Reviews by pageantree

The beats in this album were okay and mostly listenable, but I still wasn't a fan of this. I know Missy went on to get big, and this is a good start (more r&b influences than I expected). This genre really isn't my thing, however.

I know of Dolly as a prolific public figure, but I've never really listened to her music (besides the obvious "Jolene"). She has a singsong, sweet, wise-sounding voice that pairs wonderfully with her storytelling capabilities. Her stories are at times sad, at other times funny (see "Traveling Man"). The songs are simple, but have nice melodies. I particularly enjoyed the style and bassline of "Early Morning Breeze". That being said, country isn't my favorite genre, but this was pleasant to listen to.

I did not expect this album to have so much of a country/folk feel. Of course, there were a couple standard bluesy rock n' roll songs, but the entire album had a mostly introspective vibe. "Salt Of The Earth" sounded the most memorable to me, but otherwise this wasn't super remarkable to me.

This had a very 80s sound (which I'm not into) and the songs were all pretty similar. It's all undeniably catchy, however. This album is a basic precursor to hip hop and rap without the excessive swearing and with lyrics championing social causes. A few moments piqued my interest, but otherwise this just faded into the background.

I've been meaning to listen to this album for a while, since I enjoyed Slipknot's previous album, "Vol. 3 The Subliminal Verses". So needless to say, I was excited when this popped up. I'd already heard the hits ("Psychosocial" and "Dead Memories") as a young teenager watching music videos on the Fuse channel. I liked the high energy, heavy songs with melodies (because aren't melodies in heavy rock music wonderful to everyone?) "Gehenna" seems to be the most experimental (Corey Taylor singing falsetto I did not expect). "Snuff" is a more subdued song, but heartbreakingly beautiful. Some of the songs have the obvious Slipknot style, and are pretty formulaic, but there was enough variety to make me really enjoy this album.

This came across as a magical, mystical folk album to me. The reviews were really bad, so I thought I'd absolutely hate it, but I don't think it's awful. It's certainly not dance music (which I think is what the Bees Gees are known for), but it's grand, dark, and at times beautiful. It kind of reminds me of a prior experimental Beach Boys album that I've received ("Surf's Up").

This is my third Zeppelin album within the span of about a month. I'm less than 50 albums in so far, maybe I'll get them all super early on. Anyway, as is usual with Zeppelin, the instrumentation and musical skill are top notch. This album also incorporated more soft and introspective folk songs (which they do very well) and less heavier rock n' roll. The songs are never boring and always unique. I still find their debut album to be my favorite, but the tracks "Friends" and "That's the Way" were personal standouts.

Even though this is a live album, it sounds so polished. I liked the casual vibe it has, too. Sarah Vaughan has a wonderful voice that meshes well with the jazz music. A smooth, easy listen.

In this album, the songs were high energy, and you can tell that a lot of care and attention was paid to the instrumentals. I prefer this style of rock music to the 70s psychedelic and bluesy rock style that came before. It was a decent listen overall.

This is a soulful, jazzy, piano-driven album. Notable pieces for me included "Four Women" and "Lilac Wine". Though this album had its stellar moments (carried by the lyrics and Simone's powerful voice matched with more subdued instrumentals), this wasn't something I'd reach for again.

You don't need to understand French to appreciate the sweeping musicality of this album. Brel's powerful, passionate voice is accompanied by a backing orchestra in a live setting, and it made me feel like I was actually there listening to the show (it's that big-sounding). The music is so beautiful. Highlights for me included "Amsterdam" and "Le pat pays".

I was given "Stankonia" not that long ago, and despite my general dislike of rap and hip hop, I didn't hate it. I knew this album was on the list, but I didn't expect to get it so soon. I was already familiar with "The Way You Move" and "Hey Ya" because I used to listen to the radio a lot when I was a teenager. I always thought "The Way You Move" was a random interlude between the other songs on the radio for some reason, but I liked the song in its entirety here.

What draws me to this album (and the other one) is the extensive use of multiple instruments, sounds, and melodies. It's not just rapping to a synth beat: it's hip hop, jazz, soul, and r&b all mixed together. The lyrics are also immediate and real, and I can feel the urgency in many of the songs. The first half of the album (Big Boi's) is the most like "Stankonia", and I thought it was the strongest side. I felt like it carried a more serious tone and I liked the instrumentation better.The second half (Andre 3000's) came across as more mellow and soulful, and though different instrumentation was used, I didn't like it as much as the first half.

Overall, this album was quite a long listen (over 2 hours), and I did take a break halfway through. I think I enjoyed this more than "Stankonia", in part because of the variety of music and also because it was a clear evolution from the previous album while staying in the same vein.

Johnny Cash had such a powerful and commanding voice during his time, and it really shines in this final release of his. The arrangements are light (mostly acoustic guitars and pianos), but so beautiful, and Cash's vocals enfuse the songs with emotion and he does make them his own (this is an album of covers with a few exceptions). "Hurt" was already one of my favorite songs prior to listening to this album, and I now love "I Hung My Head", "Personal Jesus", and "In My Life". This is a truly amazing piece of work from one of his generation's best storytellers and voices.

This album is twofold: the first half contains electric bluesy tunes while the second half finishes out with acoustic folk songs. I much preferred the acoustic songs to the electric ones, but Bob Dylan's storytelling (especially in "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream") captivated me throughout. The melodies and guitar carry the songs well (see "Mr. Tambourine Man"). I felt a sense of wistfulness and calm listening to this album even though the lyrics are far from peaceful (as is Dylan's tradition), and I even laughed at some of the parts of the stories. Another note about the lyrics is that they are very relevant today, and they should not be missed. My favorite song was probably "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)". Coincidentally, this song happened to have the strongest message, in my opinion. Normally I'm not into blues music and harmonicas, but this felt meaningful enough to me, particularly in the second half, to warrant me to give it a higher rating.

Soul isn't my preferred style of music, but this album is no doubt groovy and catchy. It would be good to listen to if you're down and want to lift your spirits. Most everything on here is upbeat and definitely passionate. Not my favorite, but I can appreciate the sentiments.

The generator previously gave me "Morrison Hotel", my first exposure to The Doors. Somehow, even though of course the music is unique and steeped in psychedelia, this album came across as more accessible than "Morrison Hotel" somehow. This was of course an interesting listen, with noteworthy songs for me being "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)"; "Light My Fire"; and "The End". However, the album didn't particularly resonate with me at this point in time. I do think about the style of these songs sometimes though, and they're just so different than what I usually listen to.

I'm already a big Nirvana fan so I was excited when this popped up. This album is not polished and radio friendly like its predecessor, "Nevermind". The mix is rougher and more akin to their debut album, "Bleach". The melodies and some pop sensibilities are still there, but there's more what I would call disordered (perhaps manic) instrumentation (powerful drums, dirty guitars).

I grew up listening to "Nevermind" on car rides as a kid and I think of it as a foundation for my musical interests. I didn't hear "In Utero" until I was a teenager and it took a few listens and the maturing of my musical tastes for me to really appreciate it. The songs are no doubt catchy (see "Very Ape") and the fact that the lyrics are usually random, unintelligible, and screamed doesn't diminish that. More instrumentation (strings) are explored on songs like "Dumb" (probably my favorite) and "All Apologies" (which is a wonderful closer in my opinion). I love this album, perhaps not quite as much as Nevermind because of my memories, but this is one of my favorite listens regardless.

This album is a mixture of a few different genres: country, rock, and folk. Lyrics consist of melodies woven into stories. Though I thought "Tell Me Why" and "Southern Man" were good, I disliked the album because I'm not into this style of music. I suppose it's too meandering and reflective for me.

Right off the bat, I felt like the songs had a dated sound (like a bit of an 80s sound despite it being a 90s album). I also sensed a strain of desperation running through the songs, which intrigued me, as did the combination of singing and spoken lyric delivery. I thought "Common People" was quite a meaningful song, especially in these times. Some of the lyrics were kind of creepy and obsessive, like the ones in "Pencil Skirt" and "Underwear". I didn't mind the music (a britpop/rock style), but I wasn't in love with it either. Perhaps it's an acquired taste.

This album was okay, but it felt unremarkable to me. You can definitely tell it's a 70s piece because of the groovy elements mixed in with the rock music, but there's also some blues mixed in as well. There were a couple of standout tunes to me: "Barrytown" and "Charlie Freak". These songs were perfectly melodic and the storytelling was amazing. Not to say the other songs weren't melodic or told stories, but these two had the best combination of both. The last song, "Monkey In Your Soul", did not feel like a closer to me, more just another filler song. Overall, I see a couple of shining moments in an otherwise sort of bland album.