star.

Had never heard of these guys. Drums okay. Guitar has its moments. Dislike the vocals. Found it a tad irritating, on the whole. On and on it went. Not really a special sauce - just an average sauce in a jazzy bottle. An average sauce in one of those squeezy, tomato-shaped ketchup dispensers. Actually, those dispensers are cooler than this album. In fact, I kind of want one now! 🍅 But I don't want to listen to this again.

This album sounds a lot like if you told some fairly talented guys to improv an entire project in the studio that day. I like their style a lot, I think the mix of blues, jazz, and hip-hop are really cool, but they keep resting on the same couple of musical ideas. It's chill- but almost too chill- like they couldn't be bothered to stop jamming out to come up with any sort of variety or compelling lyrics. It's a good listen, but after nearly an hour of it you can start to zero in on its flaws pretty quickly.

This sounds like some dude named Greg's attempt to do spoken word in-between basement bong rips and hackie sack sessions.

I can't tell what this album is aiming at but it lacks focus and maturity. Not Beck and not interesting at times it shows fleeting musically interesting moments but then something feels off or wrong and it all falls apart.

just okay, reminded me of sublime a little bit.

Below mediocre, above terrible...

A little too pretentious for me

Bluesy hip-hop; on paper something I'd would like. But I just didn't get into this. Just seemed a bit lazily underwhelming to me.

Somehow manages to mix beck and beastie boys and be a total bore.

Bit like a laid back Fun Lovin Crims. Gets a bit tiresome after a while.

2.5

This was a hard album for me to rate. At times, I thought this is not too bad but other times I felt they were trying too hard to get to a sound not really natural for them. I did like Cold Beverage and Shooting Hoops and nothing was outright terrible, it just felt "off" and too many times the songs seemed to run together. This is nothing I'm going to revisit but it was OK to listen to a couple times. Sometimes you think you're getting special sauce and it turns out to just be Thousand Island dressing. I think that's from Arnold when he worked at All-American burger in Fast Times. Oh, I did think these dude's sounded a little bit like the guys that sing Scooby Snacks. 2.5

2.5 Never heard of G. Love, but I can tell you that I don’t want none of his special sauce. Jokes aside, this was fine, but I have no idea why it made a list of the 1001 best albums of all-time. It’s one of the most 90s things I have ever heard, to the point where I imagine the guys were probably sipping on Crystal Pepsi, feeding their Tamagotchis, and watching Beavis and Butthead between takes. No idea why this album is still applicable as an important listen today unless mediocre, douchey whiteboy alternative hip hop is your thing. There’s nothing remarkable going on anywhere here except for Baby’s Got Sauce, which is about the catchiest abomination I’ve ever heard. One of the more forgettable albums for me thus far, though apparently this guy is playing a show near me in a week. Honestly, I’m considering buying a ticket just for the meme.

Some decent instrumentals and musical ideas. But man, this guy has some of my least favorite vocal inflections of all-time. 2/5

G. Love and Special Sauce is the debut album by the American rock band of the same name G. Love & Special Sauce. This alternative hip hop album has been certified gold in the US. One song "Cold Beverage" was a staple on college radio, and another "Baby's Got Sauce" has received high praise. I thought this was a great debut album as it introduced me to their style and left me wanting more. Give it a chance and maybe you'll love it.

This album left me confused. I liked the instrumentals. Their vocals were okay, different. Fitting for the genre. But I couldn’t make myself like them as a whole.

I’d rather listen to Kevin G

Not very memorable 90s imho

Very funky, cool and sparse. The grooves are very nice. The double bass is really good. Don't like the style of the vocalist -- sounds really fake and immature, like a little white boy trying to sound cool by putting on a really stupid "urban" way of speaking. Four stars for the music, one star for the vocals, two stars overall.

Very same-y and irritating for the most part. This ain’t living was ok

It’s not that it’s bad. It’s more that it’s not good. When I see 1994 American rock band and I get anything that isn’t grunge I’m at least somewhat pleased though.

Goofy

Not my jam.

Ágætur hljóðheimur og stundum grípandi stef, en þessi G.ást er ekkert agalega sjarmerandi. Byrjar á betri endanum en síðustu þrjú lögin eru svakalega döll. Var að hugsa um tæpan þrist en ég enda í rúmum tvisti.

I just hate this vibe and I’ve got nothing else I want to say.

Serious musicians jamming with the record button on and then putting it out as done. Sloppy may be their trademark but enjoyable it ain't. The click track at the end of the penultimate track drove me nuts. All over the place.

Das Album war nicht wirklich meins. Bin ich nicht mit warm geworden.

This album was weird. Not what I had expected from the album art at all. Indie minimal rap folk something. The guy’s voice is not that good. Rough and tumble I guess. Not my thing, but it did get better in the middle. Standouts: Baby’s Got Sauce, Fatman, and This Ain’t Living.

Started out promising…then it didn’t. Is this an album of 12 tracks of the same song and maybe 2 others that are different? Disappointed.

When it first started I was a bit intrigued. Vocals got old pretty fast and kind of wished it was an instrumental after a while

This is the perfect definition of average. Super laid back and chill, vocals that anybody can do, big college radio or open mic vibes. I guess that makes it perfectly listenable, but also very bland.

I dunno dude, why and how is this top 1001 albums worthy? I like the poeticism of the lyrics, I guess I do. Dude came up with ideas, practiced, recorded, that's inspired effort, worth 2 stars hehe.

So mid.

Rough one. Best song is the shortest song: Cold Beverage, which reminded me of Red Hot Chili Peppers, but not to G. Love's advantage. Which is saying something. A big no thank you to the whole album. Did send Spotify off on a nice track for the day, though, so there's that.

what for?

Rooty, low-fi Americana-Blues/Rap with an exceptional attitude towards success: I believe here truely is an artist working not giving 1 fuck about getting famous.

Boring, samey, uninteresting, full of copied riffs and baselines from other people music... I just don't get why this album is here for review. I'll give it 2 for effort. Other than that it's instantly forgettable.

It’s ok

This was definitely unique. I'm not sure that it was good, but it was unique. It's got this like bluesy, hip hop, rock combination thing going on. It's very slow and loose musically, it's mostly just vibing throughout. A number of times while listening to this I thought to myself that I would like it more if the singer wasn't singing, I liked the music part better than him. There are a handful of songs on here that are pretty catchy ("Baby's Got Sauce" was pretty solid), but a lot of it was just a bit grating to me. It's pretty long too at 58 minutes, so it keeps going on for awhile. Favorite song: Baby's Got Sauce Other: Blues Music, Garbage Man, Cold Beverage, This Ain't Living, I Love You 3/14/24

Nothing special

Wow.. how did this ever get released. Sounds like some guys jamming and fooling around in the rehearsal room. Probably they had good fun, but why should the rest of us be bothered?

Every song seemed to just miss the target.

too indie, too garrage for me.

Cool instrumentals. Ridiculous and stupid vocals.

I had no idea what to expect, so I went in pretty open-minded. I found it fairly monotonous and uninspiring. I didn't want to kill myself and made it all the way through the whole album - so for that it gets 2 stars.

Я ожидал, что это будет что-то на двадцать лет пораньше. А тут девяностые и читка под хаотик гитарку. Какой-то психодел репчина. Я опять бросаю курить, а потому на негативе, но... мне чёт ваще не нравится. Ну два?

This album was released on the date of my birth. Sadly that didn’t help them to make a good album.

First listen through I quite enjoyed. Bit of a blues with hip-hop, lazy singing but not in a bad way. Intrigued, I dived straight in for a second listen. Not as good. Too much hip hop, not enough blues, too lazy in parts. Third listen through I stopped half way through. Couple of great tracks but mostly misses. 2.5*

It's seems I'm in the minority around here, but this is really, really... not good. Messy, white boy rappin' blues that wears out its welcome long before the album is over. I can picture a certain type of dude who would have loved this stuff in '94 and he was pretty insufferable. Fave Songs: Don't have one. "The Things That I Used to Do" and "This Ain't Living" are tolerable.

Nothing to write home about. The review notes this album was inspired by Beck, but then goes on to say it doesn't really hold up aside from Baby's Got Sauce. First off, if it doesn't hold up _why is it on this list?_, and second off Baby's Got Sauce was repetitive and annoying haha

A laid-back, sloppy, funky mashup of multiple genres, the album is a total frat-boy beer delight. Cold Beverage was a massive college radio hit and responsible for the half-million sales. Reminds me a bit of the Beastie Boyz here and there. Not a terrible listen, but I wouldn't choose it.

Vraiment redondant et pas intéressant. Clairement les musiciens sont talentueux et pourant le résultat est tellement fade. Beaucoup de pièces sonnent comme des jams et non comme des chansons bien construites. Les chants style rap sont vraiment monotones. 4/10

Didn't really like it in 1994, and feel the same way 30 years later.

Trögt album att lyssna på. Int min grej Svag 2

meh nothing super interesting

I personally couldn’t finish this album. One can see how it helped pave the way for underwhelming, mediocre “white boy reggae” and low-effort talk singing that was pervasive in the 2010’s. The kind of meandering, meaningless lyrics and the loose, lazy instrumentation remind me of smoking bad shwag weed in my college years and being unreasonably excited about it.

OK but nothing special.

I never listened to this album back in the day and assumed it was a Greatful Dead rip-off for some reason. It was OK.

Yet another filler album

I like This Ain't Living and Walk to Slide smooth flow to it. Funky and jazzy. Most of the rest isn't clicking with me.

I couldn’t decide if I liked or hated this group 25 years ago and I still can’t

Jaja laid back aber was ein Geleier. Das war Anfang der 90er vielleicht noch etwas intuitiv, aber vielleicht auch einfach vom Stil her nicht mein Fall

Meh

Tään on kyllä aika paska. Ihme irtopisteitä "yhdistelemällä" eri musaperinteitä. 2/5

Mukavan letkeetä, mutta kävi valitettavan pitkäksi lopulta.

Alkoi kiinnostavammin kuin päättyi, tällaisena liian pitkä. 2/5

The super slow bluesy style with rappin' doesn't work for me. Baby's Got Sauce is probably the most interesting, but ultimately i was anxiously waiting for the end by the time the 2nd track started.

Well, here it is. The last album of 2023. I've only been doing this for a few months, but the end of the year is still an important milestone. So, does G. Love And Special Sauce feel like a good album to end on? Probably not. It's not like this album's insanely iconic or anything. It really doesn't need to be on this list. But is it good? Eh. It's fine. I like the instrumental sound. I think that the jazz and blues influence was a good choice to make. The last song wasn't good though. However, I must specify that it is the sound of the instruments that I like, because the singing, if you can call it that, isn't great. He sounds weird. There might also be an effect on his voice, but I honestly can't tell. The writing is also confusing. I can kind of tell what some songs are about, but others don't really make sense. That can be good, but I don't think it works here. Overall, while this album is pretty decent from a sound perspective (mostly), it doesn't really stand out to me in much of a good way other than that. High 2/5.

The blues are great but the vocals are not for me - it's like a shitty Sublime.

I love this album, the blues, the jazz, the grooves, oh. my. god! There's so much space for improvisation and this band is so tight! But this guy... THIS FUCKING GUY! HE RUINS EVERYTHING! Probably a bit late, but yeah! Get rid of the guy, and it's genuinely a good listen.

Nicht meine Richtung. Mag ich nicht

The music here is alright, the vocals suck.

Did not enjoy this at all. Felt like proper stoner music with little to none of the charm. No energy, not much storytelling, very little to like. 2/5

Meh

“David [Fincher] said, much to my chagrin, that he wanted music [for Fight Club] that sounded like it was from white guys who thought they were funky but really weren’t,” says King [of the Dust Brothers]. “I was like, ‘Thanks a lot.’ But he was being creatively honest. We didn’t have to try to deliver that—we were white guys that thought we were funky.” This album made me think of this quote.

Tan noventer com és possible ser. I, com era propi de la década, la fusió de géneres és el seu principal leit motiv. El hip hop és el que porta la batuta, aquí barrejat amb influències del soul, r&b, fins i tot del jazz. Força respectable i fill del seu moment. Però no conté cap tema memorable

Hate the name but tolerated the music. An experiment for sure but one that I don't plan on returning to.

My immediate reaction was that this would be better if the person who adopted the bluesy/hip-hoppy/street-corner delivery wasn’t a rich kid from an upper class neighbourhood in Philly. But I didn’t think of looking at Mick Jagger or Tom Waits through that Lens. However, their music was better. This conjures up memories of Beck. I’ve been rounding up too much lately.

Not for me 2

It's not bad. I mean, it's not good either, but it's not bad. I feel like what could have been a decent album was ruined by his vocals and lyrics.

I kinda of tuned out. Less offensive version of Sublime 2.5/5

- respectfully, i’m bored

Meh

I liked the music but the lyrics and vocals were a turn-off. Far too immature really. If it was an instrumental album I'd rate it much higher.

Unforgettable and unremarkable.

I did not like this album. I hated the singer's half-singing half-slam poetry style, and the only thing carrying me through this album was the funky and groovy backing instruments. So the songs that didn't have good backing instrumentation were terrible. I feel like I needed to be high in order to enjoy this album, but I was not, and so I didn't. 2/5 Favorite song: Baby's Got Sauce Worst song: I Love You

It's that form of 90s jazzy blues that precedes the White Stripes. It's cool, chill, but utterly unremarkable. Has a couple hits but nothing spectacar, and most of it is forgettable. Lots of repetition, and lots of it blends together, just with different grooves and tempos. For every trick they pull, it reminds me of other bands who've executed them better. If it wasn't obvious, Spotify's recommended songs reminded me of several examples between Minutemen, Jon Spencer, and the Beastie Boys. Last 5 have nothing noteworthy. Like with every other 90s record, the hour length works against its favor, dragging on too long for comfort. As a record, it is coherent. In the end, I can't say any of it is grating due to its chill vibe. Could be worse. I've heard their later attempts to sell out.

It's a jam band doing blues. Sounds a bit like White Stripes but without the quirk or structure. The production is live and loose, and there is an annoyingly boinky snare throughout. It also introduced Jack Johnson to the world, who by being SO inoffensive, offends me to my very core... Do something unexpected you handsome, sweet, surfer with an acoustic guitar, you absolute Ken.

ihan kiva. söpö. pikku vauvveliinin eka albumi taputtakaa...waaauuuu...niin spesuaali, laitetaan spessuluokkaan pikkunen... niin hyvin tehty... joo iso ääni tulee rummuista joo ISO IIISOOO ÄÄNI... HYVÄÄ.. town to town

Meh to the hip hop

Mixed feelings about this album. The backing tracks are mostly good, especially the bass, and would fit in with any of the Golden Age hip-hop albums. But I'm really not a fan of G. Love's voice or rapping technique. I think I pieced it together by the end; it's like if Anthony Kiedis had a hip-hop career, the vocabulary of a kindergartener, and was also really into Sublime. I don't think I ever need to hear this again.

This is not very good for me. I hadn't heard this before, but it feels very "of it's time". I thought it was boring. 2/5

Not terrible, just pretty boring.

I've heard of G Love and Special Sauce, but I've never listened to them (maybe they were on the bill for a festival I went to). Honestly, I thought they came about in the late aughts, I had no idea that they'd been around since the nineties. Also, I had no idea that they'd sound like this. Surprises all around I guess. On to the matter at hand: this album wasn't really up my alley. The instrumentation felt repetitive, and it felt like a chore to get through the entire hour of this album. The rapping, or singing, or whatever you want to call the vocals, wasn't really to my taste either. I've read some reviews that compare this band to Beastie Boys or Beck, but Beastie Boys lyrics carry some tremendous punch, and Beck may not be a powerful vocalist, but he knows how to create some truly unique sounds. My point is, I'd take Beastie Boys or Beck any day of the week over G. Love and Special Sauce. Even though this album wasn't to my liking, I can understand why it made the list. There's something about the sound that made me think "yeah, this album probably found a pretty good-sized audience in the nineties." I also think they did an interesting job of taking the Philadelphia-soul sound, and doing their own thing with it.

Sloppy jazz. Stoner white boy hip hop. Random college rock. Whatever it is, it’s unique. That doesn’t always mean that it’s good. This? Eh. They’re from Philly. I’ll give them a bonus star.

Downtempo Red Hot Chili Peppers. No thanks.

Good

Slackness in music is not quite ma thing

Pros: - There’s a cohesive sound. It’s got that blues/rock/hip-hop slacker thing down to a T - I quite like said sound, in small-to-medium doses Cons: - It might be *too* cohesive. 58 minutes of the same thing does not make for a great album - Not bad, but a bit ordinary? 2.5. Nearly a 3, but it just dragged a bit too much.

I didn't get it; was pretty much background noise. Poor singing and nothing really jumped out at me. Big "meh" all around. 5/10.

Meh

McSauce AKA Scott McTominay loves this one. I don't.

My wife used to make me listen to this album all the time and I remember enjoying like two songs — Baby's Got Sauce and Cold Beverage — and thinking the rest of the album was mid. That opinion still holds. I admire what he's trying to do, but this just doesn't work for me.

Though the sentiment may be sincere, the performance seems a bit affected.

I can see how this can be fun to mindlessly listen to in the background while doing something chill on the weekend. But did I really need to hear this album? I don't think so.

Groovy. 2.5/5

2.5

I gave "G. Love And Special Sauce" a spin, but it just wasn't my jam. The tracks blurred together a bit too much for my taste. Probably won't revisit.

I remember when some of the songs from this album got some air play. At the time, it was a bit different-sounding to me and I liked that. Honestly, although it’s kind of fun to walk down memory lane here, I wasn’t as into it giving the album a listen now. Still has some interesting and catchy aspects to it, though.

I really hated this at first...it did grow on me a little bit once I adjusted to the vibe, but this blend of blues rock and early 90s white boy rap is just not good. Maybe still among the best stuff in G. Love's larger body of work though.

Interesting idea, but so boring and dull.

I am sure that album is someone's favorite album, but it didn't really do much for me. Instrumentals were pretty cool but nothing special

Mid

Wel weer eens leuk om te horen

Iets te saai om lang leuk te blijven.

The album had some interesting musical moments, but this particular mix of genres is not novel for the time and has been done better. However, what really annoyed me were the vocals. There was so much inconsistency with the affectations that I couldn't take it seriously. At certain points, he sounded like he was trying to sound like a rapper from the UK. It was just over the top in the worst way.

Less energetic RHCP

Not my style. 2.5

C'est nul, quelle surprise !

Boring as hell

Lord save us from more annoying white boy blues schtick. Folks this is just another Tower Records bargain bin pick. The record was cheap and it's helping to pad out this damn list.

I must listen to this before I die? But what is it kills me?! Terrible. He can't sing, can't rap, the musicians aren't anything special, the compositions are dull, words are just plain irritating. Maybe a bit hard on the musicians there, but when the vocals kick in it just does not work. Not one little bit.

Maybe if you are on a beach and this is on in the background… maybe… otherwise found it a total chore to get through. Awful name too

Incredibly corny. It sounds like Beck but without any talent. The singing is unbearably bad.

First album I dreaded listening to on account of the 'white hip-hop'. A shame, really, since some of the tracks have genuinely good instrumentals. Couldn't finish most of the songs except for - Rhyme For The Summertime, Walk To Slide, and Some Peoples Like That. Can't give 0 stars, so 1 it is.

piss off

Kind of like early Beck, if Beck fucking sucked

This guy’s slurred-speech affectation is insufferable. Is he trying to put on a Blaccent or is he drunk? Either way it sounds like a very misguided attempt to seem cool. The music isn’t terrible but is uninteresting - reminds me of Soul Coughing but with less soul and creativity.

Didn’t like them live in 2001. Liked them even less on this relisten. Reviews on this site cracked me up though.

Sloppy and unfocused. It felt way too long.

Day877 - sounds forced and phony

Loosely blues and loosely hip hop, this feels very at home amongst 90s jam bands like Rusted Root and Spin Doctors that mixed genres. It's laid-back and loose, with largely acoustic songs that meander under G Love's formless rapping. So far that sounds pretty good, like a relaxed album for a summer day. And the free-form guitar can be fun to listen to. But at the same time, it feels like a pastiche of rap and blues. The lyrics are meaningless and off-the-cuff, put together for the sake of rhyming. Every song plays out the same until the final two, which are half-assed blues tunes with skeletal, simplistic guitar parts and vapid lyrics. If I'm trying to look at this from a positive angle, it feels like some friends just goofing off. But nearly an hour of that is not something I get much, if any, enjoyment from.

Couldn't do it, the vocals are so off-putting and way too close to jam band territory.

Literal torture. Puts this whole project into question…

Like if Beck was as bad as he seemed on paper

This album is like a white guy sitting in a student bar wearing a cheesecutter. A couple of Māori students walk in the door, and the white guy makes eye contact. He doesn’t know them, but feels compelled to make a fist and beat his heart a couple of times before throwing up a peace sign towards them. They ignore him. He scurries to the bar to catch them for a conversation. After rambling for a while, he mentions that he is up to Galbadia Garden in Final Fantasy VIII. They have no idea what he is on about.

Just speak normally

-5. This was easily the worst thing I have listened to thought my multi year journey with this project. What the fuck.

absolutely horrible, could barely get past the first half for most of the tracks, but pretty unintentionally funny. why the hell is he singing / rapping like that....

Hip Hop, 58 eme album =>1/5 Le premier morceau m'a paru plus original au début malgré le chant, mais par la suite les travers habituels du genre m'ont vite fait décrocher (musique répétitive, chant sans intérêt pour moi, album trop long - je ne suis pas allé au bout).

A whole lot of nothing

Truly truly awful

Another YGTFKM on why is this on the list? Your special sauce is rancid. 0

His delivery is annoying. G. Love is like the Fred Durst of jazz rock. I might prefer William Shatner's delivery to this. There's no reason to put real hip hop on this list when you can fill it with mediocre almost rapping from G. Love. The Bob Dylan reference (Song to Woody) is not enough to save how stupid Blues Music is. I cannot escape how corny his singing/rapping is. This is the music of 1994 fraternity parties. Jack Johnson loves G. Love. G. Love's solo projects are on Jack Johnson's record label! Cage the Elephant heard this and knew they could make an album. Cold Beverage is supremely overrated on a supremely overrated album. I bet they regret the fat shaming classic, Fatman. This is too much G. Love in one sitting. Shooting Hoops is terrible. First, it's another song where they treat saying famous people's names as a shortcut to writing actual lyrics. Secondly, they do the same thing on another album on I-76. This is not a good album or a good band and the critic who put this on the list should be banned from writing about music. It's not even that it's so terrible so much that it feels like an act and isn't a very interesting one at that. I bet Citizen Cope loves G. Love.

I consider myself pretty tolerant because I made it 400 albums without considering anything to be annoying. Then g love showed up

not for me

It's like a hacky sack gained sentience

This one would have killed with the Trustafarians at Suffield. There is something really funny about these guys being from Philly. A notoriously tough city, and these guys were running around making bro-rap-ska music. Idk what happened to me. I used to love this type of shit. 17 year old Joe would have been a fan. 32 year old Joe, not so much.

not into this

A friend has always loved this, trying to convince me to listen to it and even see them live with him (I declined, sorry Tom). It's never grabbed me and still doesn't on the 1001 test today. It sums up most anything I could ever NOT want in music, like the worst sides of RHCP combined with Spin Doctors and a local band jamming with some bad white boy rap vocals. I feel disrespectful to my friend but this was one of the most difficult albums to "last the distance" and finish, it was so dull and lacking of redeeming factors that I seek in music. And so full of ones I seek to avoid.

Too long, too uninspired, too much.

I enjoyed the hits

Bad

The song blues music is OK. The general sort of hippie white boy blues rap thing is kind of grating after a while. The song this ain’t Livin is such a direct rip off of the rap style of De La Soul. It’s kind of annoying that being said it would be fun to play slide blues guitar with a drummer playing licks, but this music is not for me. I feel like his voice is a put on as well.

Cringe

i like baby's got sauce, this genre is not for me. the type of music your friend's dad makes out of his garage

In a nutshell: a bland flavour. Blues rock meets jazz meets hip hop? A strange mix that could work...yet it doesn't. It sounds same-same. G.Love's rhymes are limp. The band is fine skill-wise. It must be one of those "you wouldn't understand unless you saw them life" bands. Overall: 1/10

beck for guys who spend all their time whining about their "bitch" girlfriends

bloody terrible, the sauce has gone off

Why is he kinda giving Shane Dawson and Dylan O'Brien love child on that cover? I haaaaate this so much. Sometimes the instrumental is kinda good, but everything falls apart so quickly you can't even begin to form the thought of "hmm maybe this ain't pure shit". Even the "hit" of this album is horrible, I just can't go on anymore. Also what fucking accent is this? It sounds like it would be on a Cambridge English exam. I can barely make out a thing he says at times. Listening to this I'm suddenly transported to my 10-year-old self, hearing the radio and not understanding a single word because I didn't speak English.

1/5 Welp, i hated it.

Jesus Christ, shut up.

All I can do is laugh

Didn’t enjoy this and cannot appreciate the music, as well. Maybe I’m too young and this music hit different in the 90s but first album I really wanted to end before it was over.

Really?

Jisses, det här var något att bita i! Lite som att man kirurgiskt avlägsnat allt som är det minsta bra med RHCP och fyllt tomrummet med ett ”kompetent” musiklärargroove. Tuff, tuff lyssning. Känns ändå betryggande att man aldrig hört talas om G Love & Special Sauce och förmodligen aldrig kommer göra det igen.

Åh, att vara en amerikansk kille med bra hår i en kortärmad skjorta över en lagom baggy långärmad tröja 1994 och äta ketchup med sina dudes. Sälja 500 000 plattor av ett helt ok album. Yeah man. Visste inte att det fanns en east coast Beck. Åldrats sådär va? Trots att man ju älskar sig en kall. Främsta anledningen till betyget ett är att det här verkligen inte är ett av 1001 album man MÅSTE höra innan man dör. Och för att jag är lite avis på att jag inte fick vara en amerikansk kille i kortärmad skjorta över en lagom baggy långärmad tröja under det lilla chilla historiska fönstret post-kalla kriget, pre-911.

Det enda jag gillar med det här är trummorna.

Hjälp mig, jag är fast på ett bängjam med världens skönaste kille och kan inte komma loss.

3/10 Special sauce smells off

I laughed out loud when the harmonica hit in track 1

unfortunately i hate this guys voice…….

I tried one track and did not like his style of singing.

I dont understand why this is on here, its crap

Nope. I can’t do it. It was all I could do to finish one listen. I have no idea why this album is on the list. They’re known for their “sloppy” and “laid back” sound, which is why it sounds like they aren’t really taking the music seriously. If they don't care so much about their own music, why should I? The actual music is alright, I guess. It’s that kind of Sublime-type music, neo-hippie music that was popular for a couple of years in the 1990s. But G. Love, the vocalist, is one of the more annoying “singers” I’ve ever heard. I’m not sure he doesn’t have a speech impediment, which is why I won’t go all in on his terribleness. It could be I just don’t get it, but seeing as how we haven’t heard of old G. Love in the last 30 years, I’m probably closer to how everyone feels about this album. I can only assume the author of 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a relative of G. Love or was really into this band as an impressionable teenager. They stink, like bad. Stink, stank, stunk. Don’t listen to this album, not even as a joke or to make fun of it.

Boring

WHO? I mean I obviously know the household name of “G. Sauce” but Special Sauce? Oh wait it’s “G. Love.” Literally looking right at it. Whatever. 57 minute duration and a recommendation for a “funk rock” playlist looming like a horror movie jump scare, I pray for the end times. The end of this album that is. The other end times are almost assuredly here. Technology has finally caught up to human hubris and we can really do it this time!! The Things That I Used to Do - Prominent double bass is good. Uh oh. This is feeling Sublime. Please notice the capitalization there. The concept of something being sublime versus the band of the same moniker are two very different things. Blues Music - This is a minor improvement, even if it is just an interpolation of that Buffalo Springfield song. The vocals remain cold, grisly death and they are contributing to the further degradation of my already dying brain. Garbage Man - Hit the vocalist with a dart gun. We were in a nice little groove until we have this white guy sass rapping. Eyes Have Miles - The thousand yard stare. Makes sense. That’s where I’m at. I’ve directed a lot of deserved hate at the singer, but the guitarist is also a hack. Baby’s Got Sauce - Gross. Oh my GOD this sucks. Stop doing this accent. Confidence is overrated. Bring back shame. Rhyme for the Summertime - man it’s continuing like this hey? I wish this had more of a parody tone but I can’t even laugh at it. Cold Beverage - Yeah could I get a splash of arsenic in there? Thanks barkeep. Fatman - Nobody in this band is fat. I can tell from how nothing is funky or cool. This Ain’t Living - Apparently this is the “official audio.” I would hate to hear the unlicensed bootleg audio of this track. Actually, in order to harm this band, I think I might want to get a pirated copy of this song. Even better if it contains a Limewire-esque ad midway, then even better. Walk to Slide - The open mic night is starting to clear out. Friends of the band (Honorary Special Saucers) are the only remaining patrons. Well, and me. I am strapped to a chair screaming against the duct tape that was placed over my panicked maw around track 2. Shooting Hoops - Were playin’ Bas-Ket-Ball. I can’t even believe this isn’t a parody. Hey guys I know about basketball players! Please accept me. Some Peoples Like That - More shitty white pseudo-blues. Town to Town - Like the reaper goes door to door. I Love You - Oh no. Oh heavens no. Does he have a horrible speech impediment? I can’t wait for this to end. CEO’s son’s Ivy League Jam Band featuring white guy Caribbean tinged raps. I’ll let you decide if that’s something you’d be into. Wait, no I won’t, this is my review. I would rather listen to a dentist drill than music that even approximately fits the first sentence of this paragraph. G Sauce and the Special Bros or whatever fit it to a tee. This is Sublime for people who listen to NPR. This is music for the type of guy who will randomly freestyle rap while out with his friends. It’s for the guy who gets really angry at board game nights. One more, it’s for guys whose favourite rapper is Lin Manuel Miranda. This was gross. I need a shower. 0.5 HIGHLIGHTS: Rapturous Booing

Rubbish

Philadelphia representation but at what cost? Terribly Port Richmond coded. Listening to this felt like being pelted with hackeysacks. The bluesy backing has a nice tone to it but the rap-rock beatbox scat stuff was never ending. Beck did a little bit of that on Loser & Odelay but that's chill because he goes into it - this is trapped in that one mode. Fascinating that this is even listed in the 1001, which critics argued for its inclusion?

20

I wish someone had warned me just how much white-boy half-rapping was gonna be foisted upon me with this one.

Rhythms were great, vocals were whatever. Can't with this "rap". It got worse and worse as it went along. 1*

Not a fan.

I’d never heard of G. Love and Special Sauce before, and to be honest, I probably won’t be revisiting them—or this album—again. I really struggled to find anything I liked here and genuinely don’t understand how it made the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list. It just didn’t click with me at all. Favourite track: Couldn’t pick one. Least favourite track: Pretty much every song. Album artwork: At least the cover is decent.

bland rap music for people that like Phish. Hard Pass.

WTF is that voice? Is he eating food while recording his vocals? Completely ruined by that ”singer”. Also, why on earth do I need to hear this before I die? Was going to add a star because the music was pretty cool, but I had to switch off after 4 tracks. Couldn’t stand it. So no extra stars for you, G. Love & Special Sauce. 1/5

Horrible just horrible. No other words

What the hell is this name ? In tandem why the hell is it the only interesting thing about this album? G. love and special sauce has unironically made me want to listen to “Man of the Woods” by Justin Timberlake. That’s horrifying. Also I didn’t know that lack of swagger could be used as a murder weapon but apparently it can be and it killed me.

Snooze

1. thingz - 1.5 2. bluez - 1.5 3. garbage - 1.5 4. milez - 1.5 5. zauce -1 6. rhyme - 2 7. Cold - 1.5 8. Fat - 1 9. Living - 1.5 10. Slide - 1.5 11. Hoops - 1 12. Some - 1.5 13. Town- 1.5 14. Love - 1.5

Gloves?

This isn't for me

Might be the most obnoxious rapping I've ever heard. The same staccato, slurred flow on every track. Illustrative because it shows not every album here is redeemable and that the early 90s had some hot garbage music amidst an excellent string of years in music history. Plus it's nearly an hour long?! Why?

I guess you had to be there? This is fucking terrible and I’m 90s pilled.

Rubbish

I deserved this. It's my just punishment for ranting about how this challenge needed to feature more obscure artists and less Radiohead. Well played, Karma. Well played.

This is album #110 for me, and it’s my least favorite so far. I sort of dug the bluesy riffs at first, but the vocals in every song just made me annoyed and irritated. I thought I liked the song “This Ain’t Living” but even that got on my nerves after a couple of minutes. If I could give a 0 I would.

I'm going to put as much effort into this review as G. Love put into these songs..............................................................

Did not like this at all. Found it super tedious and wanted it to be over. I almost liked Cold beverages, but the real highlight is This Ain't Living, which almost made me forget how much I hated everything else. 1

Würgereiz auslösend!

Not my cup of tea, at all. I gave it a chance, listened to the entire album, yech, but then again, how boring would it be if we all liked the same things.

The backing beats and instrumental was actually not bad. It was like if sublime forgot how to make a clean sound. Too bad the vocalist here ruined the whole thing top to bottom. 2/10

I didn't really get this. It's not really singing and not really rapping, and isn't particularly great at either The instrumental elements are ok, quite nice bluesy/jazzy backing with a decent groove in some songs. But overall this is a pretty forgettable album, I'm not sure which tracks would be the standouts. I might have given this 2* if it was shorter but it's way too boring for an album that goes on nearly an hour.

I didn't like this at all. I appreciate I had to listen to it to understand which genre combinations to avoid. 1 Star.

Is this guy from Burger King because his special sauce sucks

Once you hear once song, you heard them all. Pretty boring unfortunately

Reallllly bad

Not for me.

It’s like when you buy a package of chicken at the grocery store, but when you get home and open it, it has a funny smell, so you end up throwing it away.

Not my....

SHUT THESE WHITE BOYS UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hope i could give it 0 stars

Very bad vocals. Very bad. I couldn't listen to more than 2 songs. Hated it. The instrumental is not that good either. I don't get why this is included in the list.

Första intrycket: En blek kopia av Beck. Andra intrycket: Enformigt och stelt. Inte särskilt roligt. Efter 5 låtar är jag på väg att ge upp. Talanglöst jammande, ändlösa, humorlösa texter. Påminner om bandet i David Lynch:s Fire walk with me

When you're a terrible singer so you try rapping instead, but you're an even worse rapper.

Definitely one to listen to one time only.

A lo-fi blend of blues, hip-hop, and college slacker vibes that tries to be charming and laid-back , but mostly feels empty and irrelevant. It’s technically competent, but lacks soul or depth. For me, it never rises above background noise with attitude. Not my cup of tea. 1/5

This is what white privilege sounds like. There are so many worthy albums even in these overrepresented countries that this inclusion is both baffling and totally predictable. I mean, you can do lazy, and lazy is not easy to fake. Producing an album that sounds laid back, relaxed, easy, or even barely trying is hard work. And perhaps "g love" worked his ass off on this one, but, you know, put some good songs in it while you're at it.

I can only imagine myself on my deathbed reaching for just a little bit more of that special sauce…. Nope. This is one of these albums that could make me buy the book eventually to try and understand the reasoning behind its inclusion.

no

Känns som ett skämt att detta är med i nån sorts topplista.

Obegripligt.

White people shit

I feel disgust listening to this. I feel like I am listening to a high school “band” practicing in their mom’s garage and the neighbours are throwing cans and everything in their way to get them to stop singing. Fire this singer, and start over completely.

This one just didn’t do it for me. Mellow Gold by Beck did this so much better.

Why is this on the list lol. How many great/significant 90s albums got bumped for this.

Oh no. I hated this. Not quite Nick Cave level because I know it takes a lot of weed to be play instruments this way at least, but still really bad. I'll give the producer credit for giving us the St. Anger snare before it was a meme. Real 20 something white trust fund baby with dreads energy in this one.

Offensive on almost every conceivable level.

Respectfully: what the fuck is this? Beck and Sublime already had enough to answer for but I’m pretty sure this is ultimately their fault.

Не зашло

It’s no wonder that the only people who have ever recommended G. Love and Special Sauce to me are people who are also really into jam band music. This is the exact type of white boy-blues/funk hybrid that’ll make a jam band fan do the hippy shake after a glass of “spun wine”. In fact, it’s offensive to call this blues or funk. It just sucks. The other day, I said that Leonard Cohen’s “I’m Your Man” was the worst record on this list. I stand corrected.

LMFAO

Not my cup of tea. Can't stand this guy's raps and rhymes.

Wank, and yes I selected that word specifically

The longer this went on, the more I questioned if this is just one big joke and I’m not in on it. It’s Kidz Bop Rap made for cocky 12 year old white boys who just got their first bottle of Axe Body Spray. Musically I don’t mind it and in parts good, but G. Love ‘s voice is annoying enough to want to punch him in the face for trying to be something he isn’t: a good rapper. I wouldn’t doubt that he HAS been punched for making this album He sounds like he’s just trying to make a joke of the entire genre. Thumbs way down.

First track: ooh, I remember this from back in the day, think I quite liked it at the time. Second track: why is the man still singing in that silly, mannered voice? Third track: this is going to be a looooong album. I also hope John Lee Hooker got paid for the tune to 'Town To Town'.

Klinkt als Shaggy en OMC, maar dan minder cool. Dit was zo fucking raar en niet raar als in Ween raar is ofzo. Raar en slecht eigenlijk. 0.0 (maar ja, dat gaat niet)

Kind of a bland combo of blues, jazz, and hip hop. Combines the three but loses the best parts of all of them. There's some moments that are solid laid back music, but no way this belongs on this list there's people who have done that vibe way better.

It sounds as if someone just discovered Garage band and just started playing with instrumental pre-sets and dusted off old slam poetry. I have a headache halfway through this album.... why do you do this to me?

I had What's Going On several albums back, and while listening to This Ain't Living all I could do was wish I was listening to Marvin sing those words instead [Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)]. I have to be honest. I hated every minute of this. Something about it is just so phony to me. I mean - take a snippet from This Ain't Living: "This morning bird sounding sweet / Though I sleep on the streets / I have a feeling I'm free / From society's hand picked hypocrisy" coming from the guy who went to private school and definitely seems to have led a privileged life. I'm not trying to make a broad assessment of his character, but I like to justify my lowest ratings. And this is one of many reasons this album didn't hit for me. I can't even choose one standout to add to my playlist. This meets all my criteria for a 1 star album.

Hate it. I think he only half raps because he has a shitty voice. Again, I question this as an "influential" album. I know this list is put together but music critics...and I don't think much of the title "critic".

Like the instrumentals hate the vocals

Boring and monotone

Never heard of this artist outside of the context of this list, which rarely happens. Its inclusion here is a real head-scratcher. It just sounds like a bunch of random dudes who get together on sundays to play music together and book the occasional bar gig. Did this have any impact when it came out? It certainly didn't have any *lasting* impact.

I remember when their single was a hit everywhere. I didn't really understand why back then, and listening to this garbage again has only reinforced my assessment: this is absolute garbage. This verges on offensive stereotyping of authentic speech patterns in disenfranchised communities. This why guy trying to sound black is super cringe.

This is bad and I couldn't finish it. 1/5

all of it sounds the same and it’s far from good enough for it to be good nonetheless, i have no idea how i finished this x

Everything about this album feels inorganic and unfortunately designed by committee. I don’t understand who this album was made for? It’s not catchy, it’s not groovy, and it’s mostly just awkward and uncomfortable to listen to. The vocal style is so forced and weird. The lyrics are asinine and poorly written. The guitar playing, drumming, and all the other instrumentation is lazy and predictable. This is not something I hope to ever listen to again.

This is what Beck must sound like if you hate Beck. Had to listen in intervals because it was so irritating. No thank you. 3/10

I did not like this. The white dude bluesy thing makes me uncomfortable.

Nobody can convince me that this album deserves its place on this list. There's just no way.

Beck if he was falling in a staircase.

not a fan

Imagine a Red Hot Chili Peppers of blues. Then make it a bit worse. G. Hate. (⌐◉︵◉)

One of the worst vocal deliveries I’ve ever heard. Maybe the worst album on the list so far. Low energy Beastie Boys. Sublime, if Bradley Nowell had never smoked a cigarette. I hate this. Let us never speak of it again.

Couldn't finish this. Like the white stripes minus any charisma

Это просто очень плохо. Если я попаду в ад, они будут пытать меня этим.

I’m the complete opposite of a saucier, more of a “no sauce on my combo rice, please” kind of person.

meökein cpnepctyal TDSOTM settiä.. mutta onkin vain samaa biisä putkeen...

This album affixed me with a perpetual stank face during its duration; not in an "oooh, this shit goes hard" kind of way, but rather an "oooh nooo, this shit is simultaneously setting both blues AND hip hop back decades...turn it off, TURN IT OFF" kind of way.

Dabbling in a lot of genre and it didn’t help them.

I’m really not a fan of jam bands, and the guy’s singing makes it seem like he doesn’t want to be here. But the lyrics are the low point, profoundly dumb themes addressed in profoundly artless ways. I will say that they come across as reasonably fun, laid back people. I don’t think any of the other bands I’ve rated a 1 give the impression of having a sense of humor.

"This makes me feel better about giving Limp Bizkit three stars." - Me to L. Yeah this sucked.

I would rather drink my own Special Sauce than listen to this again. this has to be a joke like the inclusion of Kid Rock?

I love Flava Flav. He's fantastic. Tom Waits is phenomenal. But this album, where Flava Flav recorded a tribute album to the sounds of Tom Waits, is pure garbage.

Some of the songs had an interesting hook, musically. The problem is that each song is the same four bars repeated over and over with no variation. And then comes the vocals: repetitive in sound, sloppy, and uninteresting. This album was boring.

1 - even the most popular one just hurts, honestly the wrong time period to be producing music like this--no excuse

I didn’t know Stoned College Roommates of America got to lobby for spots on this list

lmao why is this here

No, thank you

I don't know what the special sauce is, but it's pretty bland. 'Walk To Slide' and 'Shooting Hoops' I could probably add to a playlist, but anything more than that and I would just be so bored. It sounds like it's trying so hard to be cool, and maybe it is to the right person. Maybe it was cooler in the 90's. I have nothing against mixing genres of music together to create something unique, but unfortunately it's a mix of blues, jazz and rap. All of which I'm not particularly fond of so this was never going to be a good album for me.

I guess this is the album that inspired millions of white college freshmen to rap over their acoustic guitars at open mikes. I can’t ever forgive that.

Imagine the Red Hot Chili Peppers without any musicianship or songwriting ability. And then make it a bit worse than that.

this shit is genuinely repulsive to me

Did not care for this genre of music nor the musician's style. Not a fan of hip-hop fused with jazz.

This is dire. This is an album I am meant to listen to before I die? Why? If anything it’s making me want to meet my demise quicker 🫠

Love and special sauce, terrible name with music on equal level. What the hell happened to the sound of that drums? Does the singer know the words to his own songs? Does anything make sense in here? Interestingly bad album, once in a lifetime experience.

Never heard of this band before, but trying to give them a fair shot. I can see why they were popular on college radio at the time, and they have a couple decent songs (Blues Music and Cold Beverage), but overall they are a bit cringe. Less interesting than what Beck was doing around the same time, and not as fun as the Fun Lovin' Criminals. Musically, the rhythm section is quite good, but the singer just sounds like a stoned guy at a house party trying to imitate the Beastie Boys. They actually remind me a bit of Gomez, who did a much better take on this style later in the 90s. Hope their debut is in this list somewhere.

shite

Meh 1 star

This stinks, it blows my mind that the guy who I watch perform in the heat at 3 in the afternoon at mid tier jam fests has an album on this list. How many albums does Keller Williams have on here while were at it!

No love for this G from me

I really want to like him but this album is just painful.

Meh

This album just flat out and missed me., The vocalist mumbles. Sure, it’s a groove. Reminds me of a pretentious album somebody in Brooklyn would put on while sipping craft beers and wearing pork bean hats. Not a fan.

There's a track called 'Garbage Man'. A comma between the 2 words of it's title would enable it to serve as a description for the whole album.

Just don’t like this at all

genuinely one of the most obnoxious albums i've ever heard. this brand of blues-rap gen x whatever the hell this is, is such a pain to listen to. the only saving grace here is the musicianship, which is pretty alright, but yeesh man. this sounds like if the mediocre-at-best busker in the subway station got a record deal. it sounds like an alley cat getting its tail run over by a bicycle. it feels like it has to be ironic but i do think it is quite genuine. pretty awful.

I hated those singles in the 90s. I hate them today. This album sounds like high school kids just learning their instruments and started a band. Then played at a party, someone recorded to and released it. A joke A mistake Just plain awful We should be able to do zero stars