An absolute classic and one of the essential albums of 90s hip hop.
The beats throughout are fantastic. Lively, with groove and Nas dances across them expertly with lyrical ease. The only reason I downgrade to a 4 is because personally, I don't believe there is enough variety on the content of the lyrics. I absolutely get the albums focus is to document life growing up in the rough parts of New York in the 90s and the difficulty that goes along with this. However, I think if other prominent hip hop albums from the same period and whilst the content is largely surrounding gangs, guns and what it takes to survive the streets, there are brief moments away from this content.
All in all a great album and an undoubted classic. 4/5. Essential listening for anybody exploring 90s east coast hip hop.
Best Songs
Represent
Half time
One Love
Worst songs
N/A
Superb album. Great instrumentation throughout. One that I keep coming back to and for that, it gets 5 stars
After only one full listen to this one I might sound a little bit basic and predictable, but the highlight and standout moment of the album for me is Kashmir with its driving riff and superb vocals. Plants vocals throughout the album are excellent, Pages guitar work is fantastic and as ever, Bonhams drumming is fantastic. The guy is the master at filling at just the right moments. The only downfall and the reason for my single listen is that the album is a tad long for my liking. Listening to the album took up most of my obsenely long commute of an hour and 40. I wonder if I'd be able to sit through the full album if I was to listen to it intently at home?
Great album to put on and unwind to. Downtempo dub inspired beats, heavy bass lines. Perfect evening or sunny afternoon
Not usually a great lover of compilations/best ofs but this really hit. Great raw indie/punk crossover. Very high energy throughout. Punchy collection of songs
No matter how much I try, Country music just does not sit right in my ears
Great bass playing. Feels as though throughout the album the intention is to juxtapose the expert bass playing with the minimalistic/basic work of guitar etc.
The album feels as though the stadium and the stage is at the forefront of the direction in which the music takes. If this is the concept and the idea, then it's a winner and ticks off what Bruce was hoping to achieve. However, I found the album difficult to listen to in a personal setting. By track 3, I was bored. Born to Run then brought my attention back and the track after this (She's the one) was okay but again, following this, I grew tired of listening. After perceiving through Meeting Across The River, we end at Jungle Land, which I kind of enjoyed. It did feel like this grandiose finish was destined and predetermined as a concert closer and not being a Springsteen fan, I'd be interested to see how often this track closed his shows. But, it did just feel like it went on too long.
All in all, a stadium rock album that would be a spectacle in the setting it was designed for, but listening personally and being one on one with the album did not wet my appetite to dive in to more of Bruces work.
Great rock album but made even better by the back story surrounding the album. I was going to give this a 3 star, but after learning that Grohl composed the whole album and played all the instruments throughout, as well as producing, I had to increase to a 4. All this in the wake of the tragic passing of his friend. Listening to this album, you're listening to a man's therapy.
Clues in the album title. A deep album filled with personal struggles triumph and pain. A true meditation on growing up as a young female in the inner city and navigating the daily challenges. Difficult for me to fully appreciate as a white 30 odd male but can fully empathise with the verses spoken. Some stand out moments with Dy-Na-Mi-TE and Seed Will Grow but a fully enjoyable album none the less. Some really great vocals laid down here too with a mix of Hip Hop/Rap and Soul. It's not an album I'll continue to jump to and listen to in full, but there's some brilliant tracks on here for sure
I cant put my finger on it, but I just cannot get in to Costello. Couple of tracks saved this from being a 1
Couldn't get through it. Just not my thing. Had it playing whilst on the dog walk and forgot I even had any music playing. Just totally tuned out
Loved this album. Some great bass lines. Really hypnotic and psychedelic to listen to. Haven't put it as a 5 as because of the length of the album (over 2 hours) it's not one I'll listen to again and again unfortunately. But that takes nothing away from the music. Really great listen
Some okay songs but way too long for me. Some of the tracks for very tedious
Such strong and emotive vocals. There were a couple of songs that I weren't really into, but on the whole, a fantastic album
Solid album and concept. Just no wow factor for me personally. Feel like some of the songs drag on a little. Maybe that's intentional to for with the majority of the musical themes, of wallowing and lingering on?
Anything that joins the lines between electronic/dance and other genres always piques my interest. Thought this was a fantastic cross over of dance/electronics and Indian influences. The ambience of the album lends itself to the Indian sounds, creating a chill out album that verges on the psychedelic. Superb from start to finish and could easily listen to this on multiple occasions in the future
It's alright. Just not really my thing. I end up tuning out of most singer songwriter albums and completely lose sight of what point the artist is driving towards. This was no different
Excellent gym album
Superb indie album from start to finish. Loved it when it first came out and continue to love it today
Every time I listen to this album, I can't believe my ears. It's phenomenal. It's so groovy and emotive. There's a lot of pain and heartache throughout and it captured perfectly
Superb album. Listened to on vinyl. You can really get lost in the layers.
At a risk of sounding uncultured, I found the songs to become repetitive as the album went on. As a non-speaker of French, it then became a difficult album to listen to as I couldn't immerse in the lyrical content. Koffi obviously has a fantastic voice and is a key figure on the Congolese music scene (despite his reported misconduct). The music is very danceable and was perfect for a bright, sunny morning coffee and breakfast moving around the kitchen, but I probably won't revisit this one again.
First track sounded like the intro to a TV show hosted by Troy McClure from The Simpsons, although I did like the guitar tone. Second track sounded like something i'd imagine is playing in the background to a romantic evening on holiday. Not really my cup of tea throughout. Appreciate the musicianship and there was some great drumming/percussion later on in the album. Just not really my bag
Some fantastic technical guitar playing on here along with some great riffs. Mustaines voice is made for metal
I have tried on so many occasions to enjoy this album and on all, I have failed. Except today. I listened to this on a warm evening dog walk in June and it suddenly clicked. Sometimes it can take a while to truly appreciate an artwork, sometimes the context in which it is being consumed has to be right and here it was.
When completely engrossed within this album, time moves at a different pace, almost within a new dimension. The blend infusion of synths and electronic elements transports you to the trippy world The Flaming Lips are trying to create for you. It's mesmerising. I was going to post my highlights but, this is one of those rare, true no skip albums. Although if I had to pick 2 standout tracks, Are You a Hypnotist and It's Summertime would be my favourite 2.
5/5. Superb. I can't believe it has taken me multiple efforts to appreciate this album.
