Hard to separate the music from the mega-mega star. I’ve always been kinda agnostic about T-Swizzle, not worth the effort to be a hater, but always found pop music I enjoyed more. But I have to say this is full of bangers, and totally enjoyable front to back. Catchy and fun, I found my head bobbing almost every track. Dinged it a star for the lyrics and rhyming schemes getting a little predictable and cheesy by the end of the record.

Stone cold classic. Marked the re-birth of rock. Perfection.

Enjoyed every song. Just know they have better records coming, and a lot of sections are a little too Sgt. Pepper rip-offy.

A joy to listen to. Funky and fun with razor sharp production.

So fun, so much energy. A building block for the genre that’s still enjoyable and fresh.

Probably a 4 on a general scale; but I’m rating on the Bowie scale. This was a nice surprise, as I only gave it a few spins back when it came out. An excellent late-career entry worthy of his legacy.

Sounds like 5 shitty, totally unrelated songs being played over each other. And oh yeah, it’s almost 2 hours of this nonsense. Don’t do drugs kids. A torturous cacophony of misplayed notes and unharmonious “experimentation” disguised as high art. I don’t trust anyone that says they genuinely enjoy this.

No surprise that the singles were great. Little surprise that the rest was mostly forgettable, if pleasant, filler.

Wish I could do 3.5. But screw it, I’m in a generous mood so I’ll round up. The highs are gorgeous. Some memorable, emotional folk. “The Calvary Cross” is one of my favorite folk-rock songs ever. Just a couple skip over tracks, and knowing this isn’t my favorite Thompson album drops it a tiny bit.

A bizarre inclusion. Good record. But kinda a boring, meandering, and uninteresting entry in a great Blur catalog. 2.5/light 3 is my real score. Nothing to dislike; but they have some awesome records, so there’s really no reason to waste time with this one.

Funk/disco isn’t really my scene, but this is a fun record. Some really good, danceable tunes, loved a lot of the guitar work.

An absolute classic. From the songwriting, to the pacing, to the production, and most importantly, my favorite vocal performance on record, this album is perfect. Jeff’s voice absolutely soars. A key cog in the discussion of 1994 being the best music year, Grace is in my 90s top 10 and likely one of my overall top 20 albums.

A fun listen from an artist I wasn’t familiar with. Seems pretty cutting edge, pre-Avalanches sample based dance. Surprised and impressed with how engaging the tracks were.

A good record, but hard for me to distinguish or remember any specific tracks other than “Good Times.”

A no doubt 5 starer. The beacon or 90s narrative hip-hop. In a brisk 39 minutes Nas takes us through every nook and cranny of his environment. Every second is maximum engagement. Potentially matched by some early Wu Tang projects, but it will never be outdone. Just more fuel for 1994’s “best music year ever” fire.

I’m sure they’re great musicians, but this is brutal. Boring, cheesy, elevator music. Nothing to connect to emotionally, and with vey dated production. Sounds like what’s quietly playing in the background as you walk around an 80s mall.

A lovely little record from Simon that I wasn’t familiar with. It’s quirky, honest, and very re-listenable. Some experimentation that adds valuable flourishes without taking away from the songwriting. If this was the debut from Joe Shithead from Brooklyn, it’d be 4 stars. But need to grade compared to the rest of this list and his catalogue. An exciting discovery nonetheless.

An all time favorite and as easy a 5 as there will be on this list. The textures and production are still unmatched. It’s an album that you don’t really hear, but feel. Birthed a whole new world of sounds that no one’s been able to replicate. In my top 20 all time and my top 10 for the 90s.

A blast. This is how I was my rock and roll. Loud, lewd, and loose. Banger after banger. All killer no filler. All hail Iggy!

I appreciate the musicianship and impact, but my western brain just doesn’t connect emotionally to this. It’s pleasant, kinda shoothing really. Just not my journey.

Such a great record. Great, Stonesy guitar licks. Perfect 90s slacker attitude and delivery. Self-effacing, honest, funny, and sometimes shockingly vulgar lyrics. It all comes together in a terrific indie rock package.

They’re talented, but this just isn’t my preferred rap style. That jazzy, super aware stuff comes across as so corny. J5 are for someone, just not so much for me.

“Superstitious” is outstanding, but other than that, there just isn’t much here for me to engage with. I know Stevie is exceptionally talented and important, but this just didn’t connect with me. No relisten.

Hard to separate the music from the mega-mega star. I’ve always been kinda agnostic about T-Swizzle, not worth the effort to be a hater, but always found pop music I enjoyed more. But I have to say this is full of bangers, and totally enjoyable front to back. Catchy and fun, I found my head bobbing almost every track. Dinged it a star for the lyrics and rhyming schemes getting a little predictable and cheesy by the end of the record.

I just don’t get it. Seen a lot of people give this 5 and have seen it on best of lists as long as I can remember. But after the first song it’s just some idiot squealing randomly on a flute while his friend practices seemingly unrelated guitar scales at the same time. Absolutely nothing here after track one for me to engage with at all. Not my thing.

Spectacular. Not a single quibble on songwriting, performances, or production. Just gorgeous stuff. Still the gold standard for dream pop. Sorry Beach House.

Pretty stereotypical 70s singer-songwriter stuff; soft vocals, bongos for percussion, heavy lyrics, lush acoustic instrumentation. Having said that, it’s a very good version of those tropes.