Let's Stay Together
Al GreenStrong 4 stars. I'm not sure if this is his most fun album, or the one i can sing along to the most, but I find myself not being able to skip any of these songs.
Strong 4 stars. I'm not sure if this is his most fun album, or the one i can sing along to the most, but I find myself not being able to skip any of these songs.
It's like the British decided to make a surfer album and the rest of th eworld were like "uhh no that's not it". So, to save face they labeled it a new cool genre "Punk Rock" They get 2 stars for being so inspirational to other bands and projects after them. And in that sense, they are like the Beatles for me. I do not like them, but i can respect that people have and even still do.
3.8/5 - I'll round up since this is a decade from before my mom was born, I'm sure there's some generational gap that keeps me from fully enjoying (like not listening on vinyl, this would be really great to dance in the living room to on vinyl). God she's got such a full and pretty voice. When she sings I can imagine her smiling and that makes me smile. This album feels like it exists in that little space of time before the rock music I've been told about, i.e. Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Rolling Stones. It's all still about love and losing people. Which are certainly top 5 topics to sing about, and Dusty does it quite well. However, they all kind of roll into one another like the yellow and orange row of a crayon box. All pretty and lively songs individually - can't quite separate them from each other.
1/5 - The first 2/3's is so slow. W/ the last four tracks being slightly worse than mediocre, but a very welcome change of pace for someone that has listened to the whole album in one sitting. I don't know, I typically have really enjoyed every Willie song I've come across in my life, but this album does not do it at all for me. The only bit i enjoyed was the first 45 seconds of "Time of the Preacher" - which is the first 45 seconds of the album. It starts slow, melancholy and daunting, but never goes anywhere from there. Aside from "Can I Sleep in Your Arms" - it seems Willie forgot he was an incredibly talented musician on this one.
3.5/5 - I will round down for this one since I foresee a lot of these songs getting skipped on my playlist, however when I am in the mood, they will be delightful. Desafinado - Starts off really strong, w/ a shy but flirty cadence. found myself dipping my shoulders with the entire song. Samba Dees Days - Its ok. Would be cool to set to a Rube-Goldberg machine that primarily consists of hot-wheel tracks. Ok so I stopped checking into individual songs after the second and just let myself get lost a bit. A gray area in music, sometimes that means the piece wasn't captivating enough for me, other times it is a mood matcher that can keep and even set pace for the ramblings of mind. Latter is true for Jazz Samba. This is actually the first one that I listened to twice in a row. Now that may be because I was working and it felt like great productivity music - but hey I only see that as a plus.
3.7/5 - Need to revisit again, and probably six times after that. Even 20someting years later the Gorillaz seem like such a breath of fresh air. Theyre making music i dont know how to label, and damn theyre good at it. theyre self-titled is one of many bangers, but a few duds. It comes across as them still finding a sound for themselves. Which I am so so so glad they did. Such a fun album that subtly underlines the absurdity of the sounds of the 90s as they come into the 21st century of music.
5/5- One of my all-time favorites. That Stormy Monday is one of my favorite songs of all time and can put me in a fugue state.
3/5 ITS JAZZ!
2.5/5 Feels like some weird bridge between Bowie and MGMT I didn't know existed. Except this bridge has a detour to U2 land (oh no!). I'll round up to 3 stars because some of these songs were almost pretty dang good, ruined by vocals and lyrics. The first song "Take a Bow" (4/5) had me taking this album as serious surprise, the vocals on "Starlight" (1/5) completely shot dead that tiny momentum. This trend would continue until the 7th song, and pick back up with the 8th. Vocals and lyrics just never seem to match the tone of the music. Shame, the music has a lot of promise. Overall, the album has an ungenuine uniqueness that sounds like they were competing for the Transformers franchise. But hey, still unique! Musically they are still unique, mostly in a good way. I think they would be cool to see, but mostly in the way that spacey rock can be cool to see live. Its not for sustenance.
4.5/5 Take off half a point because its a little too silly lol. Really? Open with bathtub? Fuck it why not? Its the 90s babbbyyy. One of the first albums that made me fall in love with 90s hip hop. There are couple of songs sprinkled throughout that feels like Snoop just wanted an excuse to get some buddies in on the album. The songs that are good though, are so fucking incredible. Dr.Dre was top of the game in production and Doggystyle was the perfect place for him to screw around a bit. If songs like "Murda Was the Case" can make this suburban nerd feel like a unit, then you know it's some powerfully transformational music. Unfortunately, this album has, for good reason, come under some sexist complaints. Lots of 90's rap is misogynist and degrading to women. I don't think there is a great excuse to it, however I also don't think it should be something that is hidden to history. We can and should criticize the artists for such themes, but it needs to be analyzed under a wider microscope to why the culture may be more inviting to such a lack of respect towards women. I really wanna give this a 5 but there is just a few imperfections that either can't be looked over, or have been reevaluated by history to be in bad taste. Great album nonetheless.
3/5 - 3.5/5 For Disc 1. 2.0/5 for Disc 2. I saved "Nature Boy" to my playlist to remind myself every now and then that they exist. Drummer and guitarist play well together. The whole band gives an orchestra vibe at some points, which is something i love to hear out of a band. The lyrics are nice, not life changing or new. The musicians all seem well in sync with each other. This seems like a very average album from a band of above average musicians. Some of these songs just had no business being >5 mins. And i say that as a Grateful Dead fan.
3/5 - Mrs. Robinson Fucking Slaps. The rest of it is idk man, alright? Sounds like the type of music a guy would play on his acoustic guitar in a stool in the middle of central park after his girlfriend of 4 years broke up with him. Jokes aside the back half of the album is pretty fun, but i think it may be 55 years too late to think it's anything special.
2/5 - I don't get it, from what I've read I should be grateful I don't. Some of the sounds are cool man, but they feel wasted on devastation. It gets two stars because some of the music is very cinematic. Fuck this guy's lyrics and voice. I had to skip the first song w/ 90 seconds left. Second song off to a shallow, just learned how to write a story start. I'm going to switch to a different band so I can come back and see if it's just me. Ok so i switched artists for a bit, came back because i hate quitting. Couldn't dig it. Went into some of this guy's older stuff. Dug some of it, but felt like there was just too much in a song. Came back to this album. Fucking boring man. I've had to listen to each song twice because his singing jsut gets me off track. It does not come across as genuine. *This is two albums from Nick Cave that I've gotten in just 12 days, and I gotta say, not impressed by those two. Kind of reenforces the idea that critics have their heads stuck up their own asses. So, i asked myself if maybe my ass is stuck up my own head. I went ahead and looked into some of this band's other works. Some of it is pretty good, albeit drawn out. A lot of it is just downright pretentious. I hope I get another recommendation much later down the road so I can be proved wrong. But for now, no this music is fucking pretentious.
5/5 - FUCK YOU I WONT DO WHAT YOU TELL ME albums like this are why i spend lots of money on nice headphones and will inevitably spend lots of money on hearing aids.
3.8/5 - Damn cool sounds. The way the drummer and bassist seem to work in separate spaces is really impressive. There is a constant heavy rhythm to their songs that gives way for the guitar to really do whatever the hell they want to do. The end result sounds like a elevator to space - in a cool way. Theres some long songs there, and i dont think they miss however i could see why one would not like them. This album is much more of an acid trip than a shroom trip. some of it can be drawn out and almost hollow. And if youre not ready for something like that it can be underwhelming. But i loved it.
3.2/5 Half the album sucks and half the album is pretty good. Not quite sure if they're trying to be punk or grunge or something entirely different, and that's my issue with this album - it doesn't have a strong identity. It does have some pretty strong bass and drum lines though - I hope those guys get laid a lot, they deserve it. There are a few songs (the popular ones by Spotify listens) which come across as melodramatic and kinda fucking lame. I don't mind lame - Ween and Nirvana are lame and they're fucking great. But they're not whiny about it (even though Kurt was massive whiner).
3.8/5 - I was actually quite impressed by this. Smiths proved to me that the 80s certainty had some revolutionary music. It is beautiful how the band seems to play together - not competing w/ each other but doing what they can to help the other members be their best. I will be listening to more of the Smiths based on this album, and for that they get rounded up to a 4.
2/5 - Some are bangers, most are snoozers. Some of these songs are fucking duds though - and the duds all sound alike, a Bond villain's boat music. Some of these songs could be made today (by a not shitty person) and would still sell/stream millions - as evidenced by his 17 million monthly listeners. Sinatra, music wise, was and remains timeless.
1/5 - The rejected (rightfully so) Star Wars album. I'm more impressed that people in 1976 had an idea what 80s lasers sounded like. Less impressed they used them 1000 times in each song. I don't even think this would be cool on acid.
3/5 - Fun album to hum along with. Perfectly mediocre album. They all play well together; the lyrics seem unique and catchy enough to sing along. But nothing quite stands out. Much like the 2000s in general, i do not think time has been too kind to this album. They were once so new and fresh and shaking up the indie scene with poppy feel to match the traditional angst of indie music. I'm sure i would love this album more had I found it in high school when i had some more angst myself. Ultimately, I don't think it achieves much more than being an album to put on when in the reminiscing mood.
2.5/5 - It's cute at times. Thats about it. She has a pretty voice and he comes up with some cool sounds here and there. Talented musicians, not my type of music.
3.2/5 some pretty catchy stuff here.
4/5 - This should be mandatory listening for music lovers. The soul, the collaboration of talent, the gritty "ever had an ounce of luck" attitude. It's all too good. My only critique is it rides the same rhythm and tone for a too long at points. But when you have such great rhythm and tone, that'll happen.
3.8/5 - not a bad song on the album. For something that is 50 years old it still feels fresh and unique.
4.2/5 - i feel so sexy
3.2/5 Smooth but melancholy. Pretty good album. Even if it's a little monotone at times.
4.8/5 - I first gave this album a try in my early 20's when things were not good. It was too overwhelming to listen to the whole album. Of course, i could still appreciate some of the more popular titles. Now, quite a few years later and the bad times are over (for now) and i could be more moved by this album. It is hauntingly beautiful. "And the only way I could feel this sad now is if I felt somethin' really good before." - Butters Stotch.
3.5/5 - Some cool stuff here. Overall, a 2000's club mix, but probably one of the best ones I've heard.
3/5 - This is another one of those indie albums that had i found it in high school, I probably would have really enjoyed it throughout the rest of my life. Unfortunately, I found it to be another mediocre indie album from the early 2000s. Fantastic but lost to time once many other incredible bands took the stage. Objectively good; subjectively, lacks uniqueness in its space.
2/5 I don't think this really added anything to my life tbh. Chicken little song (End of the world) isn't as good as 8-year-old me remembers. It wasn't terrible per se. And i added two songs to the playlist, i reckon they will get skipped semi frequently.
2.8/5 - Opening with a song about Chocolate cake is brilliant. You have my undivided attention from there. Which got quickly divided on the next song. I could not hold any thought to the rest of this album. Nothing was terrible per se, just underwhelming in all regards. Nothing quite pops out at you as being spectacular or well done. There are flashes throughout the album that almost got my attention back, but they quickly dashed away with another slow tempo change or echoey vocals. I can see how there may be talent in this band sure, they just forgot to use it on this album.
3.4/5 Honestly impressed this albumw as as good as it is. Don't typically like this style of uh trip hop? Not really sure what genre it would fit under but its a good listen. I couldn't listen to it every day and theres a handful of the songs that were just meh. But overall, I'm glad I came across this, i never would have.
2.8/5 - I can appreciate he has had a dedicated following over the decades, but there's a reason only a handful of these songs have over 10 million listens.
2.8/5 - Its got some heart and good musicians. But i had to remind myself i was listening to music a few times which also led me to relistening to those songs.
2.9/5 - Nothing fancy, and ona first listen i assumed they were like every other late 80s - mid 90's grunge band. i felt i was missing something. A second listen and their uniqueness came to me. It sjus tnot always prevalent, or front and center. But it's got some enjoyable songs on it.
ITS JAZZ
4.8/5 - Never fully dove into them and wow am i regretting it. Suck a personal creative sound. I loved every song.
3.5/5 - I would rate this closer to 4, however there are other Radiohead albums that aren't quite 5's for me that deserve to rated higher than this. That being said this is still very worthy of a yearly listen. Radiohead was able to prove they can experiment and expand their range while meeting their authentic selves. There is a song for everyone on this album yet not every song is for everyone - and that's ok. They were able to weave between meditation sounds and video game ambient tunes while still providing some classic sounding songs Radiohead fans have enjoyed for decades.
ITS JAZZ!!!
3.3/5 - Its smooth and authentic. Big guitar and fast drums. I like it for the most part. Never been a metal guy though, and its kinda comes across as Glam southern rock. I can get behind the overzealous glam elements, but the overall southern sound is lost on me. Talented group, and I totally see the appeal. Their influence on modern music is certainly well deserved. But its not really for me.
2/5 Bruce Springsteen comes across as the "Did it for the nookie" version of Bob Dylan.
3.5/5 - I'll round up to 4 because I used to love this album and what the Stones did to open music genres can't go unstated. Like the Beatles, they really changed music forever, mostly for the better, and since have been played in every department store, movie, TV show since. It ruins the charm a little bit when their music can be linked to just oh so much. Not their fault.
3/5 - Although I still find him mostly annoying, this was a decent album for him. Just listening to it i can imagine how fun he probably had performing some these tunes. He basks in his own style a bit on this and it's nice to see he has his own thing. Still think he did it all for the women, but can't hate the guy for that.
3.5/5 - The first half is confusingly fantastic. The second half feels like an extended version to the theme song of an 80's mystery drama that didnt make it past the pilot. The songs that are good are pretty damn good though.
4/5 - Usually when an album gets repetitive its a bad thing. Not here. It's repetitive in the sense each song i have no idea what it is im listening to, but i know i want more. Thats what makes this project so damn cool. Never in my life would i go out of my way to listen to a fucking Irish folk punk band. And shame on me for that, this is damn god.
2.8/5 - Its fun and entertaining. Nothing more really.
4/5 - I love every song equally on this album.
3.4/5 - Its probably the best album ill never listen to again
3.2/5 - The music itself is nostalgic and an fun reminder of the early 2000s, while being a similar relief that that kind of music stayed in the earliest years of the millennium. Her lyrics are rather amiss on myself, and i cannot totally relate however a few songs are still catchy. The main point of brillance in Amy is, of course, her harrowing and majestic voice. Her voice has an incredible ability to fill me emotions i have not felt in a long time.
3.4/5 - Very fun and brillant first half. Second half is a little odd, but could be fun in the right place/time.
4/5 - It is remarkable how i have gone this long knowing "Heads will roll" but not any other song by them. Criminally under rated. This album has catchy, poppy, emotion provoking music. And most of the songs will absolutely make you want to dance.
3.2/5 - The really good songs you probably already know. The only ok ones you will probably forget by tomorrow.
2/5 - Nick Cave is the worst part of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The music is fantastic and very well-orchestrated, theyre incredibly talented. Nicks insistence on being in every part of the song is overbearing, annoying and makes it nearly unlistenable. I cannot stand how he chooses to use his voices, and his reluctance to shake anything up in his lyrics. This is the third album I've listened to of them, and my opinion stands that if they were to be just a The Bad Seeds (drop that Nick guy) they would be incredible.
3.1/5 - Soft and spacey. Every beat feels like it is in the right place. But this is just not for me.