Reviews by gromit

Just Like Heaven is really great obvs and I think the rest of it is fun too but less memorable (love the drums it reminds me of Be My Baby)

Love Dancers in the Dark and My Hometown but the rest was just good - can see it growing to a 4 maybe but some of it is a bit too 80s and I think the highlights are just good highlights

I like Mannish Boy and the rest of it is good too...

Have heard it before and listened again - can really feel the passion here from these musicians getting a second chance at recording. That being said I think it gets a bit overrated because of the background of it, it has several highlights but nothing that massively sticks and it is functionally a compilation so it doesn't really have a great throughline as a record.

Obviously this is a feature of this challenge as you only get a day with each album and some records just need longer to present themselves to you, so I foresee a lot of 3 stars for a record I like on first listen but I haven't had time to sit with yet - but I have heard this one before and it is definitely a 3 star project.

1. Out on the Weekend (4:34) - 7/10

Love the melodies and I'm a sucker for harmonica

2. Harvest (3:11) - 7/10

Great lyricism here too

3. A Man Needs a Maid (4:05) - 5/10

Kinda reminds me of Chris de Burgh in A Spaceman Came Traveling but I didn't like it too much unfortunately, the lyrics weren't my cup of tea

4. Heart of Gold (3:07) - 5/10

5. Are You Ready for the Country? (3:25) - 6/10

6. Old Man (3:24) - 6/10

I like the backing vocals and the chorus is great

6. There's a World (2:59) - 4/10

Really don't like this one :(

7. Alabama (4:02) - 6/10

Slightly better form

8. The Needle and the Damage Done (2:02) - 4/10

Forgettable and I don't like his voice really on this one

9. Words (6:49) - 5/10

I like the slow jams - the groove is ridiculous on those. The fast stuff is whatever.

1. I Got My Brand on You (4:50) - 7/10
Amazing groove

2. I'm the Hoochie Coochie Man (2:57) - 8/10
Amazing chill

3. Baby, Please Don't Go (3:04) - 8/10
Breakdown in this one is so good, great jam energy

4. Soon Forgotten (4:17) - 7/10
The groove is so good - love how it swells throughout.

5. Tiger in Your Tank (4:32) - 6/10
He put a tiger in my tank? 😳

6. I Feel So Good (3:01) - 6/10

7. I've Got My Mojo Working (4:27) - 6/10
He gets freaky on this one tbh

8. Got My Mojo Working (2:55) - 6/10
Gotta do it a second time apparently

9. Goodbye Newport Blues (4:53) - 5/10
Who's this guy?

I liked it - I think it picked up for me in the second half, but I honestly think it has a more modern sound in the second half and I can hear the influence on modern Synthpop and even like Chillwave/Psychedelia which is the electronic stuff I prefer over, it feels more consistent with the first half having several different experiments with electro, blues Rock, adult Contemporary etc most of which I honestly didn't like. I can see it growing on a second listen!!

1. World in My Eyes (4:26) - 6/10

I really like the sweeping melody that comes in halfway through, but I've never been that big on this kinda buzzy electro sound in a song and it devalues it for me, it sounds like it's from even earlier than 1990 - that being said, it is extremely catchy and can see it growing on me.

2. Sweetest Perfection (4:43) - 6/10

Really like the futuristic bass sounds and the rhythm from the drums and to be honest the vocal melodies are lovely as well! Worried now that I might have a bit of a mental block with this sound as it just doesn't come to the sum of its parts (my nitpick is that I don't love the little break with the strings that halfway through, it's a bit awkward and they don't sound great when they come back later either).

3. Personal Jesus (4:55) - 5/10

Not really my favourite, it's all bluesy and has a stomp rock feel and that's just not what I love unfortunately.

4. Halo (4:30) - 5/10

A bit forgettable.

5. Waiting for the Night (6:07) - 6/10

Liked this one - a bit of a ballad.

6. Enjoy the Silence (6:12) - 8/10

Undeniable chorus and horns (?) are also so catchy.

7. Policy of Truth (4:55) - 7/10

I like how this one builds - there's a lot of different melodies/textures and they all sound great together on the song - sweeping synths/strings, funky sounds.

8. Blue Dress (5:38) - 8/10

Sounds like it could've been an influence on George Clanton with the seagull-esque sharp synths and the melodies, the vocals are fantastic and it all comes together really nicely (interlude at the end is a bit weird though)

9. Clean (5:33) - 7/10

The atmosphere is nice here and it has an interesting vibe to it, again it has a really interesting synth melody and all the parts come together nicely.