Very country rock, usually not my style.
Album's target market is probably not me, and that's okay.
This self-titled album starts strong with the guitar intro of Good Times Bad Times, enticing the listener with the catchy beat but falls short on the other songs. Most of them just sounds jumbled, borderline overstimulating. Now, I'm no prick who would hate on an artist's entire discography just because of one bad album but this is my first time listening to Led Zeppelin intentionally (I, of course, have listened to Stairway to Heaven but who hasn't) and this is not a good introduction. I haven't heard a lot of songs from the blues rock genre but there's got to be some that are way better than a lot of the songs in this album.
Skill wise, they're obviously talented. But the mix and the timing of some of the riffs just feels off. They place it in places that make them feel flat, if you get what I'm saying. Also the lengths of these songs! You can cut them in two and have two songs. I get trying to build up to the climax but at a certain point it just gets boring.
The song(s) I liked the most are Communication Breakdown and How Many More Times (without that loooooooooong riffs in the middle, it gets too repetitive and boring). The song(s) I liked the least are Baby I'm Going to Leave You, Dazed and Confused, and I Can't Quit You Baby.
The songs within this album sounds just like Sinatra's other songs: ensemble-filled, with the instruments blending in with his voice. The lineup swings like a pendulum, going from very energetic songs like Too Marvellous for Words being followed by Old Devil Moon.
Overall, the album didn't disappoint, although. as I said, this is what you would expect from Sinatra. On-brand or repetitive? What's the difference, it's all about the listener's perspective. It's not within Sinatra's control that Jazz-Swing just sounds like that.
Songs I liked the most: Anything Goes, Love is Here to Stay
Songs I liked the least: Too Marvellous for Words
Morrison Hotel by The Doors opens up with the perfect song Radiohouse Blues. The song reminds me of an BGM for a 80s rockstar character - the whole album does, actually. The flow of songs are. just right, not leaning too much on energetic songs but not stacking up slow songs (yes, I think Waiting for the Sun is a slow ad sensual song) on top of each other so much so that the album might as well be a lullaby album.
A nice album, overall. 8.5/10, will listen to again.
Song(s) I liked the most: Waiting for the Sun, Land Ho!, Maggie M'Gill
Song(s) I liked the least: Peace Frog
I am a firm believer that the opening song of any album sets the tone of the album. It dictates whether or not the album would be like a rollercoaster, giving its listeners thrill and taking them through ups and downs with the contrasts of the songs complementing each other, or like a cradle, serenading them with how smooth the songs flow as one end and another starts. This album is the latter, akin to the stillness of a lake in a cold night. Calm but mysterious, having a somber feel to it that requires caution.
The songs don't necessarily have anything that traditionally screams "climax", but the storytelling that the rhythm of the songs when they are played made my eyebrow raise. The first two song was calm and the melody can be compare to a lullaby, but that vibe changed when the third song played. Three Hours (put explanation here).
I have to give the musicality off this album its flowers. The usage of string instruments is phenomenal, the spectrum of the way they are played portrayed different feels. Thoughts of Mary Jane used it to give it air and the feeling of light love. Way too Blue was a heavy song, the cello(?) and every drag of the fiddle adding to the sombreness of the song. The piano in Man in a shed gave this bouncy beat that made the lyrics feel lighter. Imagine if it was treated with sad ballad-like melody? It would've sent a whole different message.
The album is almost a no-skip album (I skipped Fruit Tree). I'm pleasantly surprised that I liked the whole album. This is a great album to play when you're just looking to sit around and watch your surroundings. Or stare at a wall. Or people-watch.
Song(s) I liked the Most: The Thoughts of Mary Jane, Saturday Sun, 'Cello Song
Song(s) I liked the Least: Fruit Tree
