1001 Albums Summary

★★★½☆ it's alright, i like doo wop, it's a classic. from the first five tracks, my ears got tired from how repetitive the bridges are whenever she would rap, i usually do not mind but they're all quite similar. i prefer the tracks where her singing voice shine the most like tell him, superstar, ex-factor. as beautiful as to zion is, it's far too gospel-y for my taste, a lot of tracks in this album is quite religious (i like lauryn hill's like water) and personally, i feel a bit of disconnect from tracks like to zion and other songs and a lot of the lyrics as hill's sprituality and her expression of it is not necessarily one that resonate with me. that being said, it doesn't make the music any less beautiful, there is a disconnect in my part which may be why i'm not as blown away by this recrd as the others. the production in this album is really fun to listen to, it's a gift that keeps on giving. currently, it's a 3.5/5 for me overall, i like a lot of the tracks individually but currently, i wouldn't say i would play the whole album on repeat since there are parts that are quite grating (the repetitiveness of some rap tracks for most part).

it's an album i've heard before, i like most of the record but when i got on the seventh track i'm mildly overstimulated already. love nas' flow but i can only take so many words a day. beautiful record and storytelling.

woke up around 7am and immediately got onto listening to the record. it took me a couple of listens for the first few tracks before it starts to register in my sleepy brain. i must say, its a very fun and enjoyable album to listen to. love me a good cowbell always. when i heard high plains drifter, i am reminded of rage against the machine, which makes sense because beasties heavily influenced ratm sound, particularly i heard it in the way one of the beastie boys rap in a whine-y and high tone at the end of his lines, i remember a rage track with a similar style, it's cool. listening to older records makes me appreciate how art will inspire creation of new art, it's a wonderful cycle. i think it's one of the things that i will always find fascinating.

goated record