Reviews (page 7 of 7)
Me recuerda mucho a la canción de Beck: Loser.
One of my favorite albums and artists of all time. Such a phenomenally talented musician.
Fine ni bother
Heavy dose of nostalgia with this one. Great fun
That’s a fun listen
Not bad
Throughly enjoyed this one
too indie, too garrage for me.
Cool instrumentals. Ridiculous and stupid vocals.
This trio of vocals/guitar, acoustic bass, and drums lives on chill vibes, moving between hip hop, alt rock, blues, and jazzy sounds. It’s really all about the feel, less the content and meaning or moving instrumentals. Songs are alright - most have a nice groove but pretty insignificant lyrics or catchy melodies. The vocalist is also alright, he has a smooth casual delivery but doesn’t do much to impress. This band sounds best when they fall apart a bit and sound like shit. Somewhat enjoyed this but it also didn’t impress either. Runs a bit longer than it needs to. Not sure if I’ll come back to it, but if I do it’ll be more as background music than close listening.
I enjoyed the sound. Nothing special though.
Not bad.
Awful, grating. Nice drums, everything else painful.
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.
Songs start great, but all feel the exact same. Album should have left more on the cutting room floor. Top tracks: Blues Music, Walk to Slide
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?
Very dull
It was alright, nothing much stood out here but it wasn't bad or anything.
Has a certain louche charm
This album was released on the date of my birth. Sadly that didn’t help them to make a good album.
ohhh man i'm soooo baked hahahahaha
This is so unique and only possible in the 90’s
Cringe inducing pretension. Clearly introduced to blues and funk legends through hip hop samples, these guys decided to have a go. I like the sound the band aspires to; they just need about 5 more years of constant gigging to be able to pull it off. The drummer is so distracted by ornamentation that he can’t quite hold the pocket. The guitarist has zero melodic sense so his leads consistently CLUNK; and while he’s clearly spent a ton of time learning cool chords, he can’t play them in real time so his rhythms feel forced. (And of course in funk, feel is EVERYTHING.) But while the band misses, at least I get what they’re shooting for. G. Love is just an embarrassment in everything he does. His contribution constantly displays an idiocy combined with arrogance. If I were on a bus and overheard him having a conversation, I’d probably get off and wait the 15 minutes for the next one rather than have to listen to any more of his nonsense. And what is that weird vocal affectation? It makes him sound like he’s developmentally disabled. Finally, in Blues Man, “G” celebrates a number of blues, soul, and funk legends. I’m 550 albums in and, while I’ve heard literally scores of albums by mediocre British kids imitating these legends (mostly from the 60s but let’s throw this album in with the detritus), I’ve heard albums from exactly three of those who actually deserve not to be forgotten. Put a different way, in what music-loving universe should people hear G. Love & Special Sauce but not Blind Lemon Jefferson, Albert Collins, Bukka White, James Brown, Chaka Khan, Sonny Boy Williams, Leadbelly, Robert Johnson, Junior Wells, J. B. Hutto, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, etc. etc??
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.
Unique sounds and some real head bopping grooves.
pretty solid makes good use of dynamics, mixing and mastering are pretty solid. I enjoyed the mixture of the rap vocals over blusier elements. overall pretty good would recommend to fans of incubus
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.
Koste meg
Very humorous that this is on here in place of many other hip-hop classics but I will admit that it’s groovy to a non-negligible degree. Not too convinced about the rhymes though
Mycket bättre än det borde vara
A middling 3 - not exactly my style but not bad. Songs started to blend together eventually though
Not my cup of tea
LOVE it
just the worst
5/5 Ska-ey and hip hop-ey, love it
Greet
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.
Fun but not my style.
колледж радио, окей. но не для меня!
It‘s interesting, but I don‘t like it very much. Too closely to Hip Hop for me. But some songs are very good.
9/10 crazy good, like beastie boys meets bob dylan
Trögt album att lyssna på. Int min grej Svag 2
90s sloppy Philly hip-hop, what's not to love?
This could go up or down a star. The music is great but those "white college kid rap vocals" sure are something. Sometimes it fits sometimes it really hinders some tracks.
meh nothing super interesting
3.5
C'est une très bonne idée de mélanger le rock et le hip-hop, il doit sans doute y avoir beaucoup d'adeptes de ce style musical (zéro, pas une seule personne).
Nouvel album de merde de la part de notre Robert national, mais au moins on commence à être à jour sur le générateur de misère.
Oh hell yeah dog this is what I'm talking about. A great example of a band that make being tight as fuck seem laid back and effortless. His voice is something else too. The whole thing exudes cool. I'm always trying to figure out what my definition of cool is, and this fits what ever that definition is. It feels like they hit something very special that so many 90s bands either totally overshot or way undercooked. Other bands who hit the same mark: Sublime, President of the United States of America, Beastie Boys... I sense a playlist coming on.
A catchy fun album that grows on you! I’m glad it was on the list!
Genres: Blues, Hip-Hop & Rock. Hoe kan dat nou weer werken? Maar dat doet het best redelijk. Op zijn best klinkt het als een mindere versie van Gorillaz, dus verder niet heel bijzonder.
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.
Love the funky music
Not really what I expected, but this was interesting. I like the instrumentation more than the vocals. It's a fine listen, but not sure anything particularly stands out.
Pretty cool. I could like this album
Not for me Garbage
G. LOVE!!!!!!!!!! I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the app and saw this album. Every party I went to from the mid 90s to the early aughts, this album was played at some point. Doesn’t matter where, Center City, University City, South Philly, the Great Northeast, and the burbs. I can’t believe this album is on this list. I’m breaking my 5 star rule. It’s supposed to be 5 stars go to the greatest albums of all time. I don’t know how many I will hand out but I gotta imagine it’ll be less than 10% Maybe around 5%, I dunno. This is not one of the greatest albums of all times. But it’s one of the most fun. It takes me back to a great time in my life. It’s getting 5 stars. I love me some G Love and Special Sauce. I can’t believe this is is on here.
This album was played by my friends so much in the 90's I never needed to own it. At the time of release it was nice blend of genres and with some unique production, perhaps it sounds dated now. Blues Music sits on a few of my playlists but it's an album I don't every listen too. 3.5 for me but given he was raised in Philly that's enough to bump it to a 4.
Fun bluesy rap-hop from Philly. A good listen and doesn’t seem prone to aging.
Cold Beverages was a radio staple for awhile. The album is fine. Kind of a nostalgia trip for me.
Meh. You couldn't live around the Philly area in the 90s and not hear them all the time. And it's fine to put on in the background, it's nice and chill and doesn't take much to listen to it, but it's not something I'm going to actively put on again.
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.
I actually love this album. I'm not sure it really counts as "hip hop" but it also doesn't fall cleanly into any genre - which is what makes it cool. It's simple, it's fun, it's well-executed. What's not to love?
Yet another filler album
Not my cuppa.
Sounds exactly like you would imagine a band called "G love and special sauce" to sound. Which is a band that sounding like background music at a bad restaurant, while "G Love" throws out rhymes like you would expect someone who calls themselves "G Love" to do. Awful.
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
bbq music
Absolutely LOVED this - been listening to it now for days...
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
Just plain basic funk. Who doesn't love this?
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.
Hip hop
Solid
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.
Some of it was fine other parts meh not really for me ?
I can only pan this so much as it's generally good-natured dumb-foolery but really the whole fake patois blues-ish thing ain't aged well.
Good shit. I especially like the song about beverages.
The blues are great but the vocals are not for me - it's like a shitty Sublime.
Decent stuff
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
I honestly thought these guys were a local Detroit area band, because it seemed like they were playing at bars and clubs around here all the time. I'm sure I saw them at least once, although I can't remember anything about it. Turns out they're from Philly and they weren't just some bar band. Who knew? Anyway, on to the music. It has a nice, relaxed groove to it. Nothing earth-shatteringly unique, but nice. 3 stars.
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
This was just strange. It's not strictly jazz, not precisely blues, not exactly hip-hop (Wikipedia lists it, so...), and it doesn't look like any experimentalism mixing everything. Being so, it's pretty hard to evaluate it. It's not annoying to listen to it, but it's also not eye-popping. Yeah, I think I got the perfect three stars...
I got to see G Love once. When this album broke so it has a lot of sentimental value to me. Great record
Been a fan ever since I saw Cold Beverage on Rage one nineties night. Had not played this album for quite a while & I must say I’d forgotten how ramshackle the band was. Sometimes they make my old post-punk Sydney faves Lighthouse Keepers, Particles & Cannanes sound professional, which they were not. The drummer sounds like he’s using kitchen utensils. But I really enjoyed revisiting this. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed the roll-call in Blues Music - more than a dozen legends, from Blind Lemon Jefferson to Jimmy Smith to Woody Guthrie. By the time they played Woodsock 99, the band were a lot tighter. I remember seeing G. love on Rockwiz - he duetted with Megan Washington on The Velvets’ What Goes On. Google it.
I remember Triple J playing 'Blues Music' on regular rotation when it was first released, and I enjoyed it at the time. But I never felt the need to buy a copy, and I haven't given it a second thought since that time. A couple of fun tracks here (Baby's Got Sauce, Cold Beverage, Blues Music), but the "white boys playing bluesy backing tracks with some quasi-rapping" was a bit played out in the 90s: Beck, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Urban Dance Squad, Soul Coughing, and probably a bunch of others. G. Love and Special weren't the first or the best or the most interesting or most successful of any of the purveyors of that thing. The funky and badly recorded blues thing has certainly been done a lot (this feels like a slightly more laid back Hound Dog Taylor to me). I don't mind the lo-fi recording; it really helps give this a bit of sorely needed grit. I feel like the hip hop influence here allows G. love to cover the fact that he is struggling to come up with a good melody. It's just not his thing. And the album is at least 20 minutes too long. If this was 35-40 minutes of the strongest material, I would probably be a bit more positively inclined towards this. I'd happily listen to any of the stand-out tracks on a mixtape or if it came of the radio (especially Cold Beverage, which is the strongest song on the album), but I would much rather listen to a whole album by Beck, Soul Coughing or Urban Dance Squad. 2.5 stars, rounding up.
Brings back some fantastic memories. A place I used to work played this all if the time - especially 'Baby's got sauce'. Beautiful oddities the sounds created on this. Inventive and quirky. Well worth a listen.
“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.
Kinda fun, kinda sloppy, kinda bluesy bit ultimately not my kinda thing..
Not sure how this made it on any list of great albums. Couldn't even finish the whole album.
These drums and the bass! So great. But G. Love isn't the best songwriter. Lots of the stuff sounds the same and the style gets tiresome. Sure, this is way better than other alternative hip hop that steps into country territory. But it's not good enough. Less would've been more.
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
pre good
Hate the name but tolerated the music. An experiment for sure but one that I don't plan on returning to.
At this stage of the 1001 if we get more hip hop it better be alt. This one is and is enjoyable even as background music which is how I listened to it
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
Очень клёвая смесь, внезапно, группы 5'nizza (которая появится гораздо позже) и ранних RHCP с большей примесью акустических и электрогитар.
really of the time.... gets a bit old
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.
Lots of great jams but a bit long in my opinion.
I kinda of tuned out. Less offensive version of Sublime 2.5/5
- respectfully, i’m bored
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.
Huh, not what I was expecting based off the band name, but it wasn’t bad.
It was ok.
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
This is so college radio. 6/10
Reminds me of the white stripes. Overall pretty good
I had never heard this before, but I enjoyed. I’d say 3.5 stars
Sounds like college
It sounds like a super fun bar band, one you're not expecting when you go out, but aren't upset about listening to while you're enjoying your time. It runs a bit long, but I enjoyed the loose, sounds-very-unpracticed-but-is-really-probably-super-practiced style. It runs a little long, but call it a 3.5, bumping up because Philly, baby. Favorite tracks: "She's Got Sauce", "Cold Beverage"
No more special sauce for me
Just a dude talking about random stuff, like cold beverage or playing basketball with friends. Don't take the record too seriously and it's fine to listen to in the background.
Kind of reminds me of Beck.
Dig it. hadn't previously heard.
Meh
Garden variety hip. Nothing that makes a re-listen worth the time
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
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.
Boring and amateurish.
nope!
Unforgettable and unremarkable.
1 - I couldn't understand a word this dude was saying because he can't sing for shit, but I felt like this album was sexually harassing me.
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.
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.
Nothing special. All the tracks were very similar. Felt like it dragged on a bit.
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.
I've never been a big g. Love fan but it was an A-ok listen.
I like the chill vibes but it got boring after a while
took me back to being in college
Decent, not amazing to me.
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
Funky Rock, macht sehr viel Spaß
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
Christ. We really let white boys do whatever they want, huh?
meh
Don't love G. Love. Always felt it was super overrated...this listen backed that up. 1.5/5
Nice sound
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.
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
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
Fav song: Cold Beverage
Not terrible, just pretty boring.
Very nostalgic and not as bad as I’d expected!
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.
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.
S'alright. Solid bluesy jam band vibes. Feels a bit like a Beck rip-off but it's alright for all that.
perfect barbequeing music I love it 4.5 tbh
One hour of the most aimless, sloppy, poorly executed blend of rock, hip-hop, and blues that should be forgotten with time. I’m gonna go read a book.
OK, this is the new bottom of the ranking of all of these albums so far, out of 364. (I also figured out just now that my ranking is missing some albums, which means I have to sort it out again, which adds to the list of grievances I have against this album.) It was already apparent that this would be a new low by the title of this album (also, why does the band name use an ampersand when the album doesn’t?), and it pretty much proved my assumption correctly. It was a lot more boring than I imagined it being, but whenever I started paying attention again I wished that I hadn’t. What was the reasoning behind putting this on the list?
was expecting something like Vanilla Ice, but not that definitely a nice surprise
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.
Pas degueu mais un peu quand même
Downtempo Red Hot Chili Peppers. No thanks.
Not a bad sound, but gets tired fast.
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.
Good
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.
Fun album
Seeing G. Love & Special Sauce at Metropolis Festival in 1994 was such a treat. That is why I always get in a state of absolute happiness when listening to this album. Great laidback groovy blues with rap that sound to be born to be combined.
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.
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.
Unfortunately not my sort of music. Just didn't really give with the singer's voice
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.
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
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.
I think this is as bad as it sounds, but also I'm not sure. I liked the instrumentation.
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?
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
I really enjoyed this a lot. Not sure if I’d listen to the whole album again but it was super cool
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.
already heard it so many times
Meh
I feel like if you were heavy into this guy, you might also be curious about bath salts?
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.
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.
It's funny to think that the only reason this record exists is due to world war 2 propaganda. Without it the Nazis would have won and where would we be now? Thank you G. Love and Special Sauce. You saved us.
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.
I can enjoy 1-2 songs, listen to 4-5 of them, but by 6 I'm ready to drive off an overpass.
I enjoyed this, Tessa and I used to listen to a lot of G love. In the early 2ks.
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.
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
great album, unique with some funk, rock, r&b
Vocalist sounds like he is trying too hard
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.
Though the sentiment may be sincere, the performance seems a bit affected.
Pretty laid back, competent but kind of empty rock for me. I can see ppl getting into it tho
This is my first encounter with this type of music, and to my surprise, it's not bad.
Digging it. 4 stars.
Blues y hip-hop, una mezcla curiosa. Venga, un 4 por lo original.
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.
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!
Á þriðja lagi var ég alveg komin í gírinn. Góð plata.
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.
Groovy. 2.5/5
2.5
Loved it even it first came out.
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.
Gostei da utilização da bateria e a pegada acústica. Bom Blues.
Glove
Funky. Raw vocals. Favorite tracks: Baby's Got Sauce
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
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
Blues y hip-hop, una mezcla curiosa. Venga, un 4 por lo original.
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?
Rating: 6/10
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.
I'm surprised they didn't get more popular, because this is the White Stripes before the White Stripes.
This dude has never appealed to me.
It’s fine. A bit drowsy.
G. Love gets play on radio margaritaville so I already had some familiarity. I enjoy the sound, this more of the same
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.
Got a bit too samey too quickly for me.
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.
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
Interesting idea, but so boring and dull.
Hard to even pinpoint what genre this is supposed to be mainly, not bad but way too long and too uneventful
I don't know why this album cover and title is so familiar. The music certainly isn't. It's fine.
The special sauce is just ketchup and mayo mixed together.
Average 3/5
This takes me back. "Baby's Got Sauce," "Cold Beverages," "Rhyme for the Summertime"... So much to love here.
En muistaakseni ole tällaisesta bändistä ennen kuullutkaan. Rento meno ja pitää joskus ihan ajan kanssa kuunnella uusiksi kun jono on saatu kurottua kiinni.
Aina hienoa ku taustat on oikeilla instrumenteilla soitettuja. Hauskaa ja rentoa meininkiä
loved this
There's definitely style, but it gets a bit repetitive.
Fuck this album boring vanilla ice rapping over pseudo blues bull shit
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.
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
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?
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.
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.
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
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.
Mid
Wel weer eens leuk om te horen
Iets te saai om lang leuk te blijven.
Best lekker die swampy funk, maar iets teveel van hetzelfde.
dit kon ik boven verwachting goed hebben! 2x gedraaid zelfs. Mooi open geluid.
Ik houd hier wel van. Net geen vier sterren omdat ik het iets teveel van hetzelfde vond.
Fun, Unique.
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
what even is this nonsense
Not very good 90s music. A must-listen to understand how mediocre some music can be.
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.
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.
Enjoyed what they were getting at, but there were a lot of duds. High 3
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
Disco raro, muy de guitarra acústica y voz rota. Safa.
Less energetic RHCP
Songs that sound like they were written by middle schoolers who just discovered the blues, with horrible singing to boot.
Not my style. 2.5
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
Not the biggest of fans but mostly enjoyed this.
C'est nul, quelle surprise !
allez +1 pr la jolie voix
There was a time in my life that I may have liked this more, but its not now