That's it. I'm done. Fuck this list. This was supposed to be fun, and it has been a slog to get through 80% of these albums. Music shouldn't feel like a chore to listen to. This guy's voice is like nails on a chalkboard

Couldn't make it through this trash. I don't have time for this kind of shit. I could be listening to literally anything else. After having read a lot of the reviews by professional critics, I'm left wondering what "pop" music is, since this was considered some transformational experimental pop album. Zero catchy melodies, droning overstuffed instrumentation, and virtually monotone singing...this is pop? It's more appropriately described as semi-coherent noise; barely recognizable as music Fuck this album. 1.5

I never liked David Bowie. I still don't, but this wasn't bad. I probably won't listen again, but if (most of the songs) on this album came on, I wouldn't rush to skip them like I have in the past

The title of track 6 sums up this album perfectly for me 1.25

Listening critically: Samsung Galaxy Earbuds: Really enjoyed the finesse of the opening drum beat on the first track Never specifically heard/paid attention to the tuba(?) that adds so much to the drama and "big feeling" in personal jesus. Listening critically on KEF Q950s while browsing the internet: I have always liked Enjoy the Silence, but listening to it on the Kef Q950s was a whole new experience. So much detail and new information. I think I have only heard it on shit car speakers. This is a GREAT recording. (Policy of Truth) So much depth and interesting activity on the synthesizers between channels. Really cool mix and vocal layering I haven't heard until now. This is a whole different song. I'm so glad to be listening to this album. What a great start to this adventure! Everything sounds so forward and present. I just did not appreciate Depeche Mode in this way before (Blue Dress). I haven't heard this song before. David Gahan (vocals) has a...something special. Such a unique voice, and knows how to use it. I'm really liking the post-song interludes that the radio never played. It's like finding money in the couch cushions. Seamless segue into Clean Clean: Every instrument is in the exact right place. What is it about this recording? Have my speakers always sounded this good? Starting the album over on the KEFs. Better than the earbuds, for sure. I wish everything I listened to on these sounded this...crisp (World in My Eyes) It's Sweetest Perfection that has the slick beat (sounds like brushes). I like the surging/building effect this has. Also...sounds great on the KEFs. Loving the cello break at 2:20.

So incredibly NOT looking forward to listening to this. Lou Reed has all the bad voice characteristics of Bob Dylan, and none of the redeeming qualities. Sunday Morning: Yep. Suspicion confirmed I'm Waiting for the Man: this sounds like a third grader wrote it. Why do people think this album is so great? Femme Fatale: Weird (intentional?) distortion is jarring and unsettling. Zero merit in the background vocals. These are not good singers Venus in Furs: stylistically, the music reminds me of the The Doors, which is a plus. Absent the atrocious singing, this could be a cool song. The lyrics might even be ok, but how they're vocally presented just takes all merit from them for me Run Run Run: Sounds like a bad Creedence Clearwater Revival cover band. Horrible guitar screeching. WTF is this garbage? All Tomorrow's Parties: Starting with a bit of promise. Singing is super flat. If this is such a great album, I could make a "top 1,001 album" with all the ZERO musical talent I possess. In the TV show This Is Us, Mandy Moore's character, who is a MARVELOUS singer gets told she is "Pittsburgh good" at an audition for a record label. If she's only Pittsburgh good, then this band is "elementary school chorus bad" from a vocals perspective. Heroin: this song has some potential. Sounds cool. Slow pace, light drums, in tune, sort of twangy guitar....and now Lou Reed is ruining it with his Bob Dylan impression. Picking up speed, speeding toward disaster now. And back to the slow pace and Lou's completely unpolished...uh, everything. This fucking sucks, man. I hate Lou Reed. This is torture. How many songs are left? Oh god, four more. And this one isn't even half over... Caterwauling, horrible screeching feedback on the guitar. Terrible. This is THE song a teenager was listening to when their dad burst into the room and said "You call this music? This is just NOISE." Then the dad sits down in the kitchen and says "I just don't know about that kid, Martha" and pours himself a whiskey, wondering where he went wrong There She Goes Again: Alright, poppy potential...nope, here comes Lou Reed to ruin everything. Ultra simplistic lyrics, lame kindergarten rhyme scheme, and couldn't carry a tune if he had as many arms as on octopus I'll Be Your Mirror: Cool doo-wop sort of opening riff. Into it. Nico singing here. Eh, not bad. Not good either. Very simple lyrics, but not an entirely unpleasant song, I guess. Kind of off key The Black Angel's Death Song: frantic, screeching strings. Bad. Unenjoyable. Oh, here's Lou Reed again doing his best to be the worst. Is he... hissing into the microphone??? Or filling up a tire. WTF is this?!? Coming back to edit my notes, and re-reading the song's title, I will give the benefit of the doubt here and say that this is EXACTLY what a "death song" of a black angel would sound like. It does make a person want to die... European Sun: ooh, kinda Beatlesesque. This is fun. Poppy 60s guitar, nice pacing. Oh, here's Lou! Oh, wtf is that noise? Dragging a metal garbage can on the street? And here we go with out of tune, played too fast guitars, and...this is like when you give a kid an electric guitar for his birthday and he confidently (and wholly incorrectly and without any musical knowledge whatsoever) just starts playing as fast as he can. The pace gives me anxiety. Somehow this has devolved into something even worse. I'm wondering if this is like avant garde or something? Like such high art that an untrained person like me shouldn't even bother trying to understand. I mean, it does have a Warhol painting on the cover, and like wtf was that guy even doing? That's "art?" Nah, this band fucking SUCKS. Album: 0/10 would not recommend. Will continue to shit talk in the future Later in the day, thinking about the time this was released: This was not "ahead of its time." There has been no time in the last 50ish years that this would have been musically relevant. There was no boundary pushing here. This is just bad music made by bad musicians. There is no distillation of elements to make the complex art form simple. There is no taking of existing conventions and modifying them to produce something new and different. I would honestly be surprised if any of this album was more than just a loose idea and the old trope of the band leader saying something like "just follow along." Even then, I have heard competent musicians do this, and still sound cohesive and coherent. This is just a fucking mess. I fail to see any artistic merit. Anyone who claims to "get" this album, I would immediately assume was insufferably pretentious.

Tom Sawyer: I think one of the great things about Neil Peart is that he does SO MUCH work, but it never sounds like too much Red Barchetta: This just sounds like a generic Rush song. Good, but this is not a track I'd specifically seek out to listen to YYZ: So, this is supposed to be some sort of drum masterpiece, I think. I like this song, but specifically listening to the drum part, this just sounds like everything else Neil does. That's not to say Neil's not special (because I think he really is), but more to say I don't see why this stands out as something different to other people. Maybe id understand if I was a drummer? Limelight: such a slick opening riff. I have always like the strategic paises in songs, and I think this song is a great example. I appreciate Geddy telling a story about life in the public eye from the perspective of both gratitude and annoyance. Fun imaging on the drums at the end of the track. Kudos to the engineer there The Camera Eye: pretty meh. Overly long Witch Hunt: Not bad. Also meh Vital Signs: really fun opening synth riff. I quite liked this song. Very fun. I had never heard this before. It's one I'd go back and listen to just like Tom Sawyer. I liked this album.

Some of the crunchy, distorted guitar parts in the opening couple of songs weren't my favorite. Otherwise, great album

Ick

Ick I appreciate their very obvious influence on Brit Pop, but this was a bit to raw / unpolished for me

Made it more than halfway through, and I'm definitely not torturing myself with the rest

Started off bad and progressed to meh

Not bad at all. Not for me, but I definitely get why people like this album

Pleasantly surprised about this one

How the fuck did this album make the list of 1,001 albums you MUST listen to before you die?!? Jesus fucking christ, this was hot garbage. I'm rating this two stars because it's recognizable as "music;" one star reviews are reserved for Velvet Underground albums

Finally some good fucking music 4.5

2.75 It got better as it went on, but it never got good enough for me to want to listen to it again

3.25

Better than I was expecting, but not really my thing

3.75 This was new to me, and I liked it

Couldn't make it through this trash. I don't have time for this kind of shit. I could be listening to literally anything else. After having read a lot of the reviews by professional critics, I'm left wondering what "pop" music is, since this was considered some transformational experimental pop album. Zero catchy melodies, droning overstuffed instrumentation, and virtually monotone singing...this is pop? It's more appropriately described as semi-coherent noise; barely recognizable as music Fuck this album. 1.5

Not super interested. Not bad either 2.75

Weird, as Björk is known to be. I think this is the least weird thing I have heard from her Not bad. Not enjoyable either though 2.75

Quite enjoyable!

I completely fail to understand why this is on a list of albums a person should listen to before they die. What the absolute fuck is Dirty Barry? Miserable. Vermillion Kisses also fucking sucked. There is too much garbage like this on this list. I think I'm going to quit

If you like the White Stripes, The Strokes, Jet, Franz Ferdinand, or any of those other bands in the stripped down, lofi garage band genre, you'll love this. I think it sucked because it's very demonstrative of that shit genre that nobody asked for, and I'm pretty sure nobody ACTUALLY likes. The only thing I enjoyed about this was skipping songs halfway through, knowing that it would allow me to stop listening that much sooner. Highly Evolved: monotone screaming, shit guitar riff, lack of melody. Unlistenable. Skipped after half the song Autumn Shade: far better Outthatway: not quite as bad as Highly Evolved, but in the same terrible vein. There's a melody, at least. Skipped halfway through Sunshinin: not a-melodic, but mostly monotone vocals. Dislike. Skipped halfway through Homesick: best song so far. Still sucked. Skipped a little after halfway during guitar solo Get Free: trying to be grunge, but doing a bad lofi impression. Skipped during first bridge Country Yard: definitely solidifies my distaste for "lofi trying to sound like the Beatles" genre. Skipped Factory: fun opening ska-like riff. Maintained that ska-like energy through MOST of the song. It was ok until the chorus(?). Skipped after the second one In the jungle: fuck this list. Skipped Mary Jane: shit Ain't no room: worse 1969: unenjoyable. Thank goodness this is the last song There sure is a LOT of hot garbage on this list of albums everyone "MUST" listen to before they die. Is there some sort of subtext I'm missing there? Like, does the author think you should listen to garbage noise every once in a while to appreciate good music or something?

I'm so relieved to be listening to an album that is actually enjoyable. The last week has been a slog. Comparatively, this is a phenomenal album. Realistically, it was just alright. Poor Leno is a standout for me as not as enjoyable as the rest of the album 3.0

3.75

Listening to this for the first time in more than 20 years is interesting. Simple, boom bap beats and decent (though uncomplicated) rhyme and flow for the most part. Also interesting, you can see emergence of more modern rap styles on songs like Show Business.

Thoroughly unenjoyable

Thoroughly meh 2.5

Not offensive, but also not enjoyable. I appreciate the early contributions to grunge, but I definitely won't ever listen to this again

This was the first album in two weeks that didn't make me feel relieved when it was over. Thank you, Tom and the Heartbreakers! RIP, Tom. I miss knowing you were out there rocking somewhere 4.0

Another shitty noise "rock" album. Nails on a chalkboard. 1.5

This was a breath of fresh air after some of the garbage this list has served me lately. Thank you, Croz 3.5

So, this was not really enjoyable, but it was a relief after all the terrible music this list has been serving me. My only hope is that the first hundred albums I listen to are trash, and the remaining 901 albums are amazing. This list is bullshit, really Anyway, this album: Inoffensive. I certainly would have liked to hear this album in the year of its release. I think it would have been really different from everything else I was used to hearing at the time. I don't know if I would have liked it, but I think I could have appreciated it a bit more than I can now 2.75

This album sounds like it may have influenced the genre of glam rock. I hate glam rock. Quite poorly recorded; tons of clipping throughout the album. Several times throughout, I was wondering if I had accidentally damaged my headphones somehow and had to go listen to a reference track to be sure my gear wasn't the problem. It wasn't my gear. "I don't mind" wasn't bad. I liked the blues-like pace and feel, but toward the end, they went back to sounding like a high school AC/DC cover band that forgot all of AC/DC's songs. This album was really difficult to listen to. Very little merit for me 1.5

2.5 Nothing special

Wasn't for me 2.5

Something refreshing in a mountain of shit on this list. I was beginning to question if I even like music

That's it. I'm done. Fuck this list. This was supposed to be fun, and it has been a slog to get through 80% of these albums. Music shouldn't feel like a chore to listen to. This guy's voice is like nails on a chalkboard

A pleasure to listen to

I disagree with Moby and anyone else who liked this

Disliked very much. Guy's voice is intolerable.

Timbaland's fingerprints are all over this, and this is more his album than Missy's, I think. Missy's flow has always been solid and unique, but I think lyrically, she made huge improvements in later albums that I personally think are more noteworthy. I also feel like a couple of cameos were unnecessary: Busta was just playing hype man instead of adding musical value, and Lil Kim and Da Brat have never done it for me (though I acknowledge Lil Kim's flow). Aaliyah, to me, was the only guest that added value. This album is a good start for Missy. She only got better as she went on. I appreciate how Missy "got weird" later in her career, which is something I feel like people who listen to this genre had little tolerance for at the time. Missy was definitely her own person, which I always thought was cool

I never liked David Bowie. I still don't, but this wasn't bad. I probably won't listen again, but if (most of the songs) on this album came on, I wouldn't rush to skip them like I have in the past

This is the first band on this list I haven't heard of before AND ALSO liked the album. This is exactly what I was hoping this list would be like, and have thus far been quite disappointed. This was fucking FUN! I really don't think it belongs on a list of albums you must hear before you die, but I don't want to diminish how much I enjoyed this album. I appreciate the eclectic mix of styles and am reminded of how I felt listening to bands like Panic! at the Disco, Gogol Bordello, Flogging Molly , and My Chemical Romance for the first time. They're all doing something somewhat new with well-founded historical precedent in a way that blends nicely and makes me want to find the music that inspired this. 3.5

The title of track 6 sums up this album perfectly for me 1.25

Best album of the 60+ I have listened to so far. More of this, please 4.5

I liked this. Joni Mitchell is great. I don't love her singing style all the time, but I was in the mood for it today 3.5

This is a concept album where the artist jokingly has decided to unnecessarily shoehorn the jaw harp he won at the county fair into every track to hide the fact he's a terrible singer and see if anyone would notice. This was a huge miss for me. Wildly unenjoyable. To plagiarize from the title of a Gin Blossoms album: A New Miserable Experience

The first three tracks were just painful to listen to Late in the Day was the first listenable song on this album for me. I quite enjoyed this one Everything that followed was mediocre and relatively inoffensive. I could have listened to all of them in their entirety, but why? There was nothing compelling here for me

You're allowed to like this if you want. I do not. Pretty boring It's actual music, so it gets more than one star, I guess

I didn't have high hopes, but I thoroughly enjoyed this album. Every track was fantastic

I liked this, but there was nothing groundbreaking or excellent here for me

After reading some reviews, it's apparent to me this album is supposed to be a joke. I get the joke, and it's not funny. I would have also independently described it as a joke, but not in the way the artist intended

This album might have convinced me I don't like Brian Eno

3.5 Enjoyable. No sub-par tracks, in my opinion

Outfuckingstanding

Fleetwood Mac's weakest album, in my opinion. Still an enjoyable listen. The title track is a standout for me.

This was a surprise. Like everyone, I had heard Jailbreak, The Boys Are Back in Town, and had heard Metallica cover Whiskey in the Jar. I didn't pay Thin Lizzy much heed, because truthfully, I felt like The Boys Back in Town was overplayed, And Jailbreak wasn't anything more than a really catchy guitar lick. I went into this album thinking I was going to skip every track 30 seconds in. I was COMPLETELY wrong! Man, what an enjoyable album! Every guitar part on this album is just as catchy as Jailbreak, the vocals are unique and perfect, great lyrics, and the rhythm section.... fuck! I'm so flabbergasted by how much I enjoyed this, words fail me. This will definitely go into my permanent rotation. A rare win for the 1001 albums list!

This isn't my type of music, and for the first two songs, I thought I was going to talk some shit about it here in my notes. As the album continues into the 3rd track and onward, it grew on me. I'm still not sure if I like it, but there is definitely something there that compels me to listen again. 3?

Loved it

Uninspiring and not very interesting to listen to

I liked this quite a bit, but I'm a little biased because bluegrass/Americana featuring female vocals is one of my favorite types of music. While really enjoyable, there are dozens of albums in this genre subset that probably have been included on this list before this album. 3.5

This was a pleasure to listen to. This crowd was super excited to listen to The Godfather, and so was I. 4

Fuuuuuck yes! Couldn't ask for a better opening track to an album! Warm and fuzzy analog anger! Haven't ever heard Police and Thieves before, and it's awesome. I was either tapping my foot, bopping my head, or drumming on something for every best of this album. Fantastic album

Pretty enjoyable. No notes

Enjoyable. 3.5

4.5

Keep on rockin' in the free world, Neil! No notes

Track 1: sounds like it belongs on The Matrix (or similar movie) soundtrack or in the closing credis. That's not a bad thing though Track 2: could absolutely do without the vocals from the guy with weird voice Overall, not bad. For a minute there, I was going to complain about the overly simplistic rhyme schemes / poor cadence / old white man flow of the rapping, but then I remembered this came out in 1991. And now that I'm writing this, I'm remembering other rap of the time did not suffer from this, so I still can't let them off the hook for it. I tried. That said, nothing else sounded like this on 1991 that I can remember, so kudos to Massive Attack for creating something new. The echoes of this style can still be heard in some of my favorite new music, so I appreciate what they have done here. My rating system is based on my own personal enjoyment, not as a criticism of the music. I'm not a music critic or a musician, so I don't feel like I'm qualified to rate this stuff any other way

3.75

I'm not really into "world music" because a lot of what I have heard has rhythm / musical conventions that aren't very pleasing to me. I'm not a musician, so I can't say if those non-western conventions are present in this album or not, but this is a rare thumbs up for me in the "world music" genre

When Corey Taylor sings like Corey Taylor, I'm into it. When he sings like he's in Slipknot, hard pass

Not offensive, for sure. Pretty meh for me. First track was by far my favorite 2.75

What a waste of time. This album sounds like someone recorded the disjointed sounds of a middle school orchestra warming up, then running it through a synthesized piano machine, while whining about how much they needed a kazoo to round it all out. This fucking sucked. 1.5

Banger after banger. There were like 4 singles on this album, and everything that wasn't should have been

It's kind of amazing to me this came out in 1988

How one feels about this album is likely the same as they feel about U2 in general. In my case, U2 in general is pretty meh, but also inoffensive. So... 2.9

3.5

Not bad at all. New to me and enjoyable

I remember when this came out; nothing had ever sounded like this before. I appreciate the black origins of hip-hop and the samples they used, based on music that inspired them to become musicians themselves. White kids growing up listening to Led Zeppelin and CCR obviously had different musical interests early on, but converged with hip-hop, bringing their own flavor to an emerging genre, while still using similarly-styled lyrics/cadence/flow. This might be the first album on this list I recognize as a true "essential." I hope to hear some of the earliest hip-hop albums on this list too. Also, name another album with more singles than this one.

Better than I remembered, and first time I have listened all the way through that I know of

This is my second favorite Elton John album, behind Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and Elton is one of my favorite artists. I had a really good time listening to this

This definitely wasn't for me. The first several tracks were unbearable, but the latter half of the album was listenable (though not enjoyable)

This was a big surprise. Like everyone else, I have heard Brimful of Asha before. I hadn't heard anything else from this album before. I was impressed with the funky/DJ-heavy/Indian-influenced music; super refreshing. This is pretty well-recorded too. Least favorite track: Funky Days Are Back Again I was absolutely compelled to tap my foot and bob my head during What Is Happening

1. The most energetic elevator music I have ever heard 2. Absolutely anxiety-inducing. Couldn't listen to all 9+ minutes 3. This sounds like music for a chase scene shoehorned into a 70s porn. Would have been fine listening to it for a minute until the next scene, not any longer 4. Too many musicians playing different songs at the same time. Not enjoyable 5. If yaks went to blues bars, this would be their favorite saxophone riff. I, as a not yak, am unfortunately not the target audience for this song 6. I like Scandinavian Jazz, French Cafe Jazz, Hard Bop, Cool Jazz, and Jazz Trio (guitar-led AND piano-led). I do not like Anxiety Jazz, which is a genre I hadn't heard until now. Hard pass on this album, and I fail to understand why it's on this list. Perhaps for inventing Anxiety Jazz..?

School's Out: I'm not sure if this was "just alright" because of its ubiquity and because it's just alright Luney Tune: meh Gutter Cat vs The Jets: funny to hear a West Side Story reference here. Overly long, the lyrics are a real reach, and uninspiring instrumentation Street Fight: this seemed like the last part of the previous song, but they made it its own pointless track because they couldn't release an album with just 8 songs Blue Turk: this was good. I appreciated the jazzy surprise My Stars: not bad at all. Enjoyed this Public Animal #9: this was ok. Kind of the bare minimum quality of song that should be on an album, but definitely of lower quality than I'd expect an album on this list to have Alma Mater: this sounded sort of Beatlesy to. Understandable, given the time period. Kind of a sad ending Grand Finale: This was alright too. This album was okay. Sort of confusing, but definitely some nice moments. However, there didn't seem to be much consistency between those moments and the rest of the album. "Lacking coherence" is maybe what I'd say about it 2.5

Firstly, I did like this album. There were some sections with atonal or just irregular/seemingly not fitting with the note before parts I didn't much care for, but as a whole, this was enjoyable. Reading the Wikipedia article gives me some insight to maybe why I generally don't care for post-hard bop Miles Davis. I think a lot of this comes from the modal nature of the music instead of the "normal" chord progressions that I'm used to. I'm not a musician, nor do I really know anything about music theory, so I'm not really sure if what I think counts for anything here (and, I suppose, in any of these reviews I leave here for albums...) This was enjoyable and I'm glad I listened. I still don't care for Davis' later work, but I suppose that's my fault for not knowing more about it? I took a second pass at this later in the day, and the off pitch / squawky noises are just not for me. For a while, I'll be enjoying the moments, and then the screechiness comes back and pulls me right out of it. I just can't rate this very high on my personal enjoyability scale. :( 2.5

While I like this album, it isn't my favorite Amy Winehouse album. That said, I appreciate the 50s crooner sound with a modern feel and Amy's signature overt trashysexy lyrics. 3.75 I miss her presence in the world.

1. Couldn't listen to this all the way through 2. This one either 3. Nope 4. Hey! Not bad! Maybe this album is getting better? 5. Nope 6. Listenable, but didn't enjoy 7. Meh 8. This guy might be restless? Skipped a little more than halfway through 9. Tedious. It's a good thing punk songs are so short 10. Sigh... 11. OK, I guess? 12. No thanks. Fortunately, this album is over

1. What in the blue fuck is this? No. Like, really, just...no 2. OK, this is actually music. Not good music, but recognizable as music 3. Not offensive. Not really enjoyable either though 4. Not offensive. Slightly more enjoyable than the previous track. This artist is showing me in this song he has the potential to be one I like 5. Pretty bland 6. Eh... 7. This was the single? 8. Inoffensive, I guess 9. I feel like I have the gist of the album at this point. I'm not listening to 22 tracks of this. 2.0

Not bad. Overly long songs. For anyone wondering why this album is on this list, I had to read the artist's Wikipedia page to understand a bit more because the album's article was pretty sparse 2.75

Short, sweet, and goddamned good music. Dolly's straightforward storytelling style is very impactful to me, and while listening to this album (Coat of Many Colors, in particular), I was able to put a name to a feeling I have had for a very long time. 3.75

It was alright. First half was better than the second for me

Too many discordant passages in this for me to really like. I like other music from Monk, but I didn't much care for this album 2.5

This wasn't bad, but roots/ultra-raw "real" punk isn't for me 2.5

Didn't realize this album was a one man show. I like Steve Winwood, and I liked this. On vacation in Barbados, so I probably won't review for a while

It's hard to overstate this album's importance in my life. This came out when I was in high school, and it's strange to read it wasn't very popular on its initial release because my friends and I were immediately and continuously listening. Jeff has an incredible voice, and the way he he uses it to convey beauty and anguish simultaneously never fails to bring me to tears. Grace and Last Goodbye have gotten me through innumerable tough times. For this piece of art, I am forever grateful to Jeff. It's tragic he was only able to release more than one. Thank you Jeff for all the healing and beauty you have given to me over all these years. For folks who liked this, check out Live at Sin-é which is a much more personal and intimate look at Jeff's songs before they were so polished 4.5 stars

I kind of always discounted Adele because of all the hype surrounding her, while still knowing she was an impressive vocalist. This is the first time I have listened to one of her albums, and it was quite enjoyable. I usually avoid "the new hotness that everyone is talking about" due to my (possibly misconceived) notion that what's popular is generic and created to be palatable to the masses, and therefore a bit watered down and vague. This album, to me, really doesn't make me change my mind about that type of music, but I really did have fun listening to this album. 3.5 stars

Listening to this album was like teaching someone how to drive a manual transmission: frustrating because you know how it's supposed to be, but also surprising because you didn't know your car was capable of performing in such weird ways when an amateur is in charge

Take This Waltz was the only track I got all the way through. There is a characteristic of Leonard's vocal style that makes his voice seem horribly out of place with everything else in his songs, and I can't stand it. Take This Waltz was the only song he seemed to fit into correctly for me. 1.75