Reviews by gregorsmith

Aerosmith's mid 80s reunion and subsequent run of albums on Geffen must surely be the most unreal comeback in music, each one was a banger, peak pop rock hair metal. This isn't the best one (that's Get A Grip), but it might be the peak of that era, it has "Love In An Elevator", "Janie's Got A Gun" and "The Other Side" as killer singles, a kick ass opening in "Young Lust".

Just a fun rocking album

Mark Knopfler weirdly does more with the guitar notes he doesn't play here, everything is so precise and on point, but every song has room to breath and the little finger picking meedly notes are just sex.

Solid grooves here, big band sounds with brass and woodwinds. Lovely. Did feel like hold music/weather channel music for a little bit but overall enjyable

A cracking title track, a few alright songs for the kids, and the rest is just utterly unnoteworthy

Warm and well-played, but overrated, not the first album I've thought made this list as it was their best seller. While it has moments like the title track, the Celtic folk-rock vibe wears thin and the tracklist feels bloated, especially with the extra filler. It feels less cohesive than This Is The Sea and lacks the magic of "The Whole Of The Moon" An honest listen, but not the band's masterpiece.

Words and Guitar... I want it, I got it. Peak Riot Grrl vibes as Carrie Brownstein yells for a solid half hour over great guitar nodles.

I loved this in 1992 when I was 14/15 I'm horrified by this in 2025 when I'm 47. I know its a cornerstone of 90s west coast gangster rap, but it really doesn't stand the test of time, and under the modern gaze a lot of this is downright reprehensible... Violence, misogyny, homophobia, its all here if that's your thing.

Another concept soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist, that's weirdly two in a row now.... NEXT!

Overly bombastic, like a soundtrack to a musical or a movie that was never produced.

I mean, its aaaaaaaalllrrrriiiigght but it's far from the best Bowie has to offer, hard to tell how much drugs he was on here to think that a soul record was the answer...

Toe tapping Outlaw Country style done by a future member of The Highwaymen.

OK enough Neo Soul grooves, but while I appreciate the range of Badu's voice, I can't handle the tone of it... She's no N'dea Davenport for example

Joan Armatrading's self-titled 1976 album is a landmark of the singer-songwriter genre. It's a raw, emotionally resonant record that masterfully blends folk, pop, and blues. The standout song, "Love and Affection", is a testament to her style: intimate, heartfelt lyrics delivered with a powerful, soulful voice, a singular talent and a crucial pioneer who has *the* range.

Her work directly paved the way for artists like Tracy Chapman. Armatrading's success as an independent Black female artist who wrote and performed her own acoustic-driven material created a powerful blueprint. The influence is clear in Chapman's music, from its focus on honest, narrative lyrics to its blend of genres and its overall sense of stripped-down authenticity.

Dirty Glammy Rock that feels inspired by Rod Stewart and Faces, what's not to love? The only downside is it didn't have "Cum On Feel The Noize" that was included in the Japanese 2006 remastered release...

A crazy, fun, wild, timeless album... Peak Electropunk from the off with the killer "Deceptacon" and it's all uphill from there.

and who took the bomp from the bompalompalomp?

Back 30 or so years ago I heard this and it was quite catchy. It hit that 90s teenager sweet spot of a rock-y blues-y rap crossover, schmoove vibes and a hint of Quentin Tarantino bubbling underneath. Their follow up album would be leagues better, but this still hit for me.

Orbital could use a better editorial process, cause this thing is interminably long. 10 songs at an average of 7 1/2 minutes a song ain't the flex they think it might be, especially when its bargain basement beeps and boops.

A cracking song in "Sunny Afternoon" and the whole album flowed together nicely, great compositions, great harmonies, and Ray Davies is just a great songwriter. If not for a couple of guys from Liverpool then he might have been the preeminent British songwriter...

One thing you can say about early Missy Elliott is her albums are fun, Timbaland production is tight as hell and undeniably of it's time, but Missy's raps are just so off the wall surreal one minute then super serious the next... It keeps you on your toes.

Starts with a mad buildup and a hot riff, and sounds great, like a great 80s hair band, and then the singer.... uhhhh.... sings? and it all comes crashing down.