Reviews by jeffmalbumratings

I appreciate the what the band is doing here, the innovation, and it’s likely an expertly mixed and produced album. The music itself just isn’t for me, although there are some bright spots and the Under the Boardwalk is a cool cover.

Tough one to rate. Some things I really like - driving rhythms, mix of instruments including keyboards and orchestral parts. Songwriting is very good, some songs kind of tough to get through though. Lou's vocals are OK, not my favorite but they work well for the mood of the songs. The stuff that is really good, is really good.

It's OK, I liked it a little more than I thought I would. I actually get some Talking Heads type of feel from some of the songs.

Album opens very strong, kind of loses steam as it goes on. Solid grunge/alt rock album.

The juxtaposition of dark lyrics against upbeat music on some of the songs such as El Paso is masterful.

Silky smooth singing, classic soul.

Relisten: Over time this has become a frequent relisten, it’s really quite brilliant but it took me some time to acclimate to Tom’s style and approach. This is a challenging first listen for Waits which is why it would be nice to get artists in a progression that allows you to warm up your them, but of course that would eliminate the randomness.

First listen: Sounds like I accidentally hit play on the Nighmare Before Christmas soundtrack. Having said that there are some redeeming songs. Not a fan of the whispy distant vocals on some of the tracks.

Just another 80s pop album. Lyrics are unimaginative.

Great storytelling. Music is pretty good, a couple of hit or miss spots. Harmonica is good in some spots and a bit of a nuisance in others. Overall great to listen to.

Good instrumentation, fun concept album.

Love this album, just kind of exciting to hear existing music I already like presented in a new way. Orchestra sounds great, the songs are powerful, and one of the few live albums that deserves a place with the studio albums. Neat to listen to for something different.

Couldn’t really get into it, not sure why but I struggle with the genre, too much “noise” and not a huge fan of the vocal styling on some of the songs. Hit or miss.

A lot of variety on the album, some good some not as much. “Funk rock” element to the songs works well in some places, gets a little tiresome in others. Lyrics very hit or miss as well. Overall more good than bad I think. Breaking the Girl is a great song.

Catchy, really good guitar album.

Didn’t think I would care for it, but was pleasantly surprised. Interesting arrangements behind some of the songs, mix of instruments including guitar and keyboard.

Always enjoyed this one since I found it, a lot of variety from song to song but that's part of what makes it fun to listen to.

The Cure has always been OK to me, as someone who is not a big fan of the post punk sound this one is much easier to listen to than some of the other bands/albums of the day. Mellow, but a little too low key for my tastes.

Tremendous guitar album obviously, the Latin rock Santana brings is upbeat and brings in additional instrumentation you won't find on other albums, or presented in a different way than you might have heard before. I particularly like how the organ is used in songs like Hope You're Feeling Better and Oye Como Va. The limited vocals on the album make it great to have on behind the scenes as well.

Really fun, easy to listen to album. I think if you don't know much about Dylan except a handful of the classics (like me) this is probably a great place to start. Dylan's storytelling and songwriting abilities are on display here. Tangled up in Blue is a great start to the album, Idiot Wind and Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts are also favorite tracks. It's probably a 4.5 rating for me but since I have to pick and this ones got me in a good mood we can go 5.

This is not the Bee Gees I was expecting which was a pleasant surprise. I have learned there is "sixties" Bee Gees and then there is disco Bee Gees, and probably some variations in between. Interesting mix of songs that span a range of genres from symphonic, to pop, to country, really all over the map.