Reviews by mattrickpow

Overall: 6/10

I think I would have liked this a bit more if it wasn't soooooo long. I don't ever want to listen to this much Skynyrd worship at once. That's my other problem, it's not very original. The concept of it is, but the music isn't. It pretty much feels like a tribute album in a way. They're obviously talented musicians and I enjoyed it for the most part but I had enough by the end of the first half. Made me want to listen to Tom Petty.

Fav Song: Zip City

Overall: 8/10

Aretha has such a powerful voice, I believe she could make any song feel huge and noteworthy. There's lots of covers on here, and Aretha makes almost all of them her own. Respect is considered one of the best songs of all time for a reason, it still has such a big impact and she turned it into more of a female empowerment song than whatever it was meant to be before.

Fav Song: Respect

Overall: 3/10

I tried. I really did. I wanted to finally have it click so I could experience what everyone else seems to be enjoying, but I have to be true to myself when I say that I just don't like Bruce Springsteen's music. I find the songs schmaltzy and corny and it doesn't help that he sounds like a dying horse to me. That's not to say there aren't moments of brilliance to be found. Badlands was a good way to open the album and I also really liked the outro to Racing in the Street. But these great moments are few and far between. Hopefully after listening to more of his albums I'll change my opinion, but I'd be lying if I said that I'm not dreading getting to those albums.

Fav Song: Badlands

Overall: 4/10

I would have enjoyed this a lot more if the vocals weren't so awful. Multiple people heard that falsetto before it got approved. That's infuriating. Other than that, the instrumentals are calm and pretty. I wish I liked this more but there's no getting past that voice.

Fav Song: All the King's Men

Overall: 7/10

It's sleazy and gross and sexual and it's honestly kind of a good time. There's lots of fun, hard rocking riffs in this album and Steven Tyler had a killer voice. I try not to let people's personal lives affect my rating, but that isn't gonna stop me from pointing out that Steven Tyler is a disgusting human being. If you can separate the art from the artist then you'll probably enjoy this one quite a bit.

Fav Song: Sweet Emotion

Overall: 6/10

This is my first real exposure to The Byrds. The harmonies on this album are so incredibly beautiful. The best part of it by far. There's a bit of a country feel on these songs, but I'd still call it a rock album. I actually think some of the songs would have benefitted from being a bit longer, as a lot of this album feels unfinished.

Fav Song: Goin' Back

Overall: 7/10

My first thought when this popped up was "damn, another electronica album!" I was not excited in the slightest. Then a couple tracks in, I realized how much I was actually enjoying this. It's certainly not without It's faults: it's repetitive, it has a couple annoying tracks and it's singles are way better than all the other tracks...but it's also heavy, loud and super fun to listen to. They certainly knew how to make dance music enjoyable outside of the club. I still won't listen to this a ton, as I feel overplaying it could lead to a change in opinion, but I really dig it right now.

Fav Song: Breathe

Overall: 8/10

Despite a couple droney tracks that I don't enjoy, this is a really solid effort, and I consider it to be the first true punk album. I love Iggy Pop, but he also wasn't in his most unhinged form yet. Totally worth listening to.

Fav Song: I Wanna Be Your Dog

Overall: 6/10

I've always been vaguely aware of Leonard Cohen as an artist, but I've somehow never heard any of his songs until today. That's pretty crazy to me considering how much of a legend he was in the music scene. With that being said, I'm a little sad this was my first exposure to him, as I can already tell this isn't even close to some of his best work. The production and songwriting here is stuck right in the 80s, a decade I have a very hit or miss relationship with. The same goes for the songs on this album, which aren't entirely terrible but there's just some strange instrumental choices that I can't get behind. On top of that, while Cohen is obviously a talented vocalist and godlike lyricist, his voice is a little too dull and droney for the type of music we find here. It's still a good album overall, but I really wish I had skimmed through some of his better songs beforehand to get a better forst impression of his music.

Fav Song: Take This Waltz

Overall: 6/10

Not something I think I'll listen to again, but I had a good time with it. There's a great amount of energy in these songs and you can tell the musicians had an amazing time making this. I think I might watch the documentary one day to find a better appreciation for this.

Fav Song: De Camino a la Vereda

Overall: 5/10

I hate to give an album made by two one of my favourite producers and one of my favourite musicians such a low rating, but this didn't wow me the way I was really hoping it would. There's lots of cool sounds being explored here, and moments that remind me of the best parts of both artists. I just can't get behind all the chanting. Maybe one day I'll enjoy it more, and I admittedly need to listen to more of Brian Eno's solo stuff, but for now it's a pass from me.

Fav Song: Moonlight in Glory

Overall: 5/10

There's lots of bongos on this album. The songs are fine. Don't know what else to say, you get what you expect.

Fav Song: Apache

Overall: 4/10

I enjoyed the Brazilian flavour added to what is essentially another repetitive and mediocre electronica album. I wouldn't say I hate it necessarily but there's way too many of these types of albums in this list. It's just not a genre I enjoy.

Fav Song: Segredo
Least Fav Song: Whatever, who cares?

Overall: 8/10

These boys were so much fun. I would say that this album hasn't aged as well as their other albums, but it doesn't stop me from having a good time. It's an incredibly influential album and there's a lot of cool samples that keep the songs interesting. MCA was one of the coolest dudes ever and he's always been the member that I gravitate towards when listening to these guys. They made better music after this but it's still so good.

Fav Song: Brass Monkey
Least Fav Song: Girls

Overall: 6/10

Painfully 80's (derogatory) but there's a lot to like here. Starting their album with one of the best songs ever written was certainly a choice, but one that leaves the listener wishing that every other aong was just as good as the first. After that, we're met with a very hit or miss album. Lots of stuff to dance to but not a lot of emotional substance. The vocals are truly out of this world though.

Fav Song: Take On Me
Least Fav Song: Love is Reason

Overall: 6/10

I really wanted to love this one, and I definitely enjoyed it for the most part, but it kind of droned on for me a little too much. I'm usually a fan of overly distorted guitar (bands like Dinosaur Jr. and My Bloody Valentine do it great) but I feel like with these guys it doesn't immediately wow me. The songwriting itself is actually pretty strong, with some of them being more melodic than I had expected. If someone told me this was their favourite album of all time, I'd tell them it was a great choice even if it's not for me.

Fav Song: Inside Me
Least Fav Song: In a Hole

Overall: 7/10

Louis has such an instantly recognizable, infectious voice that puts you in a good mood as soon as you hear it. This is such a fun album to listen to and all the songs are very catchy. I also enjoy Keely Smith's contributions, her voice fits this music perfectly. The songs started to sound similar after a while but it didn't stop me from enjoying the album overall.

Fav Song: Just a Gigolo/Ain't Got Nobody
Least Fav Song: Body and Soul

Overall: 10/10

SLAYYEEEERRRRR

Imagine my delight when I opened the generator to find this pop up while wearing my Slayer shirt. Coincidence??? Yes.

In my opinion, this is one of the best metal albums of all time. The riffs are heavy, the lyrics are messed up and the vocals match. There's obviously heavier albums out there but I just think this has aged so well and hasn't lost it's spark. Plus it's such a short album that you could listen to it multiple times a day, which I love.

I also have to give a shoutout to Dave Lombardo. What an absolute beast behind the drumkit. He adds so much to Slayer's sound and I wish the band gave him the credit that he deserves.

Fav Song: Jesus Saves
Least Fav Song: Altar of Sacrifice

Overall: 4/10

I'm sorry to say that this just wasn't for me. The talent is obviously there, and the one thing that really stood out to me was the piano playing. Unfortunately, I'm not only not a fan of her voice but I also don't like her lyrics. I found so much of it strange in a bad way, which is weird because I love strange artists. Maybe I'll come back to this later in life and discover what I'm missing, but right now it's not something I plan on revisiting.

Fav Song: Winter
Least Fav Song: Girl

Overall: 8/10

So artsy and fun. Lots of beautiful melodies and it quite honestly felt like a broadway musical at times. I'd say there were a couple songs that I didn't enjoy enough to bring down the rating but it was overall a great time. Very worth listening to.

Fav Song: Victoria
Least Fav Song: She Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina