Favorites: It Ain't Safe (feat. Young Lord), Man, That's Not Me (feat. JME)
The highs on this album are immaculate, but the lows, which range from excessively long skits to whatever the hell Numbers was, really hold it back from being a great project in my eyes. That being said, I still enjoyed it, and I can definitely see this growing on me in the future.
6.5/10
Favorites: One Nation Under A Groove, Cholly (Funk Getting Ready to Roll!), Maggot Brain
I think One Nation Under A Groove is an album that was meant to be listened via a physical copy, hence its lack of availability on streaming services. Unfortunately, I do not own a physical copy of it, so I had to listen on YouTube, which may have taken a bit of enjoyment out of it for me personally (especially since they kept showing me ads mid-song). I also feel like the longer songs, minus the title track and this rendition of Maggot Brain, kinda dragged and didn't do too much in their runtime. A little disappointed, but I'll probably give this another shot someday.
6/10
Favorites: The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore, The Mess We're In, Kamikaze
Inspired by PJ Harvey's experience in New York City and bolstered by her stunning vocals and premiere songwriting, this album is an absolute blast to listen to. Definitely one of the finest alternative/indie rock albums of the early 2000s in my eyes.
8/10
Favorites: Juicy, Everyday Struggle, Big Poppa
Even though I'm west side 'til I die, I gotta admit this is an amazing album. The elite production combined with Biggie's hypnotizing flow and elite lyricism results in an hour-long project full of classics.
8.5/10
Favorites: September in the Rain, Just One of Those Things, How High the Moon
While I do enjoy listening to jazz from time to time, vocal jazz really isn't my go-to, as I favor artists like Miles Davis and John Coltrane. However, listening to this may have changed my mind and inspired me to check out some more vocal jazz. Sarah Vaughan's voice is nothing short of angelic, and her band fits her singing style so well. The recording quality and mixing is masterful as well, it's hard to believe that this was a live album released back in 1957. While nothing here is revolutionary per se, the listening experience was wonderful and I really wish I was alive to attend Sarah's performance at Mister Kelly's.
7/10
Favorites: Battery, Master of Puppets, Disposable Heroes
This album fucking rules. It rips through its whole tracklist front to back like a loose cannon. Pure thrash metal bliss. An absolute must-listen.
10/10
Favorites: Marquee Moon, Prove It, Torn Curtain
46 minutes of some of the best guitar riffs and solos ever recorded. After my first listen, Torn Curtain might be one of my favorite outros to any album ever. Mesmerizing stuff.
9/10
Favorites: Rub 'Till It Bleeds, 50ft Queenie, Ecstacy
The second PJ Harvey album on this list so far is, in my opinion, better than the first (Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea). I really enjoyed how raw and angsty this album is, makes it feel much more personal to PJ and I felt like I was really engaged with it more.
8.5/10
Favorites: Everyday I Have the Blues, It's My Own Fault, How Blue Can You Get?
My thoughts on this are very similar to my thoughts on At Mister Kelly's, however I think I prefer the blues to vocal jazz so I enjoyed this one slightly more. I really feel like the crowd noise on this record helped make it feel more lively, which complimented B.B. King's delivery on many of the songs. Overall, I had fun with this one!
7.5/10
Favorites: Cornbread Moon, Boxcars, Honky Tonk Masquerade
A relatively decent, albeit not great (with the exception of Boxcars), country rock album. I don't really have any complaints, nor do I have very many praises (again, with the exception of Boxcars). Have I mentioned how good Boxcars is?
6.5/10
Favorites: One More Chance, It's a Sin, I Want to Wake Up
On the surface, Actually is an ambitiously catchy synthpop album from the late-80s that somehow sounds both nostalgic and fresh to this day. However, when you dig into the lyrics a bit, you discover its deeper and more politically driven lyrics about the HIV/AIDS crisis and rampant homophobia at the time. This combination of catchiness and progressive lyricism (especially in this day and age) let this album stand the test of time exceedingly well.
8/10
Favorites: Wild Flower, Aphrodisiac Jacket, Love Removal Machine
I kinda hated this one. This album feels like they tried to make Spinal Tap a real band but forgot to make it funny, which prompts the question, what day did God create Electric, and couldn't he have rested on that day too?
3.5/10
Favorites: You Oughta Know, Hand in my Pocket, Ironic
I decided to look through the reviews for Jagged Little Pill on Rate Your Music and sheesh, I had no idea so many people hated this album in the mid to late 2000s. It appears most of the hate stems from her unique vocals (which I had zero issues with) and shallow lyrics (did we listen to the same album?). Personally, I don't really understand the hate, and I think most of it's rooted in the ideology that "popular = bad" and/or misogyny. Don't let the haters convince you otherwise, this album rules.
7.5/10
Favorites: The Visitors, One of Us, Slipping Through My Fingers
While ABBA may be much more known for their singles as opposed to their albums, I think their albums are far from poor quality, this being one of their best. The whole album gives off a lovely bittersweet feeling that I absolutely adore, and that feeling hits even harder considering this was their last album (for the next 30 years).
8/10
Favorites: Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody, Buona Sera, (I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You
I believe this album is the most okay album I've heard so far. There's nothing bad about it, but you can very much tell it's a product of its time and hasn't aged very well. While I have no doubts this went absolutely crazy in the 50s, music has evolved and swing (for the most part) got left behind. Although it may sound dated, I still appreciate its role in what music would become, so thanks for everything Louis.
6/10
Favorites: Blackened, One, To Live Is to Die
Not as good as Master of Puppets, but still a really great project from Metallica. My main gripe with it however is that some of the songs have nearly a complete lack of bass, which makes them feel sort of empty. Nonetheless, this absolutely rips, and One is a serious contender for the best metal song of all time.
8.5/10
Favorites: Please Forgive Me, Babylon, Nightblindness
Pretty harmless pop rock, it could definitely be worse (Train) but it's nothing to write home about. The first two tracks absolutely clear the rest of the album though.
6/10
Favorites: A Hard Day's Night, If I Fell, Can't Buy Me Love
When compared to the rest of the Beatles' discography, A Hard Day's Night kinda settles in the middle, but when you're up against the likes of Revolver, Abbey Road, and a plethora of other classics, that's kind of expected. That is especially the case when you consider how frontloaded this album is. It's actually ridiculous how much better the A-side is compared to the B-side. Despite that, this album is still very solid and worth a listen, because of course it is, it's the damn Beatles for God's sake.
7/10
Favorites: I Want You to Want Me, Surrender, Clock Strikes Ten
Unfortunately, this didn't really do much for me. Compared to the other live albums I've heard so far, I didn't feel too immersed in this one. I thought the performances of I Want You to Want Me and especially Surrender were great, but outside of that I wasn't too impressed and felt rather bored.
6/10
Favorites: Coat of Many Colors, The Mystery of the Mystery, She Never Met a Man (She Didn't Like)
I want to thank the state of Tennessee for Dolly Parton. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of country music, this album gave me a sense of comfort that made me feel super warm inside. Her voice and songwriting is so charming, and she was able to put so much of her charm in a mere 26 minute long album. So iconic.
7.5/10
Favorites: The Weight, Chest Fever, The Wheel's On Fire
I want to issue a formal apology to The Band, I was not familiar with their game. Being completely honest, I came into this album with low expectations for... quite a silly reason really. I thought a band that couldn't come up with a more creative name than "The Band" wouldn't be able to make good music, but I was proven wrong thankfully. I don't think there's a weak spot on this album, and it really holds up to this day. Now that I think about it, The Band isn't even a bad band name, it's quite a bold move and they deserve to hold that moniker.
8/10
Usually before my actual review of the album I list my 3 favorite songs from the album, but considering Hot Buttered Soul is only 4 songs long and all 4 of them are basically perfect, I can't bring myself to do that. This is one of the smoothest albums I've ever had the pleasure of listening to, I damn near cried during Walk On By just because of how beautiful the song was. Each track is lengthy, but not a minute of them is wasted, even the spoken word intro of the album's closer By the Time I Get To Phoenix. I enjoyed every minute of this record, easily one of the best soul albums of all time.
10/10
