There are two things I know to be true about ska. 1. The Specials are the greatest ska band of all time. 2. Even the greatest ska band of all time cannot make me like ska. That said, I am adding a full star in recognition of "Do the Dog" because it is an all time banger. A generous 3 stars
It's difficult to know what to do with this album., It's not that I didn't like it; Adele has a gorgeous voice. She is lovable celebrity who sings deeply introspective songs that are frequently focused on emotional growth. That makes her a very inspiring artists. And yet, this album often bored me. Too many of the songs are similar both thematically and in tempo, and almost all of them felt more familiar than they should have been. Some were obviously songs that has been lodged into my brain because of her ubiquity on the radio, but others turned out to be songs that just sounded an awful lot like the ones I knew. I don't know how to rate an album like this. It isn't bad, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. 3/5 is the best I can do.
A gorgeous, smooth, and cool album, featuring a truly all world line up. Each and every track is a gem, but I was most drawn to Flamenco Sketches. This is one of the greatest jazz albums of all time.
There are two things I know to be true about ska. 1. The Specials are the greatest ska band of all time. 2. Even the greatest ska band of all time cannot make me like ska. That said, I am adding a full star in recognition of "Do the Dog" because it is an all time banger. A generous 3 stars
This album is a total treat, and I was sad that I'd missed out on Jurassic 5 for so long. Power in Numbers was offered to me immediately after being assigned Straight Outta Compton, and to a music fan with limited experience with hip hop, the contrast could not be clearer: The flows are flowier, the lyrics are more intellectual, and the overall vibe and message are far more positive. A friend pointed out to me the early 2000s were a bad time for this album, when the industry was pushing hip hop that was either far edgier or more pop-oriented. Jurassic's alt-stylings - at times very reminiscent of Tribe - would undoubtedly have been a bigger hit if released in the mid-90s. But that's the blessing of finding albums after the fact: you can enjoy them on your own terms, and not by the whims of the market. And that's why I'll be coming back to Power in Numbers. Standout tracks: Thin Line, A Day at the Races Great album 4/5
More than 40 years later, Thriller is just as exciting as it was when Jackson was becoming a global phenomenon. Of course, many of these tracks have become so culturally ubiquitous that it is nearly impossible to evaluate them free of that context, but I did find that even throw away tracks like "Baby Be Mine" are still fantastic singles-in-waiting, elevated by Jackson's very presence on them. Production is truly phenomenal: the synths lack the cloyingly cheap sounds that soon overtook all pop music, horns sound at least mostly acoustic, and the sonic bells and whistles that Quincey Jones sprinkles throughout the album (nowhere more beautifully than on the glittering "Human Nature") never sounds dated or embarrassing -- a feat that few producers would achieve in the early/mid-80s, as cheap synths seemed to lower the quality bar for everyone. All of this having been said, the album suffers from two completely unnecessary tracks that do drag the record down: "The Lady in My Life," which feels lost and forced onto this album, unbefitting of its status as the closer; and "The Girl Is Mine," a ridiculous duet with Paul McCartney that is cute enough, but beneath both artists. 4.5 out of 5
It's difficult to know what to do with this album., It's not that I didn't like it; Adele has a gorgeous voice. She is lovable celebrity who sings deeply introspective songs that are frequently focused on emotional growth. That makes her a very inspiring artists. And yet, this album often bored me. Too many of the songs are similar both thematically and in tempo, and almost all of them felt more familiar than they should have been. Some were obviously songs that has been lodged into my brain because of her ubiquity on the radio, but others turned out to be songs that just sounded an awful lot like the ones I knew. I don't know how to rate an album like this. It isn't bad, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. 3/5 is the best I can do.
A gorgeous, smooth, and cool album, featuring a truly all world line up. Each and every track is a gem, but I was most drawn to Flamenco Sketches. This is one of the greatest jazz albums of all time.
It is nearly impossible to review this album without giving in to all sorts of cliches. After all, without this album, there would be no Sex Pistols, no Joy Division, and no David Bowie. There would likely also be none of Lou Reed's best material (the less said about his non-best material, the better). Yet, all of the accolades for this album pave over how thoroughly avant garde it is...how terrible the harmonies are on Run Run Run, the screeching drones of Venus in Furs, Nico's persistently flat vocals. It is designed to offend traditional sensibilities and beat rules considered unbreakable. And yet, there it is....seismic in its influence and perfectly wrong. It is the permission structure for punk rock, for metal, for college rock, for grunge, for everything that a record company executive has ever needed to be convinced that he or she should sign. A perfectly imperfect album. 5/5
ELO is a puzzling band. Their signature sound is impressive in small doses but overwhelming and tiresome in its consistency, always harkening back to the Beatles to an downright uncomfortable extent. Moreover, Jeff Lynne too often grabs from the same bag of tricks (that's enough compression, thank you very much). When they break with the formula, they're a much more interesting band, but Lynne doesn't allow for it very often. None of my favorite ELO singles are on this album, and the deep cuts simply aren't moving me. I imagine if I were a greater audiophile, this would be a higher review from me, but it taps out at 2.5/5 stars.