VERY 1970s; Stones-y blues-rock feel, with vocals maybe more stonery/a bit Pink Floyd-adjacent. Bass has chops, a bit bluesy, lots of rocking 5ths. Would listen again, a nice album. Highlights: Cosmic Dancer, Monolith, Bang a Gong (I've heard this song before, but it doesn't appear to have been used in any movies etc.)
What an absolute classic of an album. The power of unison guitars and stacked, soaring vocal harmonies. Pretty much every song on this album was a single and I've heard before — some I couldn't have told you were Boston. The fact that this was largely a one-man show is unbelievable. Pretty basic bass parts, which is what happens when you don't have a dedicated bass player writing parts I think, but there's so much going on melodically that I think it fits.
Wow, that is interesting. It's Queen, all Freddie Mercury, overdubs, and tight, distorted soaring guitars, but it's much more experimental and feel-based. There's no Fat Bottom Girls, no Another One Bites the Dust; but there IS Ogre Battle and Seven Seas of Rhye. Clearly an evolution on its way somewhere, and you can hear echos and beginnings of the hits in the walk from Ogre Battle to Nevermore to The March of the Black Queen.
From the PS1 system-on opening, I kind of figured this was going to be something. Thinkin Bout You is pretty middle-of-the-road R&B for 2012; Sweet Life has maybe a bit more; Super Rich Kids had me enjoying Earl Sweatshirt more than Frank Ocean. The interludes are interesting. Back half of the album opens up a lot more with Pyramids, Lost. Ultimately it's eclectic and pretty cool, but I'm surprised it was as hot as it was in 2012. It doesn't really feel special most of the time.
Yoooo this album goes HARD. Maybe the most fun I have ever had listening to music. From the opening track, it is just so COOL. Great funk basslines obviously, lot of mud, a little wah, vocal talent that stands on its own and good chorus unison/octave work. Makes me want to listen to more funk. And all of this before I realized this was the album with Give Up the Funk! The power of great vocal hooks and great riffs.
Look, it's a western album because it was the 1950s and everyone was obsessed with the wild west for some reason. Marty Robbins can definitely sing! El Paso and Big Iron are pretty solid. But it just isn't my jam. You can hear the western/Mariachi influence, but the weird cowboy falsetto work and edgy lyrics make it out as something distinctly not for me.
I get it, if you like it. Vocal-forward country with some popular covers on the album. The bluesier Don't Get Around Much Anymore made my list, and Stardust is a good track. Can't imagine this being many folks favorite version of Georgia on My Mind. Fine for what it is, it isnt for me.
Ben Folds vibes; piano and solid vocals with dramatic, narrative lyrics and extensive orchestration. First song is interesting and hits hard. Has the energy of Eleanor Rigby, or Carrying Kathy. At his best with tongue-in-cheek stuff like Oh, California! but also enjoyable with Love's Enough or One Night Stand. I would only listen to this in extremely specific circumstances; but I'd enjoy it then, as it's excellent and interesting.
Early pop-punk with strong female vocals — a much more musically interesting contemporary of bands like Paramore and Evanescence. Really nice work on the bass parts; the intro track drives fantastically. To be honest the 2021 remaster is where the money is — the original suffers from the oversaturated mids of the 1990s. Really enjoyed it.
Just fucking talent. Another album where every song is a single. And man, the bass player! Absolutely dominating with a warm, mid-forward bass tone like Jaco on a P-bass. Something out of an earlier era that works on every track. I'm not the single biggest fan of this sound, but goodness the artistry and tracks are a consistent banger.
It's a Soul album from Bowie! Mostly it's surprisingly Sax forward in a way that I don't think works entirely. I get the mixed reviews. Musically "Right" is pretty fun and funky, as-is "Fame" (best track on the album for me) and the title track is a single for sure; but while there's a cohesive vision, for me it ends up being a great artist producing a mediocre soul album. I take the point about its influence on white artists collaborating actively with Black musicians, but I don't think I'll listen to it again.
Just a great album. Unrivaled vocal talent, excellent songwriting, and a stellar band behind her. Nothing boring, though Chain of Fools and A Natural Woman are the singles off the album for a reason. Deserves the accolades.
Interesting, beautiful and unique voice with tight vibrato. But this soul album is just... thin? In a way that Moses Sumney, e.g., doesn't. Is it the mix? The instrumentation? "Fistful of Love" is a bit fuller. Anyway, it's cultural significance is unquestionable, and the moments of raw emotion in "What Can I Do?" did get to me, as did "Lady Story" etc. But ultimately it feels more poetry than music, and that doesn't do it for me.
Really interesting. Def an 80s album, some synth, Talking Heads vibes (not just the vocals) but also a distinct funk element from the envelope filter in the opening track down to some of the featured vocals and basslines. I ended up really liking the sound, even if none of the tracks besides Rip It Up will make the rotation. Some of OJ's later stuff is an evolved version of this and I thinks benefits from the maturity.
Great album, really just show's off Cash's unparalleled vocal talent. The emotion he is able to pour into his voice makes his covers of already excellent songs like "Hurt" and "Desperado" worthwhile takes in their own right. One of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time tells heart wrenching stories in "Give My Love to Rose" and "Laredo," and lyrics that would come off as hackneyed from a lesser talent stir the soul. Great album. Some misses so not 5* from me, but excellent.
Honestly? It's fine. Good vocals, a few hits obviously (Son of a Preacher Man, obviously, Windmills of Your Mind); it's a solid R&B/blue-eyed soul album. It's just that it's overproduced and honestly not that interesting in 2025. I can imagine its importance in a historical perspective, but I'm not listening again. For my money, give me Nina Simone, someone not trying to do pop instrumentation and focusing on music that makes you feel something.
Pretty kickass classic nu metal album. Vocals are raw and furious. Bass is bright and driving, double kick is going. Not my cup of tea necessarily, but certainly interesting. The Brazilian/Latin vibes the Wiki mentions are more on the periphery, and I would not have caught them if not listening (aside from the few chants).
Yeah that's pretty fun! A lot of Tropicalia brass give it a New Orleans Jazz vibe sometimes, with 60s guitars layered on. But apart from A Minha Menina, not a ton of memorable tracks. Ultimately, a good listen, probably a great example of what it is, not my style.
I'm absolutely biased as this album came out when I was in high school, but I still think it's great. Super tight musically and consistent with Green Day's signature sound. At the time I found the political slant kind of cringey, and maybe it still is, but it was also prescient, and brave in a way that main stream bands were not being at the time. The double-song format is interesting, and works most of the time. Ultimately I think this deserves it's spot, though it's at best Green Day's third best album.