Reviews by jkegz

3/5 - I needed to hear this because it’s the closest I’ve come to enjoying a 90s gangster rap album. Don’t care for skits, but the samples were really good throughout. New Jack Hustler, Mind Over Matter, Fly By, Escape From the Killing Fields were standout tracks for me.

3/5 - I'm sure I needed to hear this at some point in my life, but I don't need to hear it anymore. The hits were huge, but as a whole album, it's overrated. Deserves a place in pop culture history and on this list, but not in my listening rotation.

3.5/5 - You need to hear this because a big part of The Who's legend (for better or worse) is based on their live performances. I love this era of The Who and the setlist is great, but I'm just not a fan of live albums. Still, there's worse ways to spend my time than listening to a set of really familiar songs backed by Moon's constantly crashing cymbals.

3/5 - I needed to hear this so I'd know how to get back to the chicken shack in case I want to visit again. I'm never going to have anything technical to say about listenable jazz like this, but I like this era of music, even if it doesn't really stick with me.

2/5 - I didn’t need to hear this, because I couldn’t recall one hook or anything else after finishing it. I tried again and still nothing. I tend to like this type of sound compared to some other genres on this list, but this was a dud for me. Listenable, so I’ll give it a 2.

4/5 - I needed to hear this because discovering a hip-hop album with a positive message and great samples was a helluva good time. Day at the Races was the standout for me, but I had fun listening the whole way through, even if it got a bit long at the end.

2/5 - I didn't need to hear this, because it made very little impression on me. The band name and album art put me in a skeptical mood from the jump, and the music didn't turn me around. Immediately felt like some 90s take on "world music" and all the generic associations that brings along. There were a few moments when I thought it was alright, but I kept thinking : "Is this anyone's favorite band?"

5/5 - You need to hear this because Ray Davies doesn’t get enough credit as a songwriter. Other than the leadoff Victoria, I had never heard anything on this album, and I loved every bit of it. Some Mother’s Son, Australia, Shangri-La — all so good, but I was into the whole concept of Arthur and the story of the lyrics. I clearly need to listen to more by The Kinks.

4.5/5 - You need to hear this, because it launched hip-hop and rap into a generation of young suburban ears. The first 4 tracks are all-timers. It gets spotty in places after that with weaker songs like Perfection and Dumb Girl, but this is a must-listen classic. Pop culture juggernaut.

3/5 - I don't think this is an album of this era you need to hear, but it hits a spot for me. It has several solid tracks with Soul and Fire a clear standout, but Sister, Sacred Attention, and Think (Let Tomorrow Bee) are also really good. This is an album with three separate songwriters, and it really shows, with Barlow easily being the most talented writer of the group. Overall, a good discovery for me, and I'll be back.

4/5 - You really need to hear Revolver more than you need to hear Sgt. Pepper's, because it's the real masterpiece. A Day in the Life is one of the grandest pop songs of all time. Mr. Kite makes no sense. John opines dreamily about the girl with kaleidoscope eyes. Paul has some charming songs like 64 and Getting Better. Sitar! You've already read and heard everything about this album. It's one of the "important" ones, but it's definitely not the best one.

4/5 - I needed to hear this because I know it’s one of those “soundtrack to people’s lives” albums, and it has a beautiful, smooth sound with darker subject matter than the earlier Motown records. Enjoyable listen for me, but I hadn’t listened all the way through before, and I didn’t really connect with it.

3/5 - I needed to hear this because it is a brief window into a particular moment in time that I’d never get from a studio recording. That said, I don’t care much for live albums, and they are almost always “one and done” listens for me. The tracks here are mostly shorter than I expected and feel like they’d be especially flat without the audience. I have a ton of respect for the outsized influence Brown would have for the decades to come, but I doubt I’d revisit this recording.

5/5 - Needed to hear this because I’ve heard all the hits hundreds of times, but never listened all the way through a Bob Marley album. Strong all the way through without a miss, it’s obvious why this is a classic. Marley writes timeless lyrics that were very much grounded in the politics of his home and time. The band is impeccable. This is music that lifts.

3.5/5 - i needed to hear this because Little Simz is a fresh voice that I otherwise wouldn’t have heard. This album surprised me with its musicality. Selfish, Wounds, Flowers, and FM 101 were the better tracks for me. I didn’t love all of it, but definitely plenty here to listen to again.

5/5 - I needed to hear this in my life because it’s one of the original seeds that influenced so many bands I love. Smith is a complete badass on this recording and sets the tone right from the first line of Gloria. I don’t care if her voice is all over the place, and it’s often just 3-chord rock. It’s about the attitude and the message — still real 50 years later.

3/5 - I needed to hear maybe 5 songs of this album, but certainly not 2 hours. This is like when someone suggests The Count of Monte Cristo for your bookclub. You've got an epic assignment of 1200 pages of classic material to consume, and you've more or less got the gist 1/5 of the way in, because it's all more of the same. There's not going to be any surprises on side B of this monster.

This is a documentary-worthy piece of work that is important for all sorts of reasons, I'm sure. It belongs on this list. I'll give it a 3 because if I'm in the unlikely mood for some bluegrass, now I know where to go. That said, it can't go any higher because: a) It's more of a catalog than an artistic statement as an album and b) I hate skits on country/bluegrass albums as much as I do on hip-hop albums. Just play the song; isn't the album already long enough?

2.5/5 - I needed to hear this because I didn’t know sophisti-pop was a thing before today. This album starts off pretty strong, but side B is a snore. I listened to the acoustic version of this album, and that was better for me, because it’s a little more focus on the songs without the overly lavish synth production. Everything about this record is really British, including the album art. “Bonny” was probably my favorite track.

Rounding up because of the really unusual lyrics that kept surprising me. “Turkey hungry, chicken free. I can breakdance on your knee.” ?!

2/5 - I didn’t need to hear this, because I never got into Pantera, and this album doesn’t change my mind. Maybe on a different day, but probably not.

4/5 - I needed to hear this, because I’ve never voluntarily listened to a full Yes album before. I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Maybe prog isn’t so bad after all. Lots of great instrumentation here obviously, but I also really liked the opening vocal hook in Starship Trooper. Adding this one to my rotation.