Reviews by jaileer5

So, I'll concede, I just don't get jazz. I know Coltrane is supposed to be the master, but this sounds like every other jazz thing I've heard. Obviously the musicianship is tremendous - these guys are professionals. But why is this better than any other jazz album? I listened to it twice just to see if I missed something on my first pass.

It's good background music, I guess? But only in a coffee shop or something, because they go too hard with the horns to listen to this while studying or anything like that. I'll give it a 3 because I know I'm missing the point, so I don't want to go lower. It's not you, John Coltrane, it's me. But it's just not gonna work out.

It's kind of the quintessential early 2000s rap sound. The early aughts royalty of the hip hop world - Dr. Dre, Eminem, Nate Dogg - are all here. This was a difficult album to listen to with an open mind. I've never really warmed to 50 Cent, and it's especially hard to disassociate from the absolute clown he's become, but honestly, for what it is, it's a damn good album. This is the best selling album to come out of the Aftermath imprint (by anyone not named Eminem).

It's hard to say where to put this album. I don't *adore* it, but that's because I don't *adore* this artist. That said, the beats kept me nodding my head and, if I'm honest, 50 Cent is a pretty damn good storyteller. I think I'd give it a 3.5 stars if I could, but it's undeniable that it is a massive album -- not only one of the biggest of its time, but one of the biggest in its genre of all time. And the diss track about Ja Rule is an excellent reason to bump it to 4.

Beautiful album. It sounds like a movie score.

This is a fantastic album filled with hits. Andre Benjamin AKA Possum Aloysius Jenkins is a goddamned lyrical genius. In an era dominated by gangsta rap (and OutKast gives you a little of that), Andre 3000 was usually way left of center. Even when he did dip his toes in the gangsta pool, his lyrics are written with a thoughtfulness and poetry only seen amongst the all time greats.

I’d give this one a 4.5 if I could. There are a few songs that I think are kind of filler and the album is too long as a result.

It’s a good time capsule album, but it sounds really, really dated. The beats are just from a completely different time, and it sounds almost quaint. When it released, however, it was the hardest hitting shit of all time. Definitely worth a listen, but it’s not going back into my current rotation. 3.5 stars.

It's definitely a time capsule to the early aughts, when it seemed like every rock band wanted to have this sound. The Killers, Jet, She Wants Revenge, Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, The Strokes, and on and on and on. You don't hear much from any of them anymore, but this is a decent album. 3.5 stars

I’ll probably give it a three. It’s fun enough for what it is, but it’s definitely from a different time. It’s one of those “it’s fine, I guess” albums. Not shitty enough to be a 2, definitely nowhere near a 4.

Excellent album. There is just nothing else like the Beastie Boys. Rap, funk, punk - it’s all there and more.

It's listed as Indie Rock in Apple Music, but it sounds very punk to me. by that I mean it's sort of unimaginative, rudimentary instrument playing, and a high-pitched, nasally, South London accented singer with very little variation in his pitch or tone throughout the album.

That said, there were a couple of songs where I caught myself bouncing my leg, so it's not 1-star awful. It is kind of tedious; however, so I can't really bring myself to give it more than 2 stars.

A goddamned masterpiece. I will admit that I am incredibly biased because I attribute this album to changing my life, but it really is that good. The songs hold up, musically and lyrically, more than 30 years later.

The early 90s were a brilliant time for music, but we have lost so many of these artists far too soon.

Aggressively OK.

No.

I wanted to love this so bad!I listen to a lot of progressive metal, and Rush is the godfather of the sound. It started off well then it just kind of petered out. It's a decent 70s rock album, but it's not very proggy, to be honest, and it's no better than the Led Zeppelin album from yesterday. So, a sad 3 stars.

it started off really strong. Immigrant Song is an all-timer, or course, and the album continued along that vein for a few songs. Then it got kinda bluesy rock, which was also pretty damn good. Then the last few songs were just kind straight blues. Which isn't a bad thing in itself, I just think they're not particularly good blues songs. Decent, sure, but nothing really to write home about.

I know this is considered a classic rock album, and I really wanted to give it a good score, but I just kind of think it's just OK. Good even - but not great

It's just kind of boring. Dreams is...OK, I guess ? Not for me, thanks.

WTF

This is a very interesting, if uneven, album. After the first song, I wondered who, exactly, this was for. After listening to a couple more songs I realized it slots nicely into the Trip Hop, Bristol sound with bands like Morcheeba, Portishead, & Massive Attack.

I love those bands, and utilizing that comparison is where I start to have slight issues with the album. Some of the songs are actually awesome, and represent the genre quite nicely, but some songs are just...off. I'm not sure how to describe it, except maybe they go a bit pop-y? When you're expecting a trippy, slowed down, psychedelic sound and you get some weird yodeling, or an upbeat 4/4 beat, it can be a little jarring.

Overall, if you're into this type of music, this is gonna be a perfectly acceptable album - even good! Solid 3.5, but without any real exceptionality that sets it apart to push it to 4 stars

If you’re from Boston and like to fight, you love this album.

You know the type of white American that pretends to be Irish even though no one in their family has ever actually been to Ireland? This album is their soundtrack.

Not bad, but kind of forgettable. Sort of a wanna-be Nick Drake, with a little Neil Young thrown in for good measure.

First song initial reaction: seems heavily influenced by Rolling Stones. This is not a good thing. After the first song they got a bit more diverse, but it made me realize something. All musical eras have their tentpole superstar acts that stand out and almost transcend the time and genre. Then there are myriad bands that are just kind of along for the ride, making music that is pleasing enough to the ears of those who like the tentpole bands, but never do anything interesting or fundamentally different.

For the early 90s Alt-rock scene, the his band is the latter.