Reviews by jkegz

2.5/5 - I don’t think I needed to hear this, because it’s not going to open any new doors on what I think of Rod Stewart. The country-influenced rock and roll is perfectly listenable, but very little surprises here except the funky ending track. Rod sounds like Rod. Rounding down for lame album art.

1/5 - I did not need to hear this album, and I barely made it through. Just absolutely not my thing, though The One You Love and The Art Teacher were OK.

4/5 - I needed to hear half of this album. There’s a solid 12-15 songs here, but like the production, and everything else, it’s all just so much. As a whole, it doesn’t hold up to repeat listens 30 years later, but the high points here are among my all-time favorites. Muzzle, Porcelina, 1979, BWBW.

4/5 - I needed to hear this because the harmonies are great and it feels like a landmark supergroup album, since I'm not aware of a woman-led supergroup before this, though there probably was one. I'm not a huge country fan, but "Wildflowers" was a standout track for me.

3/5 - I guess I needed to hear one of the early outlaw country albums, but nothing here is going to stick with me.

2/5 - I needed to hear this only if I wanted to revisit the post-9/11 feeling. This feels very dated to me, and not a Bruce album I'd want to spend additional time with. Musically, this just doesn't do much at all, and lyrically, it's hard to engage for the first time with something that is so particular to a moment in time.

4.5 / 5 - I needed to hear this because I didn't think I could enjoy a 15 minute drum instrumental. This is the sort of album I'm here for. I have no idea of this is a good Fela Kuti live album or how much Ginger Baker is adding to the sound, but I listened all the way through twice, and to a couple tracks 3 times. Great groove. Would listen to more Fela Kuti. Rounding to 5 for the drums.

4/5 - I needed to hear this because I didn't know psychedelic voodoo was a thing. I thought it was trouble after the first track, but it got a lot more tuneful after that. The music here has a real "feel" and rhythm that I don't think I have the words to describe; it just kinda makes you move. "Mama Roux" and "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" were the standout tracks for me.

2/5 - I didn’t need to hear this. It has some interesting moments, but doesn’t leave me with any lasting impression other than over-produced rock with a singer who reminds me of Chris Martin. By no means is this a bad record, but it doesn’t belong on a list of albums I need to hear. “One Day Like This” was pretty good, but ought to end 1:30 earlier.

5/5 - I needed to hear this because I could put it on repeat all day. Admittedly, on first listen, I wouldn’t be able to tell this apart from any of a thousand other albums in this genre, but this hooked me. “Desafinado” and “Samba Dees Days” were my favorite tracks, but I enjoyed it the whole way through. Guitar playing was fantastic.

4/5 - I needed to hear this so I could hear Randy Newman beyond animated soundtracks and "I Love LA," as well as pay attention to his smart, biting lyrics. You can just see the sideways grin he's giving with songs like "Political Science" and "Burn On.” I don't love his voice, but I'm jealous of his songwriting talent.

3/5 - I probably didn’t need to hear this, but I enjoyed the singles, especially Fantastic Day. Their sound was overall pretty tight with the horns, and the songs were light and summery. Enjoyable but really dated. I guess they were bigger in the UK, because I hadn’t heard of them.

4/5 - I needed to hear this because the drums and guitar rip. Lyrics and Cookie Monster growling do zero for me. Obvious major influences from Master of Puppets and Slayer here. Dead Embryonic Cells and Desperate Cry were my favorites.

2/5 - I needed to hear this record so I could say I tried. It’s hard to access this album without a guide when it’s so far outside what I typically listen to, especially lyrically. Obviously, this is a landmark hip-hop album, and it will get plenty of high marks. I was fine with several songs, but when you’re not in on the joke on the skits, it’s annoying, and the album doesn’t invite spending more time on it.

5/5 - You need to hear this because Smith’s influence keeps living on. The whispered melodies and spare production keep the focus on the songwriting here, so I like this even more than XO I think. I’m glad this album came up because it had been a good long while since I sat with some of these songs. Great stuff.

4/5 - I needed to hear this because I am unfamiliar with the genre and this was a fun, easy listen. I wouldn’t have guessed this was from the 70s. Taj Mahal and the song after it were standouts for me.

5/5 - You need to hear this before you die because of the guitar tone of Tom Scholz. This is production perfection joined with great hooks and Brad Delp's voice. I've listened to this album hundreds of times, and it's a cornerstone of 70s classic rock.

5/5 - This is an example of why I started on this project — to be introduced to worthwhile recordings I would never have listened to on my own. This is way out of my usual listening tastes, but I absolutely enjoyed it. Would listen again.

1/5 - I most definitely did not need to hear this before I die. Britney Spears was a cultural phenomenon, but this album nose dives after the first track and hits bottom on “E-mail My Heart.” This album is laugh out loud, wretched pop written and produced by an exploitative factory.

I only made it through this because I had 9 hours of driving today, and it made all the other music feel like a savior.

3/5 - Why did I need to hear this album before I die? To fill in a gap of what I know about David Bowie. This isn’t a Bowie record I’m going to revisit, but Fascination and Right were both worth discovering. The collaboration with John Lennon was also new to me. I didn’t expect to hear a cover of Across the Universe.