You hear so much jazz sampled or influencing current music that it's nice to dive into a Coltrane album for a half hour of instrumentals. I particularly enjoyed some of the slower and more measured parts of the album, like the beginning keys/brass in Pt 1 and the darker strings at the end of Pt 3.
The first 3 tracks can drag a bit for me in the middle (I'm not always the biggest fan of extended freeform brass), but the sax work throughout Pt 4 is absolutely beautiful.
Opening with one of the most (deservedly) famous soul singles ever released, this album keeps the energy high even when the tempo drops. While tracks like Old Time Lovin' and How Can You Mend a Broken Heart are what my grandpa would refer to as "belly rubbing music" (slow dancing with your partner so close your bellies are touching, scandalous!); there's an infectious, optimistic spirit that pervades the album and makes me want to dance/jam along with this lovebird on every single track.
Listening to this album while single feels borderline blasphemous, considering every track is downright limerent. I feel like I need a cigarette and beautiful woman to break my heart. If it means I'll feel half as expressive as Al Green is across this album, it'd probably be worth it.
My typical complaint with lots of indie projects is that they seem to be carried by strong vocal performances, with pretty innocuous and safe instrumentals seemingly relegated to a support role for their front man/woman to perform over. Fiona Apple certainly delivers on the strong vocals, but I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of production I found across the album. To be sure, there's more traditional keys and strings in half these tracks than I care for personally. But, for example the stretch of Criminal, Slow Like Honey, and The First Taste are absolutely loaded with more unique layers like fairly aggressive electric guitars or eccentric drums.
What a welcome surprise this was with a genre I typically don't enjoy that much. I was fairly disinterested through the first 3 tracks, resigned to another indie experience where all the songs blend together for me in hindsight. By the time the bluesy notes of The Child Is Gone started hitting, I was looking forward to a re-listen.
It's certainly an ambitious album. I doubt very many R&B artists would open their debut studio album with an overture fit for a Nutcracker performance or producing something like Come Alive (War of the Roses). But I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the future Emmy winning creative was perhaps more interested in exploring the art form than releasing a highly focused project.
I found myself looking for, and finding, pieces throughout the album that I really enjoyed, such as Dance or Die and the orchestral moments. Unfortunately, some of the more jarring pieces such as Oh, Maker and Make the Bus really detract from the experience.
Overall I'm very appreciative of the variety presented, and the quality of technical execution across that variety is truly impressive.
It's certainly an ambitious album. I doubt very many R&B artists would open their debut studio album with an overture fit for a Nutcracker performance or producing something like Come Alive (War of the Roses). But I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the future Emmy winning creative was perhaps more interested in exploring the art form than releasing a highly focused project.
I found myself looking for, and finding, pieces throughout the album that I really enjoyed, such as Dance or Die and the orchestral moments. Unfortunately, some of the more jarring pieces such as Oh, Maker and Make the Bus really detract from the experience.
Overall I'm very appreciative of the variety presented, and the quality of technical execution across that variety is truly impressive.
God, what an album. I mean, Aretha has pipes that would make seemingly anything shine, but this old bluesy soul production is similarly so timeless. It's fun, absurdly funky dance music (in the best way possible) supremely elevated by one of the greatest vocalists of my lifetime.
It starts out so hot with Chain of Fools and really doesn't let up. Even slower tracks like People Get Ready manage to take you to church, they hit heavy with bold brass sections and saucy guitar play. I also find myself absolutely enthralled by bass play in almost every track.
Really just a no-skips album of beautifully executed soul from it's golden age, paired with an all-time vocal talent. I think Niki Hoeky is my sneaky favorite track, but the floor on this album is just so damn high.
I am... not a Springsteen fan, to be frank. Wailing on the harmonica and talk-singing (reductive) gets old for me very fast. That being said, I'm not sure I've ever sat down and tried to listen to an album straight through, so this was a good experience.
I will start with my first positive takeaway being that some the harmonica play was more nuanced and enjoyable than I initially gave credit. It absolutely shreds on Atlantic City and....Johnny 99?
I think my issue is his harmonica style pairs better with his more heavy hitting guitar performances to my ear (Atlantic City). But going from his super low tempo ballad-like acoustics and lyrics so soft they blend into the melody, to that piercing pitch of often simple and repetitive pieces is just not enjoyable for me.
I also just cannot get on board with basically narrative stories on top of a melody. It feels so boring in comparison to the more poetic, verse heavy interpretations of the artform. Not to mention how generally samey that consistent structure makes most of his work feel indistinct from each other to me.
Last complaint, the weird ad libs are so not it. State Trooper is probably the worst offender but the hoots n hollers can be so ick.
Starting my morning with Mannish Boy was quite the pleasant surprise. As an Austinite who grew up hearing his fair share of Stevie Ray, this guitar style has always held a certain a appeal. It's been way too long since I listened to Muddy Waters album, and I'm now kicking myself for that fact.
Everything about the music is just so evocative and raw. The hammered keys on Bus Driver, the whining guitars on Deep Down in Florida, Muddy's iconic voice... It's erratic, emotional, and heavy. And working with Johnny Winters to iron out some of the less desirable technical rawness of recording refines the sound in just the right ways.
I like this album a lot more than I expected. The variety of instruments used and non-Western influences made for a cool listen. I really enjoyed the composition of Three King Fishers, Legend of a Girl Child Linda was full of interesting bits, and Season of the Witch is a banger. This isn't an era/genre I find all that appealing personally, but there was a lot to enjoy in here.
I think my primary hang-up is in the vocalization. The kinda flat and monotone talk-singing detract from much more interesting stuff going on in the background. My favorite track is Three King Fishers in large part due to the fact that the instrumentals are given room to shine in isolation. And that's not to say Donovan can't sing. Indeed, he shows flashes of prowess for me on Bert's Blues and notably Season of the Witch.
Overall a very impressive production from a damn 19yr old. You can understand how he went on to be an extremely successful and influencial figure for decades.
What a pleasant surprise from a completely fresh album I'd never even heard of before. It's always cool being exposed to music from other cultures that have made their way to the US, and I'm just sad my Spanish is so bad that I can't process the lyrics.
Chan Chan was such a phenomenal start that may stay in my rotation for a bit. The rest of the album couldn't quite live up to the opener in my opinion unfortunately, but it stayed a fun listen throughout. The guitar melodies were wonderful, and the trumpet was always most welcome.
I actually don't think I've ever listened to Janis Joplin from before her solo days. This was fantastic, and honestly makes me sad the band didn't stay together longer with this lineup.
Obviously Janis belting it out across the album was great, but I found myself most interested in the guitar production and harder rock elements that are pervasive throughout. It has a bit more bite than other psychedelic rock music from the 60s, and the blues influence is so apparent (and preferable, imo).
God, I feel like I just left a 90s coming of age movie. Seriously, how many movie soundtracks have We Got the Beat and Our Lips Are Sealed been on in hindsight?
I really just cannot get into this album. It's like a dessert so saccharine sweet that it's unpalatable to me. There's just so much bubble gum dripping from every song, and they all blend together for me. Even tracks like Lust To Love and This Town which start promising something fresh seem to revert to more comfortable ranges and tempos by the end of the first verse. The drums specifically sound practically identical to my (admittedly very untrained) ear almost all the way through.
There's plenty of albums that aren't for me, but I understand what people see in them. This is not one. I legitimately have no idea how or why this ever got so popular.
Easily one of the strangest listens I've had in recent memory, the complex sounds presented are nonetheless vastly enjoyable. Its production manages to be absurdly deep and varied without feeling erratic. Sounds blend together and play off each other so uniquely and effectively. You've gotta love an album calling its shot being called Future Days, only for it to sound like a completely modern album for a listener like me 50yrs later. This could be released today and still be wildly interesting, innovative, and clean sounding.
Each track (most at least double the avg modern song length) feels like a journey unto itself, with all sorts of unexpected twists and turns, and you're just along for the ride. I love the instrumentation and obvious southeast Asian influences, the mixing quality is phenomenal, and I feel like I could listen to this dozens of times without really cracking the surface.
It's funky, it's disco as hell, it's a damn good listen. There's less of the expected acid jazz vibe in this project it seems (although it does pop up like in Whatever It Is, I just Can't Stop), with a lot of the funk and R&B sounds featuring much more prominently. Lots of slappy bass, funky brass, and crunchy guitar riffs make for a lot of great music that sounds like a throwback for an album released well into the 90s.
I will say I did struggle to stay engaged throughout the 2+ hour production. The individual variety in each track and general eccentric nature of jazz/funk give it a lot of staying power for me, but there's certain tracks that seem to get lost in the wash. After Disc 1 I felt like I needed to give myself a palate cleanser before diving into the back half.
Not the biggest folk fan, I liked this more than expected. It's probably the more "rock" adjacent nature of the project, with tracks like Woodstock having a bit more bite to them, that worked for me. But it just feels a bit like a more folksy Beatles, which I can understand being popular at the time, but does absolutely nothing for me personally.
The harmonies are nice, but are utterly unremarkable for me. And, outside of some spicier exceptions (such as the titular Deja Vu), the production just feels so slow and one note.
I don't know. People seem to rave about Niel Young for his unique singing style and intimately personal lyrics. Yet this album feels like a supergroup just cashing in on replicating a trendy sound without really doing anything to it.
This beautifully evocative project is a real treat. From haunting keys, to Mingus' prominent bass, to more unique sounds like the clear latin inspirations in Medley: Mode D; this album is eclectic in all the right ways.
The soul and blues influences practically bleed out of the music, and like half the album basically teleports me to New Orleans mentally. It's also one of those jazz albums where I don't even feel like I'm missing lyrics when so often it sounds like a horn is singing to me.
This frenetic, avant garde album scratches all sorts of itches I didn't even realize I had.
As an American, the longevity and consistently high quality performances of British rock singers has always been something of note. Which is why it came as a bit of a shock to me when Morrissey more or less ruined this album for me. Like, I pray I never listen to him wail over the end of I Know It's Over again.
I don't think I've ever consciously listened to The Smiths before, but I'd heard of them. I knew they were pretty influencial to the rock scene across the pond. I can understand why, as there's a lot to appreciate from Joyce's drum fills on The Queen is Dead and Never Had No One Ever to the ironically upbeat Cemetery Gates. Marr kinda shreds across a lot of the album to a variety of vibes and tempos, and it feels like a contemporary indie album (especially on say Bigmouth Strikes Again).
But I really cannot stand Morrissey's vocalizations. I don't think it helps that The Queen is Dead, the opening track, is probably the worst offender. But I find him to be such a detraction from more interesting instrumentals on basically every song.
Invaders basically kicks the door in and starts assaulting you with riffs, which basically don't stop for 40min. It's wonderful.
There are some definite highlights for me, like 22 Acacia Avenue and how in tune the lyrics and instrumentals are, feeling like an epic with all sorts of twists and turns en route to the finale. Or the absolutely classic Run to the Hills and its iconic chorus. Or basically any time the extremely talented ensemble of guitarists are given center stage.
I absolutely adore this album. I think a lot of "introductory" albums for genres can feel a little stale when you come back after going down the rabbit hole. And then someone gets you into heavy metal with a classic like this and it just stays in your rotation for 20yrs. A truly timeless album that still resonates strongly with metalheads to this day, it is, in a word: sick.
