Shining Star is an absolute banger...helluva way to open an album. Wish there was more funk and less ballads. This is a 3.49 ⭐️, so it rounds down to 3.

72 minutes is an audacious run time for this genre. They could have chopped off 3 songs and made it 60 minutes. A lot of it sounds the same. I dig a lot of the bass. Love Song is a classic and Pictures of You was good. If the previous EWF album was a 3, this can't be a 3. Giving it a 2. Maybe setting the bar high too soon, but we got a long way to go.

I love a lot of this album. "Thinkin Bout You" is a flawless song. Vocals/lyrics/instrumentation are incredible. "Pyramids" - I could listen to this ten minute r&b/pop/dance suite(?) ten times in a row and not get tired of it. "Lost" - fun little catchy beat on this one Andre 3000 and Earl Sweatshirt both drop a verse  A few too many weak points (Forrest Gump, Monks, Pilot Jones, Sierra Leone) to be five stars....but this does have great replay-ability.

Very solid album as a whole, but a bit surprised that 4 of the 9 tracks are covers. I love the takes on "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" and "Summer Breeze", but prefer the original "Listen to the Music" I don't think I know the "Sunshine (Go Away Today)" original - Wikipedia says it's a country/folk song so no way the original gets down as hard as this jam That lead guitar on "Summer Breeze" is killer Really enjoyed it...gonna give it a 4.5 since almost half of it is covers.

A lot of good rock here...that 8-minute "Still In Love With You" might be my favorite. "Cowboy Song" into "The Boys Are Back in Town" was a fantastic transition. Drums at the end of "Sha La La" were a highlight for me. Fun fact if you didn't catch the introductions: "Baby Drives Me Crazy" has Huey Lewis on the harmonica. All of it sounds good....a little too good. Started skimming the Wikipedia page and it appears that A LOT of it was overdubbed in the studio. Sounds like there are conflicting reports on how much was live vs. studio-boosted, but I gotta give it 3 based off of that.

I love the 70's glam sound, but nothing totally grabbed me. I liked "Personality Crisis" and "Trash" the most. Was wondering if it influenced Bowie, but of course Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane came out before this one.

I can confidently say I've never heard this album....and maybe even never heard of Solomon Burke Not really finding a bad track here...I especially enjoy the ones with the female backing vocals. Surprise Surprise: Jerry Wexler produced this album I like this a lot. The 60's soul/r&b sound is totally in my wheelhouse, but I think I'm going to call this a 4.5 star album. I would definitely spin this again outside of this project, but nothing is telling me "I HAVE to hear it again."

Didn't care much for this. I know they are pretty big across the pond but I'd rather listen to Oasis...or Gorillaz. Tracks that stood out to me: "Clover Over Dover", "Badhead", "London Loves" Wouldn't actively seek out listening to this full album again.

5 stars off of "Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand" by themselves. Throw in the title track and "Cinnamon Girl" and we're in business. 7 tracks, 40 minutes in and out, no filler....classic album

The best thing that this album has going for it, besides Phil Spector, is that the songs aren't religious. Never been a huge on Christmas music, but greatly prefer these types of songs over the praise baby Jesus songs.   Kind of wish it was all Darlene Love and The Ronettes...."Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is probably the best non-traditional Christmas song ever. Since it's Christmas tunes, it can't be a four....but it's definitely not a two. I liked quite a few renditions of the songs.

Never dug much into Oasis, outside of the radio songs and the song from the Snatch Soundtrack, but I really liked this one. "Live Forever" still slaps. Other favorites: "Slide Away", "Supersonic", "Cigarettes & Alcohol" I don't know if it's because it's more electric, more melodic, or just more consistent, but I prefer this to Parklife. These reviews should probably be in a vacuum, but since the 1,001 albums gods decided to bless up with both 1994 Britpop classics this week, I feel the need to draw the comparison. This album makes me want to dig into more Oasis....and watch Snatch again.

This is nothing I'd every seek out personally. "Smooth Operator" is the only song I really knew by Sade, which I could really take or leave, so was wondering if it would all be like that. I liked it a lot more than I expected I would...It ended up being a pretty decent listen for a cloudy Friday morning. Glad to hear a few upbeat tracks: "Hang On to Your Love", "When Am I Going to Make a Living", "Cherry Pie" have some fun grooves. 3.49 stars.

I'll never forgive The Big Lebowski for making me think I shouldn't like this band. I have grown to appreciate their country rock and their harmonies are solid fucking gold. "Train Leaves Here" is a perfect example of those harmonies in action. Love the banjo on "Earlybird" but were the sound effects really necessary? Too many weak points to be five stars - "Chug All Night" does nothing for me. "Witchy Woman" really doesn't fit in.

So many classics here....my favorites would be "Don't Think Twice It's Alright", "Girl from the North Country", "Masters of War." I've never been critical of his singing because the lyrics and overall vibe of his music overpower them....I just don't really care for the songs where he talk-sings. Every song on the track list on Wikipedia has a blue link, so I guess they are all pretty important. I really enjoyed this listen, but wouldn't take it upon myself to spin the whole thing again a week, or even a month from now. 4.5 stars.

Quite an eclectic, entertaining mix here. I actually really liked the songs where Freddie Mercury wasn't singing: "39" and "I'm in Love With My Car", specifically. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is still a banger, and would be without Wayne's World. When it was over, I was ready to hit play again.

Pleasantly surprised with this one. Nice mix of pop/blues/rock/garage. The only time I was really bored was "My Generation" since I've heard it so much. "The Ox" was a helluva way to end the album. 4.5 stars.

Great music for spreadsheet navigation. I liked the second half more than the first....not sure if the second half is better, or if the coffee had just kicked in by then. "No Good (Start the Dance)" is such a banger. "Poison" was one of the songs I really liked but that "Yeaaaaaah!" kept making me think of Howard Dean. They really used EVERY inch of the 80-minute compact disc capacity....so much so, that it really does get monotonous after a while. I liked most of this more than the radio songs I remember: "Firestarter" and "Breathe." The length and repetitiveness though, make me not really want to spin this any time in the future. 2.5 stars, rounding up.

Call me a dolt if you must, but I just don't really get it.

How did this get on the list? No "Last Train to Clarksville"...no "I'm a Believer." Boring and bland album. It reminds me of all the worst Beatles songs. The only time it really picks up is the final track....why not throw that in somewhere in the middle?