How can I provide an unbiased review without the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia? Even having not listened to it in probably 20+ years, I still know almost all the lyrics somehow. This album was everywhere and extremely popular when it came out. At the time, I remember it sounding so unique and distinct. Listening now, almost 25 years later, the album still holds up rather well. The angst seems a bit heavy handed now and causes a few eye rolls, but ultimately, still worth listening to.
Cream at its best. This album has just about all of their best songs.
The Black Keys have a very distinct sound, but it gets repetitive when listening to a whole album. Still worth listening to, but I don't think I'd go out of my way to do so. I think it would work better as a few songs speckled withing a large playlist than all at once.
Quintessential Elton John. This album is full of long flowing ballads that highlight Elton's singing ability. If you like Elton John, this is a good album. If he's not your usual cup of tea, then it probably won't hit as well.
This is another one of those albums where if you like the artist, then it's enjoyable. However, if you find Dylan's nasally whiny wailing detestable, then you're not going to like it. Personally, I'm a bit impartial to Ol Bobby, so I found it enjoyable enough; a couple good songs, a couple songs that sound like alley cats in heat. I don't think I'd go seek it out on my own though.
Deep and Soulful. It's amazing what they can put together with just a singer and the absolute minimum of accompaniment. If you like soul, funk, or R&B, definitely give this album a listen. I know I'm going to be seeking out more music by Scott-Heron and Jackson after this introduction.
I don't usually care for live albums, but this one is worth it. It manages to bridge the Motown sound of the 60s with the emerging soul of the 70s. Definitely worth a listen.
There are a couple songs on here that are alright, but most of the album sounds like commercialized country that has been stripped of its soul produced purely for the sake of making it as commercially wide-appealing as possible. Combine that with the overdone vocal post processing and auto-tuning and it was almost too much to take. I found the album hard to finish, though the latter half seemed less unbearable than the first.
Winehouse has this deep distinctive voice that sounds quite unique for an album from this millennium. The album contains more simplified instrumental accompaniment and gives more of the impression of listening to a lounge singer than a produced album, which is a good thing here. It comes across as refreshingly honest compared to the all too prevalent over processed vocals from many other singers. Definitely worth a listen.