Reviews by kitch82

I’ve always loved The Streets, they’re one of the defining sounds of my youth. When A Grand Don’t Come for Free came up today, I even had to check whether I’d already had Original Pirate Material in the last 800+ albums… surprisingly, I haven’t. It must be coming soon.

This is a really solid album, but for me it still sits just behind Original Pirate Material. I was surprised to see how many low ratings it gets. Maybe it’s because it’s so British and so rooted in a very specific time and place. For me, that’s exactly what makes it work.

The beats are catchy, the storytelling is sharp, and the whole thing plays out like a proper narrative. It captures everyday life in a very South London way, which gives it a lot of charm and authenticity. It might not be for everyone, but I think there’s a lot to enjoy here.

Favourite tracks: Fit But You Know It has always been a favourite. Blinded by the Lights and Dry Your Eyes are proper standout moments as well.
Least favourite tracks: What Is He Thinking? and Such a Twat don’t really land for me and feel like weaker points on the album.
Album artwork: Love the cover, it fits the tone of the album perfectly.

The Visitors by ABBA was quite different to what I expected. Like most people, I’ve heard the hits countless times, but I’ve rarely listened to a full ABBA album from start to finish. What stood out here is how well it works as a complete piece of music.

It may not be packed with the big, instantly recognisable hits, but it feels more cohesive and tells a stronger overall story. The production is fantastic, really polished without losing any warmth. Frida’s vocals are superb throughout, and there’s still plenty of those catchy, classic ABBA melodies.

It’s a really strong album that surprised me in a good way.

Favourite tracks: Slipping Through My Fingers, One of Us
Least favourite tracks: Like an Angel Passing Through My Room is a bit too slow and didn’t quite do it for me
Album artwork: Cool album cover

Going into Paris 1919, I was expecting something a bit more in line with The Velvet Underground — experimental, edgy and a little bit different. Instead, what I got was a fairly straightforward, orchestral folk-pop album that didn’t quite land for me.

There are moments where you can hear glimpses of that Velvet Underground influence, but they’re few and far between. The album leans heavily into orchestration, and while it sounds polished, the songwriting and lyrics feel a bit underwhelming. It’s not a bad listen, but it never really grabs you or gives you a reason to come back.

There are a couple of decent moments, but overall it just feels quite forgettable.

Favourite tracks: Paris 1919 is decent enough
Least favourite tracks: Child’s Christmas in Wales felt very dull, along with a few others
Album artwork: Good album cover

I was very happy to see Roxy Music come up today. I’m fully in my Roxy Music era at the moment. I think their first couple of albums with Brian Eno are superb, so I was really looking forward to this.

This feels properly ahead of its time. For 1972, it sounds like nothing else that was around. It’s avant garde, innovative, experimental, but still somehow really stylish and classy.

The sound is hard to pin down, which is part of what makes it so good. There’s pop, jazz, a bit of 60s influence, and the early signs of glam rock all mixed together. It shouldn’t work as well as it does, but it really does. The lyrics lean heavily into romance, with that constant theme of love, longing, and heartbreak running throughout.

Favourite tracks: Virginia Plain is one of the favourite Roxy tunes
Least favourite tracks: Sea Breezes feels quite different to the rest and a bit too whimsical for me.
Album artwork: Brilliant cover. Roxy were known for bold, stylish, and slightly provocative artwork, and this is no different.

1989 by Taylor Swift is far better than I ever expected. It’s a proper pop masterclass. Not the kind of album I’d usually reach for, but I have to admit it’s a really enjoyable listen.

There’s just hit after hit on here. Welcome to New York takes me straight back to one of my favourite places and some great trips, and I Know Places is another strong track. Lyrically, Swift is on point throughout, and the music and production is superb. She is polished.

It’s one of those albums where you can see exactly why it’s so big. Even if it’s not my usual style, it’s hard not to respect how good it is.

Favourite tracks: Style and Blank Space are both great songs.
Least favourite tracks: Every track is a strong pop song, nothing feels out of place.
Album artwork: Classic Swift cover.

I was excited when I saw Cloud 9 come up. I don’t know loads about The Temptations, but every time I hear them, I end up loving it.

This album doesn’t disappoint at all. It’s a great listen from start to finish. You’ve got standout tracks like the title track, Runaway Child, and their version of I Heard It Through the Grapevine, which is right up there with Marvin Gaye’s. The production is superb, the musicianship is top class, and the basslines in particular are brilliant. There are also a few longer jams on here that really work and give the album a different edge.

It just feels like a band at the top of their game, trying new things and pulling it off.

Favourite tracks: Cloud 9 is a great tune and the clear standout for me.
Least favourite tracks: There isn’t a bad song on the album.
Album artwork: Cool cover, very much of its time.

Well this was a bit of a mission to even get started. I spent the first half hour this morning listening to completely the wrong album via Apple Music before realising it was a remake by his son. That version wasn’t great. I eventually found the original Call of the Valley by Shivkumar Sharma on YouTube, which was a much better experience.

The actual album is musically haunting and genuinely beautiful. It’s very chilled, very relaxed, and works perfectly as background music. You can just let it wash over you. That said, it does lack variety. It all blends into one long, continuous piece, and while it’s lovely, it doesn’t really give you any standout moments to hold onto.

I can appreciate how good it is, but it’s not something I’d go back to. It feels more like an experience than an album you revisit for specific tracks.

Favourite tracks: Ahir Bhairav_Nat Bhairav is probably the closest to a standout, although it could have been a bit shorter.
Least favourite tracks: It all blends into one, so nothing really stands out either way.
Album artwork: Nice, simple cover that fits the tone of the music.

I had never heard of Moby Grape before, and didn’t recognise a single track on this album, so I went into it with no expectations at all.

On paper, this should be right up my street. San Francisco 60s pop rock is usually a safe bet for me, and there are definitely some great moments here. But it’s a bit of a mixed bag. For every lively, engaging track, there’s a slower, meandering ballad that doesn’t really go anywhere and takes the momentum out of the album.

There just aren’t enough songs in the mould of Come in the Morning, which has a real spark to it and shows what the band can do at their best. Too often, things drift along without leaving much of an impression, and that makes parts of the album feel longer than they should.

Favourite tracks: Come in the Morning is a great tune and easily the standout for me.
Least favourite tracks: The slower songs drag a bit, especially Naked, If I Want To.
Album artwork: A pretty standard 60s cover, nothing special but fits the era.

A bit of drum and bass on a lovely first Sunday of spring. Today’s listen is New Forms by Roni Size, and I’ll be honest, I went into this knowing it might be a challenge.

It’s definitely different from a lot of what I’ve heard so far on this journey, and I always try to give something like this a fair go. But my optimism didn’t last long. For me, this is nearly two hours of very little happening. It just rolls on and on without ever really grabbing hold.

I can appreciate the sound and what it’s trying to do, but it all blends into one. Track after track feels the same, with the occasional vocal breaking things up, but not enough to create any real standout moments. There’s nothing here that I’d go back to, and equally nothing that stands out as particularly bad. It just sits in the middle, a bit flat and forgettable.

Favourite tracks: I genuinely couldn’t pick one, it all blurred into the same sound.
Least favourite tracks: Could be any of them, nothing stood out.
Album artwork: Fair play, it’s actually a pretty cool cover.

Back In Black by AC/DC was today’s listen and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected.

This album is loud, fun and aggressive in all the right ways. It knows exactly what it is and doesn’t try to be anything else. The riffs are massive, the energy is relentless, and it just feels like a proper rock album from start to finish. It is one of those albums you can put on at any time and it just works.

Favourite tracks: Back In Black, Hells Bells and You Shook Me All Night Long are all brilliant.
Least favourite tracks: Nothing feels out of place, every track does its job.
Album artwork: Simple and iconic, suits the album perfectly.

I’ve always thought Crosby, Stills & Nash were better together than apart, but I was still looking forward to giving If I Could Only Remember My Name by David Crosby a proper listen.

Crosby has a brilliant voice and that really carries the album. There is a lot going on musically, it’s quite loose and atmospheric, and at times it feels more like a collection of ideas and jams than a structured album. That said, I did enjoy it. It is very easy to listen to and works well in the background, but it does lack those standout tracks that pull you back in for repeat listens.

Favourite tracks: Cowboy Movie is a great tune.
Least favourite tracks: Every track earns its place, nothing feels out of place.
Album artwork: Cool cover, I like it.

Natty Dread by Bob Marley & The Wailers is my third Bob Marley album on this challenge, and I’ve enjoyed all of them so far. It’s not usually my go-to genre, but it’s such an easy and enjoyable listen, with really powerful and meaningful songs throughout.

Like the previous albums, this is consistently strong. The opening two tracks are superb and set the tone straight away. The whole album is full of groove, a touch of blues, and lyrics that still feel relevant and impactful today.

Favourite tracks: No Woman, No Cry is a beautiful song. Natty Dread is also a standout
Least favourite tracks: Every track earns its place on the album
Album artwork: An iconic Bob Marley cover

Today’s album was Walking Wounded by Everything But The Girl. When I saw this come up I wasn’t particularly excited, but it actually turned out to be a really enjoyable listen.

The first two tracks are very strong. Before Today and Wrong both stand out straight away with great music and solid lyrics. It starts the album off really well and pulls you in.

This is very 90s in sound, really chilled and easy to listen to. It’s the kind of album you can just have on and let it run. My only issue is the lack of variation. As it goes on, a lot of the tracks start to sound quite similar and it loses a bit of impact.

Favourite tracks: Wrong and Before Today are great songs and make for a very strong start
Least favourite tracks: There isn’t a bad track on here, it just becomes a bit samey as it goes on
Album artwork: I remember this cover from my youth, still a good one

I went into Devil Without a Cause by Kid Rock fully expecting to hate it and, if I’m honest, it didn’t take long to confirm that feeling. I tried to give it a fair chance and listen with an open mind, but it really does feel like over an hour of brash, wrestling-style rock.

The album sounds incredibly dated, rooted firmly in that late-90s rap-rock crossover that hasn’t aged well. The lyrics are a real sticking point what might have been intended as humour comes across as crude, misogynistic, and ultimately pretty empty. Musically, there’s energy, but not much depth, and it quickly becomes repetitive.

If this is considered a defining moment for rap-rock, it’s not exactly a glowing endorsement of the genre. There are fleeting moments where it almost clicks, but they’re few and far between.

Favourite tracks: Wasting Time (just about)
Least favourite tracks: Most of the album, to be honest
Album artwork: Feels very on-brand, loud, brash, and not exactly subtle

Dr. John is a new discovery for me, so I was looking forward to listening to Gris-Gris today.

I actually had to listen to this album twice before forming a proper opinion. On the first listen there was so much going on that it was hard to take it all in. It’s full of variety and difficult to place neatly into a single genre. On the second listen it made a lot more sense and I enjoyed it much more.

I really like Dr. John’s unique style of psychedelic funk. The album feels very distinctive and original, and it has aged surprisingly well.

My only real negative is the whistling that appears throughout parts of the album. For me it wasn’t really needed and did start to get on my nerves a bit.

Favourite tracks: Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya, Jump Sturdy, and I Walk on Guilded Splinters are all great tunes.

Least favourite tracks: Every song feels like it has a place on the album and contributes something to the overall sound.

Album artwork: A fairly standard psychedelic late-60s cover, but it fits the music well.

Djam Leelii by Baaba Maal is one of those albums that probably needs to be reviewed a little differently. It’s clearly not something I would normally listen to, but that’s really the whole point of this challenge — discovering music that sits outside my usual taste.

So I’ll start with the positives. The guitar work and drumming on the album are really cool, and there are some great musical moments throughout. I particularly enjoyed the music on Maacina Tooro, which has a really strong groove.

On the negative side, I struggled with the vocals. His voice just felt quite grating to me. The album is also fairly long, and after a while it began to sound repetitive, almost like the same musical ideas being repeated again and again.

Favourite tracks: Djam Leelii was quite a nice song musically.

Least favourite tracks: Most of the tracks aren’t something I would normally listen to or return to.

Album artwork: A bit of a messy cover , I’m not entirely sure what’s going on there.

I’ve always wanted to like the Beastie Boys. I’ve tried listening to them on many occasions but never really understood what all the fuss was about. Ill Communication is today’s listen, so I was curious to see if this would change my mind.

I completely understand how important they are and how they were trying to do something different. Sabotage is a great tune, but as a whole I found the album quite a tough listen. It actually took me most of the day to get through the 20 tracks, even though the album only runs for about an hour.

Overall, I thought it was just OK. Nothing really jumped out and made me think “what a great track.” As you might expect from early 90s hip hop, some of the lyrics also feel pretty dated and out of place today.

Favourite tracks: Sabotage and Futterman’s Rule.

Least favourite tracks: A lot of the album felt quite dull to me and didn’t really hold my attention.

Album artwork: A cracking image and very recognisable.

This is my second Curtis Mayfield record. I listened to There’s No Place Like America Today back in 2024 and wasn’t that impressed, so I was curious to see what I’d make of Super Fly.

This record is smooth and cool from start to finish. The music is fantastic, with great percussion alongside the strings and horns. The lyrics are sharp, and the album is short but packed with classic, smooth soul. It’s a really fun listen and flows beautifully.

Listening to this actually makes me think I should give There’s No Place Like America Today another go. Maybe I was a bit harsh with that 2/5 score.

Favourite tracks: Little Child Runnin’ Wild is a really cool tune.

Least favourite tracks: Honestly, every song on here is enjoyable.

Album artwork: The cover is perfect for the album and instantly recognisable.

I didn’t really enjoy Unhalfbricking by Fairport Convention when I reviewed it earlier in this challenge. I usually give 60s British folk a wide berth, but I was interested to see what Liege & Lief would be like today.

Unfortunately, this one isn’t really for me either. It’s very whimsical and often feels like the soundtrack to Robin Hood. The singer has a lovely voice and there is some great musicianship throughout, but it’s not an album I can truly get into.

Favourite tracks: I quite enjoyed the instrumental medley The Lark in the Morning. It was lively and played at a great pace. I actually listened to it two or three times today.

Least favourite tracks: Many of the songs blend into what feels like folk nothingness to me. Overall, I struggled to enjoy this album.

Album artwork: When I think of Fairport Convention, this is the cover that comes to mind. It’s probably their most recognisable image.

This is my second R.E.M. album in seven days. Automatic for the People is one I’ve always loved, so I was really looking forward to today’s listen. I still can’t decide between this and Document as the best R.E.M. album, both are superb.

The album starts brilliantly. The first four tracks are incredibly strong, with powerful lyrics and fantastic music. It also finishes beautifully with Nightswimming and Find the River, two of the most delicate and moving songs on the record. Listening again reminded me just how much I enjoy this album and how I really should play it more often.

Favourite tracks: All the big songs are superb. I love The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, Everybody Hurts, and Drive. There are also some brilliant hidden gems like Sweetness Follows and Monty Got a Raw Deal.

Least favourite track: I’m not sure New Orleans Instrumental No. 1 really adds much, but I’m being very picky here.

Album artwork: An iconic cover that perfectly matches the mood of the music.