Rated 6/10
Joni continues to be the only singer associated with the folk movement that I seem to enjoy. Though, this album is a little unconventional and I’m not sure I'd even really consider it folk. Experimental Moog work on Jungle Line is so cool.
Rated 4/10
Much like Can't Buy a Thrill, this earlier stuff is almost tolerable. Still nothing I'd ever put on by choice. It's just so milquetoast.
Rated 4/10
OK, this was essential listening when I was a nine-year-old hesher, and I am a little ashamed to admit I still know every song on this album. That being said, it lost its shine for me LONG ago. I can make a pretty good argument that this was the Prometheus of metal (at least in mainstream circles) becoming a toothless caricature of itself. There are defiantly a few riffs left here reminiscent of Judas Priest, but for the most part this is watered down and polished for popular consumption. Great for DF because this album certainly made them a household name but tis is background music for me.
Rated 8/10
Second album I've been introduced to from this (previously unknown to me) group and I'm digging it! Lots of experimentation still, but the changes between (and within) songs seems less jarring than on Tago Mago. Overall, it creates a nice flow from start to finish.
Rated 10/10
This rocks!
Rated 2/10
Ugh... What's worse than Paul Simon?
Easy, '80s Paul Simon blending African music and pop into his otherwise unremarkable sound and acting like he discovered something. The whole thing feels like smug pandering.
Rated 8/10
Solid late 80's hip-hop. Loved their debut album. This one is almost as good.
Rated 10/10
Undeniable genre-defining album. Lots of imitators but nobody ever came close to topping this. Also, Body Count!
Rated 10/10
Love this album. Love this band. Steve Albini had a very unique approach to everything he did and it really shows here.
Rated 2/10
I hate everything I've ever heard from Tom Waits, and this didn't surprise me at all.
Rated 6/10
I was digging some of this, but most of it is just sort of... there. It's not annoying, or bad, but it just doesn't really have a lot to offer me.
Rated 10/10
Two artists I'm totally unfamiliar with doing a collaboration, and right out of the gate I love this! I don't have a lot of experience with African Blues, but what I've heard is great, including this release.
Man... When I hear "space rock" I'm looking forward to hearing something something like Hawkwind, F/i, or US Christmas. While this OCCASIONALLY works in a few similar elements, it is most assuredly NOT space rock. This is mostly pretty boring. Not only that but it's pretentious as hell, attempting to blend genres and incorporate instrumentation and vocals that just don't fit. This feels like an idea that was never fully fleshed out, and never properly edited down.
Incredible album! Basie in general always means great big-band jazz, but this later era Basie is just so tight and arrangement based. I love this so much. My only complaint is I wish it was longer than 40 minutes.
Rated 6/10
I like the hip-hop on this. It's safe and unchallenging but it has a fun vibe which is refreshing. The R&B on here though is just tough to sit through. Typical of this era I find it sterile and over-produced.
Rated 10/10
God-tier rock 'n' roll right here. We Will Fall could be a lot shorter but that's a very minor gripe considering the MASSIVE impact this album had on pretty much all the music I love.
Rated 10/10
One of my top favorite soul releases ever! If you can't feel the emotion Marvin is pouring out here, you must be dead.
Rated 2/10
Does not rock.
Rated 6/10
Very listenable for 2000's hip-hop. Lyric/vocal-centric which is nice in an era that often feels more about the producers. That being said the production is decent too, nothing flashy, but solid. This could be something that grows on me with more listens, but for now feels a little middle of the road.
Rated 10/10
Part of the 1991 soundtrack to my freshman year of college. I still love this album. Such a weird and unique release when it came out. Production is amazing, sampling from funk, jazz, soul, and bossa nova; then blending them into something that is totally its own. A lot of stuff from this era sounds dated now, but this holds up really nicely.
