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Wed Nov 23 2022
Frank
Amy Winehouse
Here we go, embarking on this challenge! First up, Amy Winehouse's debut, Frank. I love Amy Winehouse, hadn't ever heard this album all the way through before so I'm glad I got to listen to it!
I feel like I should 100% be rating this higher but it is what it is. I just feel it in my gut to give this 8.5. Amy Winehouse's debut album is very strong. I'm a huge lover of this type of music, and she takes a lot of inspiration from jazz conventions. A particular highlight for me is October Song, her requiem for her bird Ava, and how she quotes the melody of Lullaby of Birdland in the chorus. Are you fucking kidding me?? Amazing. Amy's a powerhouse. What Is It About Men is one of my favourite songs of hers, was great to hear it in the context of this album. Overall I feel like I like Back in Black a little better than this record but this is still extremely solid and really fucking good.
Fav tracks: Cherry, Know You Now, I Heard Love is Blind, October Song, What Is It About Men
4
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Thu Nov 24 2022
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
I'll admit I'm not overly familiar with the rock legend known as Tom Petty. I remember once I was working and my work band and I were playing covers as an opening to this event, and someone shouted at us from the audience, "Play some Tom Petty!" and our singer responding with something awkward and funny that I can't for the life of me remember.
I'm gonna say it, this record is kinda fun y'all. There's some kind of earnestness about it that I really like. Right down to the main man Tom's smirk on the cover and the Flying V piercing the heart. There's a lot of pretty competent blues playing on this record, though maybe not wholly original and groundbreaking stuff here. I was surprised by how country this album could sound at times. Petty's vocals are inconsistent to me on this album, they go from being really distracting because it sounds like he's trying to put on an accent(but the accent itself is inconsistent) to being pretty decent. Some of the harmonies are really nice, too. I will say the lyrics on "Strangered In The Night" are a little.. 70s, and a little bit dated. When I got to "American Girl," I was like, oh yeah! I've heard this one before! It may be his most popular song but it's still a pretty damn good song. I'd be open to checking out more of Petty's later work to see how he evolved as an artist from this point!
Favourite tracks: Rockin' Around (With You,) Breakdown, American Girl
Least favourite tracks: Strangered In The Night, Fooled Again (I Don't Like It) (though I do think the track name is very funny)
7/10!
3
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Fri Nov 25 2022
Winter In America
Gil Scott-Heron
4
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Sat Nov 26 2022
Nothing's Shocking
Jane's Addiction
3