The guitar sounds on this record are incredible. The way Corgan uses fuzz is so well done and adds so much to their sound that it makes everything he did sound thinner by comparison. Beyond that, the songwriting is perfect. 10/10
Great songs. Great performances. RIP Janis. Gone too soon.
There are some good tracks on here for sure. Not sure if I have much love for Jackson's lesser-known songs as much as the hits like "Bad" and "Man in the Mirror". I had never heard "Speed Demon" before and it's kind of a corny song, but that little bass (or synth?) run is awesome. "Smooth Criminal" is a great little boost towards the end. Strong start, strong finish.
The first four Sabbath records are flawless. The absolute origin of metal music, their self-titled debut is not only dark, thick, and heavy, but also very playful. So much modern metal forged in the wake of this album is performed by better musicians, but very few exhibit the creativity and willingness to experiment to the extent that Sabbath does here. It's over 50 years and this continues to inspire bands to grab a guitar and stare into the void.
Her voice is great and the songwriting is really really solid, but the super-clean production makes it sound really sterile. Honestly, a lot of the trap beats sound kind of dated already which I didn't expect. Still, it doesn't have very low lows and I have to admit the singles are pretty phenomenal. "Shake It Off" and "Bad Blood" make it pretty easy to look past some of the Disney musical-sounding singing on the parts of the album which I found a little grating.
I want to like this more. It's got lots of soul. Everything is recorded and mixed well. It sounds like it was a really fun record to make. Unfortunately, the blues just makes me snooze. I know it's not an album trying to break barriers; it's a style that's been done a million times before, but only occasionally has it been done this well. I can appreciate how good it is even if it's not my thing. The Los Lobos track is a good old-time rock and roll song that kicks in at the right time and brings some much-needed energy to the mix.
Perfect album. So many great moments. Probably the best Dylan album of all time.
Really fun album. Every song is pretty great for the most part. Doesn't really sound dated at all. There's a great balance of guitar and synth here and Debbie's voice is just the right amount of pop and punk. Definitely going to come back to this one.
Great record. If this album just had Heroes and the rest was junk, this would still be 3 stars. The fact that it's got a bunch of other great tracks on it makes it a classic.