Reviews by mkaddour2001

I don't hear this one talked about as much as their other 80s releases, aside from people mentioning that the bass is "barely" present. Compared to other Metallica albums, I find it a bit too samey without enough variance on the instrumental side; hammering home that skeletal thrash metal formula for a majority of this album. I do enjoy the opening to the song 'One', which was a much-needed switch-up at that point in the album - though at times it does just feel like a reworked version of 'Fade to Black'. Lyrically, the political undertones stick out more than on their other albums - which I appreciate.

Overall wasn't crazy about this one - but I can't say I hated it either - still some kickass riffs to admire here.

My second Billie Holiday album and the one where her appeal and style really resonated with me. The album's comprised of these grainy orchestral passages that back Holiday's raspy vocals. There's a subtle dissonance between the two where it feels like two entirely different sonic planes colliding, almost like technicolor in music form. Nevertheless, it yields very lush results. Vocally, Holiday emits something very tragic and defeated, with a distinct rasp and lowkey quality to her performances and her writing. The lyrics are often contemplative - hinting at the loss of a sour yet meaningful relationship. These ideas are most clearly seen in 'I'm a Fool to Want You' and 'Glad to Be Unhappy'.

Beautifully tragic is the best way to describe this album - especially considering it came out shortly before her passing. The feelings of longing, nostalgia, and melancholy illustrated here continue to prove that Holiday was one of the most talented and "scenic" vocalists of the 50s.

While I do prefer Michael Jackson's later endeavors that dove into more new-wavey and RnB sounds (particularly 'Thriller' and 'Bad'), I can't deny the unique charm conveyed by his early-career classic. The disco elements are effective, albeit boilerplate, but still sparkly, glamorous, and pristine. Quincy's production here is undeniable, everything from the horns to the unique percussive passages absolutely pop. And Michael provides that iconic falsetto style here. While I find his melodies, songwriting, and performances less magnificent and bold generally, they still work as complementary to the music.

I mean we're talking about the king of pop here - who'd go on to release some of the greatest songs in the history of popular music. So considering that, I do admittedly find this album to be on the weaker side of his "iconic" releases (which is saying a lot). There are still some incredible songs here like the two openers, 'Get on the Floor', and the slow-burner 'She's Out of My Life'. It's still a great release, if a bit antiquated and repetitive.

It's almost a shame that I find the production here relatively generic when it comes to this prominent country singer-songwriter style because I genuinely found John Prine to be one of the most incredible writers in this genre. He does anecdotal writing similar to Bob Dylan, telling his story through a large array of different characters - 'Pretty Good' especially reminded me a lot of Highway 61's era Dylan with its absurd imagery and rock-tinge. 'Sam Stone' is devastating and one of the many anti-war songs here. All the writing here is beautiful, existential, and surreal.

I called the production generic, but it's still very fitting and enjoyable despite it being made up of your typical acoustic and steel-pedal guitar combo. There were still some interesting moments like that atmospheric sound hanging in the background of 'Six O'Clock News'. More than anything though, this is an album that I'll remember for the bleak, yet whimsical world it builds.

My very first Elton John album and one I was excited to dive into considering I generally enjoy the title track. Aside from that ambitious, foreboding synth opening, this album has quite the established formula encompassing its hour-plus runtime. It's a formula that's hard to hate though, perfectly capturing that gleeful 70s piano rock sound with many memorable melodies and a very distinctly light piano style performed primarily by Elton himself. It's good fun all the way through which is all I was really hoping for out of this. I will say though, I generally enjoy the slower ballad-type tracks like 'Candle in the Wind' and 'Roy Rogers' as opposed to the rockier tracks like 'Saturday Night's Alright'.

While I mentioned there is a "formula" here to be lulled into on this relatively long experience, there was never really a moment where the songs sounded too alike or anything - probably because of the generally diverse sonic palate. While not every song hits (I can't say I liked 'Jamaica Jerk-off' or 'Dirty Little Girl'), the sheer amount of great 70s bops here makes up for it.

You never really hear *good* things about Elvis in modern-day music discussion. A man depicted as a thief more than a pioneer and is effectively a symbol representing the well-documented appropriation of Rock N' Roll. While that's a fair assessment - many artists who have shamelessly plagiarized (like Led Zeppelin) seem to have an easier time getting off the hook. Not to say these two are in the same situation - but it leads me to think that the quality of music and resonance with modern-day youth plays a large part in reaching a consensus on such artists.

Nevertheless, I tried to put all that aside when listening to this album which I found to be mostly enjoyable. Oddly enough, I get a more Country, RnB, and Soul vibe off many of these songs as opposed to typical Rock N' Roll or Blues. Elvis' deep, crooning style makes this all sound intimate, almost like you're at some sort of private show. I also enjoy the backing female vocals across this album, especially on 'Long Black Limousine'. The quaint piano and string-led songs are the best - I certainly prefer them to the country-inspired ones with my favorite being the cinematic-sounding 'Any Day Now'.

While not blown away by any means, I'd be lying if I said this was anything but a short little album filled with nice late-60s bops.

Fiona's latest record is one I've heard a lot about and was excited to revisit after enjoying her debut so much (upon revisiting it that is). Rough, analog, abrasive, frantic production alongside an interesting and diverse set of tribal and raw percussive and rhythmic elements with a borderline jazzy feel encompass this album's core sound. The rawness of it all is the real draw here; gone are the clean and poppy aspects of her earlier works. As Fiona's songwriting typically goes, she's not afraid to get personal regarding her past relationships, experiences, and future desires. She grapples with escaping her own prison on the title track alongside sexual violence issues faced by women on 'For Her'. Fiona also explores patterns and cycles of abuse in 'Relay' and 'Newspaper' as expressed through toxic or shallow relationships - vividly depicted in 'Ladies' and 'Drumset'. All the songwriting here is sound and easy to follow along with - yet it's undeniably dense and colorful - I especially love her middle-school tales on 'Shameika'. Vocally, this album contains some of Fiona's most powerful and expressive performances; her growly, explosive voice rattling the mix at times. At other times, her mellow and lowkey delivery (like on the title track) gives this album a nice balanced and holistic feel.

This expectedly great release by Fiona Apple demonstrates the artist's longevity and proves that no other songwriter is doing it quite like her.

Some great mid-60s mod and rock'n roll presented here on the Who's debut. While not every song stuck the landing for me, there were some incredibly predictive moments here relating to the sounds of pop, rock, and punk yet to come. Obviously the title track 'My Generation' is mind-blowing - I love Daltry's stuttering vocals, The Ox's bass interludes, those insane power chords, the backing vocals, and that cacophonous ending. It's truly a magnificent song. Aside from that, the album absolutely breezes by with some great tracks filling up its relatively short run time. I love the warm harmonies on 'The Kids Are Alright', that shimmering ahead-of-its-time guitar tone kicking off the garage-influenced 'The Good's Gone', and the proto-punk and noise-rock masterpiece that is the closer 'The Ox'.

While 'The Who' would go on to do more ambitious and colorful things with their music, this album captures a uniquely influential sound and time in English Rock N' Roll history. It's also just really enjoyable.

This is probably my favorite Common album and a gleaming piece of 2000s hip-hop amid a very uncertain era for the genre. Kanye's soulful and golden-age production works beautifully in fully realizing Common's wholesome, thoughtful, and open attitude which was ever-so-slightly missing from previous releases. The opener is one of my favorite songs of all time and never fails to fill me with goosebumps. The way the beat builds up to this orchestral and epic piece under Common's incredible depictions of life and all of its grievances. One of my favorite lyrics of all time is "...If Imma do it, I gotta change the word through her" talking about his daughter. Lyrically he perfectly sets the tone with this opener. Everything that follows is just as enjoyable and well conveyed. Be that the more socially conscious 'The Corner' featuring The Last Poets, or the incredible live rendition of 'The Food' from the Chappelle show. I always enjoyed how Common uses that backing sample on 'Testify' to tell his twist-ending story. 'Chi-City' has such an undeniably slick 2000s-era hip-hop beat, it's almost an era-defining beat. The closer 'It's Your World' nicely wraps up those themes of "Being" with a great spoken word portion. I really think this album boasts some of Kanye's best production ever and Dilla does an incredible job with this closer as well - love the way the horn and string samples collide on it.

As much as I love Common's 'Like Water For Chocolate', I find it bloated at times and I think the beats here complement Common's conscious, bright, and understanding rhyme style way more. He does have one of the best voices in the genre.

When that fat and chunky double-bass sample hits at the beginning of 'Excursions', a feeling of unfiltered joy rushes through me knowing I get to listen to this thing again. This was one of the many albums that had me falling in love with old-school hip-hop back in the day. There was a period in my life where every morning kicked off with that bass sample on 'Excursions'. It's "hip-hop" and "rap" music in its purest, unadulterated form. The beats are blunt and dusty - never feeling too clean or calculated. Their jazzy components are spacious, dark, and warm enough to effectively form pockets for the rhymes of Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and all the features here. 'Buggin' Out' is one of the greatest songs. Period. I mean holy that bass sample kills, the drums slap, it's mixed beautifully, and the witty back and forth between Tip and Phife is unconventionally addictive. Their rapping is so perfect here: "'Oh yo he's acting stank' really on a regal?". The light touches of synth driving the Phife-exclusive 'Butter' highlighting his women's trouble is another flawless cut. I love the stark criticisms of the music industry on 'Show Business' featuring Tribe affiliate Lord Jamar of Brand Nubian. That guitar interlude on 'Vibes and Stuff' is serene, the way the beat coasts on 'Check the Rhime' rules, and 'What?' is consistently hilarious and witty. Then of course we got the posse-cut standard that is 'Scenario' with a memorable verse from a young Busta Rhymes closing off the entire album.

Perfection would be an understatement - this is how you tightly package a sonic idea and conceptual motif into something bite-sized yet still grand in its presentation. It's an album that masters the art of consistency. In other words, rap didn't sound like this until 'The Low-End Theory', and rap hasn't sounded like this since 'The Low-End Theory'.

Soulful, Afrocentric, and ambitiously lengthy, Common's release at the turn of the millennium stands as one of the most beautiful fusions of neo-soul ethos and traditionalist jazz rap. The production crew is incredible here, with standouts like J DIll, D'Angelo, and DJ Premier taking notes from similar groups like the Root, Black Star, and the Pharcyde to sculpt these funky, light, and undeniably cool beats. I love the funky drive of the song 'Heat', the stripped-back clunk of songs like 'A Film Called (PIMP)', and that stuttering sample flips on 'The 6th Sense'. Common himself has a standout voice, both literally and figuratively, and it's clear that with this album, he set out to use that welcoming voice to present topics he felt were most important to him. I love his depictions of culture on the song 'The 6th Sense' alongside that slick Bilal hook. 'The Questions' with Mos Def is probably the most consistently enjoyable song here and I love Macy Gray's version of 'Geto Heaven'. I have to shout out 'Thelonious', not only because of how slick the beat and Slum Village features are but also because it has Dilla tearing it up on the mic also. I can't not mention the emotionally powerful and intriguing string-backed story of Black Panther member Assata Shakur on 'A Song for Assata' which has a gorgeous chorus by CeeLo Green.

Just some incredible hip-hop that, musically and conceptually, was rejecting the sounds that were being ushered in at the turn of the millennium. So many great songs here that exhibit both Common's lyrical prowess, and the beat-making ability of his peers.

Perfect music to just space out to. The sparseness of this UK Garage release works in this album's favor in that sense - but it also left me hoping for something more, instrumentally speaking. The 2-step drum patterns are slick and the strange flourishes of piano laced throughout work well enough to create an overall enjoyable vibe. It's also very diverse - the direct RnB cut 'Rough Out Here', for instance, is so far removed from the opener. The main standout of this album was its features. My favorites were the neo-soul and rnb-styled singing and riffing of Elizabeth Troy and the MC'ing of Danny Vicious. It works wonders when they band together on the short punchy 'MJ FM Interlude'. In general, though, my favorite song had to be 'Crazy Love', I loved Elisabeth on this one.

While its briskness was charming and hypnotic and there were some strange standout moments instrumentally like the ominous string-driven 'Strung Out', I was still left wanting more out of this album—still an enjoyable first album by MJ Cole.

Cool Chicago Soul and Funk record - though admittedly it doesn't stand out for me as much as some of Curtis Mayfield's earlier works like 'Curtis' or certain songs of 'Superfly'. All the instrumentals here are spacey and vibrant - be that the horns, the saxophone on 'Love to the People', or that defiant bass on the opener 'Billy Jack'. There's also a decent cover of Baby Huey's 'Hard Times', one of my favorite Chicago soul songs (though it is missing some of the oomph of the original). Obviously, I have nothing bad to say about Curtis' singing - his falsetto-styled singing works beautifully over these instrumentals. Lyrically, again, it didn't stick out as much as some of the songs earlier in his career.

With all that said, this is still a solid, tight little soul album that goes by relatively fast. Delightful stuff.

'The Downward Spiral' is a perfect example of beauty in cacophony and comfort in noise. While a bit difficult at first, once I'm locked into the groove (for me, it's usually when I get to the song 'Closer'), I am fully immersed in its cyborg, synthetic fusions of alternative rock and electronic music. Relatively straightforward drum and synth grooves are overdubbed with layers of impalpable distortion and noise - like with the first half or 'Ruiner'. It feels like the traditional hard rock formula from the 70s is mangled into something dystopian on this album to an unrecognizable degree. With that said, the band also knows exactly when to slow it down to fit the narrative - like on the gorgeously ambient 'A Warm Place' or the painfully tragic 'Hurt'

The "mechanization" of the hard-rock genre into industrial perfectly fits the overarching story put on display here as Trent Reznor describes the gruesome process of losing his humanity and turning into a machine, most evident in a song like 'The Becoming'. Troubled lyrics paralleling Reznor's real-life grapples with depression are delivered through contrasting means - be that faint whispers or clipping screams - juxtaposing feelings of both anger and defeat through the inability to act. Obviously, there's more to the story when analyzing the specific songs - as self-loathing related to sexual desires and religion also play a big part in building the concept here.

Many albums attempt to deliver a sort of 'Downward Spiral' effect with their concept albums, but few have been as effective, both instrumentally and lyrically, as this one. By the time I get to the song 'Hurt', I'm always emotionally drained.

This was a very tough album to gauge upon first listen - so I feel I'll need a few more to fully form an opinion. I'll still discuss my initial thoughts regardless. I'd say I was relatively lukewarm on the approach the production took here - it's a tad too clean and inconsistent for me. I do enjoy certain moments, particularly the bluesy switch-up on the song 'Ground for Divorce', and the triumphant strings driving the baroque-inspired 'One Day Like This'.

The fact that I wasn't too huge on the production was unfortunate because lyrically and conceptually, I was fully engrossed in what this album was offering. Guy Garvey throws a few intimately melancholic love songs into the mix, but quite a few songs also tackle issues of addiction and loneliness in captivating ways like 'The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver'. Reading into it more, the album in its entirety is dedicated to the late band member Bryan Glancy who is the "Seldom Seen Kid". The devastating closer 'Friend of Ours' attributed to the late band member was an immensely powerful track, one that says a lot with very few words. "Love you, mate". Can't lie I got misty-eyed listening to it.

I don't think I can rate this too high because, for me, it's plagued with many of the late 2000s indie tropes that turn me away from the genre. Looking past that though, I wouldn't hesitate to call this one of the most enjoyably presented indie records of the 2000s (conceptually and lyrically speaking) that I've heard yet. As I said though, it definitely warrants a re-visit and I'll see if it grows on me any more.

Damn good Chicago Blues from one of the genre's most renowned players. Having listened to some of Water's older stuff (talking early 60s), It's interesting to hear him adapt his playing style to more "contemporary" blues styles based more on rock'n'roll than country. Not to say the country and delta blues elements aren't there, because they certainly are with the harmonica and piano all over this album, but strictly with his playing, it's more electric and in your face. And "Electric" is the best word to describe this thing - there's an unstoppable energy here that's both rigid and unwaveringly commanding. I love the repetitive 'Mannish Boy' and the following instrumental segment on 'Bus Driver' - but most songs were a joy to listen to. I just really dig this instrumental mix and blend, but I understand if people find it repetitive - to me it just came off consistent. I don't know much about "Blues Style" playing on a theoretical level, but there's something so distinctly blues about how the chords and melodies are laid out here but it still manages to avoid feeling "boilerplate".

This is the muddy, dirty, consistent sound I want from blues albums. It manages to be long while still bringing this relentless energy and grit without ever compromising its root sounds. Muddy Waters's minimal and spacious vocal licks here perfectly suit this playing style too. Great listening.

When I first heard this album (waaaaay back) I remember not liking it all that much - I think I mainly found the African music fusions tacky when paired with the generally 80s-styled folk and pop-rock sounds. Returning to it now, I find I missed the entire point of this album because listening to it now, I see that it's just beaming with joy and happiness. Easy listening would be an understatement - every song here is just so pleasant to listen to musically, and Paul's talk-sing style on many of these songs is parts witty, vivid, and hilarious. 'You Can Call Me Al', even with its cheesy 80s horn and synth, perfectly encapsulates Paul's talents here as a songwriter.

While I still have my issues with this album - primarily with its sporadic genre fusion attempts which don't always land for me, I certainly see the appeal of this widely praised album now more than ever. I think I'm just in a better place to appreciate it; not that I'm in the most "happy" place in my life now or anything, just that I'm more open to what this album's world, filled with love and passion, is willing to offer.

Solid little folk and psych record. But it feels like for every song that I liked such as '8:05', 'Come In the Morning', and 'Lazy Me', there was a song that completely passed by without leaving any impact at all. I chalk that up to the immediacy of each of these brief songs, they either hit with a strong idea right off the bat or come off as "incomplete".

Still, I loved the harmonies here and the guitar and bass playing were as tight as I'd expect out of a blues rock-y type psych record from around this time (especially on the outro to 'Indifference', one of my favorite musical moments here).

Wowza!

No matter how many times I listen to this landmark release in West Coast hip-hop, I always feel like I'm just a step away from fully grasping what it's really trying to say. I mean on the surface level, it seems to be an album about Kendrick's struggle with fame and self in a society that thrives on dwindling African-American achievement, growth, and agency - but its nuances run deeper than that and each track offers some variant spin on that overarching theme. Grapples with self-love and hate, sexuality, consumerism, and institutionalism are all key topics discussed in the various songs here. I can't lie, this is a dense album, and I can see why some may prefer the predecessor to this one 'GKMC' for that exact reason. In that album, the story is linear, while here, it's divided into little chunks, and there is no plot, just an overarching concept. I prefer GKMC, but more so for nostalgic reasons (and I just enjoy the songs there more). Conceptually though, this album always won for me. Each song is like an insightful deep dive into a section of Kendrick's psyche relating to his status at the time.

Sonically, it feels like all of Hip-Hop's ideas in the past 25 years (at the time of its release) coming to a head in one of the most immaculately intricate productions in the genre. Jazz, rock, funk, and soul fuse seamlessly on many of these instrumentals. The opener 'Wesley's Theory', for example, has so many layers of synth, vocals, and brass constantly panning in and out that it's almost overwhelming upon first listen. 'King Kunta' is an absolute bop with one of my favorite outros and 'The Blacker the Berry' has the most ferocious boom-bap beat here. The imbalanced panning during the 'u' transition and the bass on 'Mortal Man' or two other highlights here. This album is ginormous, and Kendrick and his production crew pull out all the stops to make sure each sound and detail here is as fleshed out as can be.

Lyrically and flow-wise, it'd be redundant to call Kendrick Lamar an all-timer. His overt "gimmickiness" on many of these songs where a single rhythmic motif is established over a unique cadence can turn some people off - it works wonders for me though. My favorite has to be 'u' which is a song that until this day, blows me away with just how emotive Kendrick is with describing his feelings of self-loathing and guilt.

I really didn't need to write all that much for this album, it speaks for itself. 'To Pimp A Butterfly' defies all of what mainstream hip-hop was pushing around 2015 (a trend that I particularly like still), while still managing to do numbers on the chart with songs like 'i', 'King Kunta', and 'Alright'. It's a one-of-a-kind release in a decade and deserves all the praise it got - and continues to get.

The second Elvis Costello album to appear here and the one I've heard the most about. Overall though, I feel the same about 'This Year's Model' as I do about most of Costello's other works. While I admire how colorful and erratic this album is generally, its herky-jerky presentation just comes off as messy rather than eclectic in the scope of the entire album. I will endlessly compliment how good each instrument here sounds, especially on a song like 'Chelsea' with that instrumental interlude with the guitar, bass, and synth. There are some great blends here. It does generally sound like something you'd hear in the late 60s pop scene, though obviously re-vamped and scaled to the sound quality you'd expect from the late 70s new-wave and post-punk era (also more shamelessly artsy). I'd also like to note the way Elvis tackles melody - taking this very linear approach which contrasts the labyrinthian way he approaches generally simple topics lyrically; it fits the music generally. Though I can't say I enjoy the occasionally snotty-relationship'y lyrics here.

I still liked a few songs like 'The Beat', 'Living in Paradise', and 'Hand in Hand', but Elvis is just not an artist that resonates with me on a deep level. Rather, he's more a figure in music history that I'll continue to respect from a distance.