Rated 6/10
An album that as such a great reputation, but not one I particularly appreciated. He's not a great singer, obviously, and I'm not sure his songwriting is as good as it is often said to be. A couple of clever lines here and there, but sounds dated and boring, and I'm not sure it would be held in such high regard if it came out now.
Rated 8/10
Very enjoyable, with great guests and engaging songs. Lots of spoken word to start and end the album, which was a bit weird. I really enjoyed it, but not quite enough for full marks. She came damn close though!
Rated 8/10
Weird and fun, with a couple of my favourite dance tunes - frontier psychiatrist being the absolute best. So many samples, from so many random places, that it can sound jumbled. But when they get it right, they get it so right!
Rated 4/10
He's lost his mind since this was recorded and released, to the point that I wasn't sure whether to listen to it. He's clearly not well, and maybe this album, with him framing himself as as deity, could be seen as the start of it.
It is not a great album, full of auto-tune and glitchy beats, and with only a couple of memorable songs.
Probably the biggest drop from his early work of any artist I have listened to.
Rated 4/10
Decent, for disco, although Lost in Music is a hypnotically great track. Some of the slower songs drag massively, and even the big hits are only decent. Involvement of Chic elevates it slightly, but I just didn't enjoy it enough for it to score very highly.
Rated 6/10
Really interesting to have an album starting with instructions for how to listen to it and an explanation of the instruments used. For all Shankar says his music is not jazz, it shares certain qualities - one of which is that I don't fully understand it!
I enjoyed this album, although like most instrumental pieces I found myself getting a little distracted - so maybe better as background music.
Rated 8/10
Pretty much what I expected from them at this point in their career - safe, over-produced, more effects than guitar playing, but still very enjoyable.
"...wild horses" and "the fly" probably my favourite tracks, but so many of them are classic rock staples already.
Rated 10/10
5
Before I even listen to it today, 5 🌟 on my love for the man, and this collection in particular.
After listening, I am reminded of the fragility and power of his voice, often in the same song, and the genius of the song choices and production work by Rick Rubin. I has also forgotten Fiona Apple shows up, and fits in perfectly with the mood and tone.
All in all a virtually perfect album, and one of a very small number that my dad and I would both have in our top handful of albums.
Rated 6/10
Like a more boring Mumford and Sons, with hints of (a poor facsimile of) Roddy Woomble's solo stuff. Decent, but unexciting, part of the wave of landfill folk that followed landfill indie for a few years.
White Winter Hymnal is the best track, but that's a bit like being the tallest dwarf.
Rated 10/10
Very good, one of the best pop artists at the top of her game. Probably wouldn't have been a 5 without Prince turning up, but he did, so ...
Cherish is a wee charmer, title track is obviously a classic, Dear Father and Oh Jessie are better then I remembered them being. And Prince is on this!
Probably my first 5 to a pop album, but fully deserved in my opinion.
Rated 4/10
Meh, sounds like no effort has been expended (which I accept may be their schtick) in either the music or lyrics. Trying to be cool, while trying to cover up any sign that it took any effort.
Like the audio equivalent of the "bed head" where it takes ages to make your hair look like you "just woke up".
Also, just not very good.
Rated 8/10
Very good, but maybe falls just short of "genius". Not by much though!
Rated 6/10
Background music, or instrumental tracks waiting for a rapper/singer/both to come along and finish them.
Sounds kind of like an audio showreel, to demonstrate a producer's work.
Not terrible, but interesting; good, just not great.
Rated 8/10
Solid if unspectacular, but maybe an album that would benefit from repeated listening. Sounds kind of like a lot of artists I love, so probably someone I could get into. Really torn on how to score this - might as well err on the side of generosity!
Rated 10/10
Classic, no idea how it could possibly be improved. Any collection that starts with Gimme Shelter and ends with You Can't Always Get What You Want, and doesn't drop off a cliff in between, is alright by me!
Rated 10/10
Flawless, my favourite album by one of my favourite bands. The card cheat and death and glory are two of the best rock songs, which are never really heard outside of this album. The big hits (title track, guns of Brixton, train in vain) are also great, but it is the breadth of their vision and influences that really stands out.
Perfection
1 🌟
Rated 2/10
Shite.
Shite singer, shite songs, shite production, shite lyrics.
The guy sings like he has been kicked in the plums, but I don't think we are that lucky. Would give it zero, or even less than that if I could.
Absolutely pish.
He can't sing, and is a Nazi, and isn't a good lyricist, and is a Nazi, and writes terrible music, and is a Nazi, and really puts the "pretentious" in "pretentious wanker", and also, and I can't stress this enough, is a Nazi.
0 🌟
Rated 4/10
Old and boring. Not terrible, just not good
Rated 4/10
Nah, not very good. Not actively painful, but pretty bad.
