Reviews by k-dot-r

Awesome vocals, dull repetitive music. But they're Scottish, and Liz Fraser is a genius.

The succes of this was one of the rare occasions where the biggest star in the world is also really really good - it should be true more often! A brilliant second album, which really shows off her voice and song-writing (& song-choosing).
A modern masterpiece - and still probably her best and most consistent work.

Nice background music, but doesn't grab the attention like some other albums. One big hit, but it doesn't really stand out among the rest - maybe it just caught the ear of the right person (dj, label boss, plugger) at the right time.

Very different to their later work - more blues & soul than rock n roll - but still pretty good. No real hint of the money making juggernaut they would become, and barely any songs they wrote themselves, but evocative of the time and place, and highly enjoyable

Have you ever seen those shows where Gordon Ramsay or Jamie Oliver or whoever go to some distant country and try all the food, then cook their own version and claim it's better - basically because it was done by brits? This album is the musical version - a bunch of technically proficient facsimiles of styles and genres that these chumps presumably love, but can't stop themselves from trying to "improve". They presumably hope this makes them seem cultured and worldly, but to me it just reeks of entitlement and privilege.
Not the worst album, but one of the most irritating. Car adverts have a lot to answer for - why didn't they use the original Brazilian song? (read the wiki!)
These lot would have been better setting up a label or becoming radio presenters, if they actually wanted to promote and celebrate the music they are instead ripping off. Good luck to them i guess, but very much not for me.

Wonderful - like a warm hug on a cold day. An artist I have never appreciated before this, but now have a huge admiration for. A great voice, interesting songs (lyrically and musically) - all round, a brilliant album

Noisy, messy, deceptively simple, plenty of variety, a nod to the past while shaping the future - it's safe to say I'm a fan!

Very modern and expensive sounding, with really interesting guest appearances.

Very cool, like not much I had ever heard before, and apparently the only Congolese album on the list. A worthy inclusion, if only to raise the profile of the music of sub-saharan Africa.

Too many songs - even though some of them are pretty good. Sounds like an American version of The Divine Comedy - although not quite as good in my opinion. This felt like a bit of a slog at points; given it is basically three albums in one - and close to three hours long - this isn't much of a surprise. Enough there that I would be happy to hear more from them though - just not 170+ minutes at once!

One of my favourite artists, with his solo debut, was always going to score highly. I'm not 100% sure it deserves full marks, but I'm damn sure that's what it is getting.
He has such power to create a vision or a world, especially here where he doesn't need to compromise even a little. Some tracks are fairly raw, and great, and others have had a bit more production put into them, and are also great!

Lovefool stands out as the most obvious single - although I'm less sure it would if it hadn't been such a big hit! The cover song (no spoilers) is mega surprising, but still works (sort of). A pretty consistent effort, and I love Nina's voice, but it's mostly background music for me - albeit very good background music.

Great memories, much nostalgia, very fun

Wonderfully insane French rambling nonsense - I loved it! Hundreds of different styles and feelings, all with a cheeky nod to silliness. Great fun, and a great album

The most prog out of everything ever. A bewildering array of styles and sounds, but always overblown to the point of nonsense. I still liked it though!

Beautiful voice, majestic lyrics, absolutely flawless.

Very very fun - with one all time classic single - on a rope is genuinely one of my favourite songs of the 90s! The rest is less memorable, but still really enjoyable. Very nearly 5 🌟 for me

Very very weird, and very very good. Almost like an afrocentric sci-fi concept album, about aliens and medical malpractice. At points it sounds like the afrofuturism of the previous decade, but with a tonne more swearing, at other times he is staking a claim to his place (Kool Keith, not the good Dr.) as a progenitor of early hip-hop. Absolutely fascinating and engaging, and possibly the most memorable album I have had so far.

This is like nothing else out there - and I loved every strange minute of it!

Middling British indie - like a few others on the list! Pleasant enough, and pretty nostalgic for me, but probably not an essential for future generations.

Really enjoyable, I loved the story-telling in particular. Not sure it needed so many skits and interludes, but I also know this is the way most hip-hop albums flow, so it would perhaps sound oddly like a compilation without them. I think I prefer his debut, but this is still solidly 5 🌟 for me.
An underappreciated artist in my opinion, and one who deserves much more recognition.