Ungodly Hour

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Forgive me, Tipsy, Ungodly hour, ROYL

This is a great album but Halle’s ass being noticeably bigger than Chloe’s on the cover was very distracting.

An album full of generic commercial sounding R&B. It’s not too bad, but somewhat overproduced and the songs are not noteworthy to remember.

Love that intro on Baby Girl. Ungodly Hour is another bop. This album absolutely kills it.

R&B isn’t squarely my thing but this album really resonated with me. Lots of appealing things going on in these songs. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this!

Yeah, this was a step up on some of the R&B about these days. Crunchy, light on autotune, interesting I'm there for it!

Beautiful and harkens back to the early 90s.

Heard this one back when it came out, wasn't very impressed but it's some fine R&B, nothing wrong with that. One of these sisters has since become an actress, played Ariel in a Little Mermaid remake. Do they still do music? 3/5

I enjoyed this album when it came out and didn't have much desire to go back to it, but here it is on this list as someone has deemed this the one album they thing we should all hear. It was just as enjoyable as the first time around.

Lovely harmonies, a pretty candy shell around a more substantial ... actually no. It is pretty sweet the whole way through even given the "men please do better" theme.

I appreciate getting a chance to hear some contemporary R&B, and this album has a few truly lovely moments that definitely made it worth a listen. Ultimately though, it doesn't really add anything to the genre that would make me want to come back to it. The album works best particularly on the mid-back half, where Chloe x Halle lean into more of a throwback, 90s kind of sound. The "newer" feeling songs that rely more on vocal tuning (although generally done with a lighter touch), will not age as well. Fave Songs: Don't Make It Harder on Me, Overwhelmed, Do It, Lonely

It's fine but not overly noteworthy. I'm not big into r&b so maybe I just don't recognize what makes it great. As of the time I'm writing this, the submitter of the album has rated 30 albums in total. I know my musical tastes evolved bc of the list - if they make it thru I wonder if this still would have been their 1st choice submission? If you make it submitter (7 days since last album generated) do tell!

R&B, pop, hip hop, soul. Ni fu ni fa.

This wasn't unpleasant but it's not really my genre. I appreciate how R&B continues to evolve. I appreciate the artistry, and the opportunity to check-in with R&B in the 2020s. But just not for me.

This played and I listened!

Strong vocals if typically overprocessed, the music is that popified R&B/Soul that doesn't do a ton for me. Does it really measure up at all to the old greats? It was an enjoyable listen anyway with some strong highlights and offbeat moments, just a little manufactured.

God damn

This was a pretty simple and forgettable R&B album. The two sisters work well together and compliment their singing style but their songs felt overproduced and none of the songs were that catchy like 90s and 00s R&B was. Just felt uneventful. 4.3/10

Not really notable in any way, especially against the background of its modern pop R&B compatriots. It's produced well? Struggling to say anything novel here, just not sure why this LP is a must-listen in anyone's book.

Not for me

Not an album I would listen to without being forced to it

I look into my crystal ball and see r&b. Ok yes, it is. It's got that 2020s "rattle ting ting" drumbeat that I hate in places. But mostly it sounds like 90s r&b. Not exactly up my alley. But at least it didn't go for 75min. 2/5.

Once again, a suggestion from someone who has barely started the project of giving a spin to the 1001 albums in the original list, which sounds a bit premature to me. And obviously, what I will be saying about *Ungodly Hours* must also be taken with a huge grain of salt given that I'm definitely out of its target demographics. Then again, I'm also way out of *Brat*'s target demographics, and yet I loved it. Make of that what you will... So let's get on with it. *Ungodly Hour* was mostly written and produced by Chloe and Halle themselves (thumbs up), its instrumentation, arrangements and vocal performances are lush-sounding (thumbs up), but the styles the record explores -- between nostalgic early noughts R'n'B and a couple of more recent trap-adjacent flourishes -- point to a very calculated compromise devoid of real stakes on an artistic viewpoint (thumbs down). At least for me. Also, where are the memorable earworms and bangers in this thing? "Baby Girl" and "Do It", strategically placed in the second and third postions, are not unpleasant to listen to, but it's not as if those tracks actually *slapped*. And the rest just tags along in a rather complacent fashion. "Lonely" has a rather pretty chorus, but that's it. And even if you consider this record as inheriting from the turn-of-the-millenium neo-soul wave (a wave I was never able to fully understand, admittedly), the songs proper rarely demonstrate any genuine soulful introspective yearning for me -- except "Overwhelmed", but that's more an interlude than anything else, followed by "Don't Make It Harder On Me" and "Wonder What She Thinks Of Me". By that point, way into the album's second side, it's too little and too late. And when closer "ROYL" cynically and opportunistically returns to trap rhythms, implying "Hey", we also listen to current trends, you know!", there's like a sour aftertaste in your mouth. Girls, when the time comes to revisit those trap sounds and assess their artistic merits in a decade or two, do you really think people will go to that sort of flat song first??? Think again. You need at least a little sense of danger or bombastic swagger when you dabble into that turf. Ask Cardi B, for chrissake. 🙃 Mall music that's richly produced and yet empty-sounding. I can't find any gentler words to summarize my take here. But hey, this album is still probably ten times better than the Christina Aguilera LPs found in the original list! Not sure it will age better, but at least I can end my rant on a somewhat *positive* note here. Now, excuse me, Chloe x Halle's music just reminded me I had to go shopping today. See you tomorrow for the next album. 2/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 7/10 for more general purposes (5 + 2) Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 13 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 17 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 32 (including this one)

Absolute garbage