Reviews by theblanderman

A very solid album for the first half. By the second half got a little bit stagnant, but a good listen over all. Pretty nice vibes in the overall jazz rap landscape. 3.4/5 -> 3/5

This would be at its best on an old phonograph. In HD on a modern streaming service, it's alright. 2.7/5 -> 3/5

Pretty good, though it mostly is nice to hear the original versions of the tracks Nirvana plays on their MTV Unplugged album. Not bad, just not sure if it's "essential". 3/5

This album was a boring earsore from the start. Really didn't like any bit of it (especially the vocals) and was ready for it to be over immediately. 1/5

Childish innuendos aside, I thought that the album sequencing from Young Lust through Janie's Got a Gun was pretty solid. Songs ebbed and flowed well and moved from track to track nicely. Unfortunately the horny-ass lyrics are cringe, and the other lyrics are really just bad/creepy ("better keep your daughter inside", "kiss your boo-boo"). Most of the album is forgettable. 2/5

I find it nearly impossible to "separate the art from the artist" here. Kid Rock's status as a far-right, MAGA-pilled, questionably pedo douchebag does not make me want to enjoy his work, not does it make me want to give his any streams (even if the amount only equates to ¢1).
I will admit that the album wasn't as egregious as I was expecting. The country rap thing, while not my jam, was overall fine. I thought the auto tune on Only God Knows Why was an odd choice but different and experimental. Black Chick/White Guy was a personal story. But that's where the criticisms begin. Kid Rock sees the world through a "trailer trash" lens through which his platform propogates stereotypes and misinformation. This can be seen across the tracks weaved in, but a good example is in the last song where he implies that his partners behavior is expected of that group.

Here's hoping that the era of Kid Rock, MAGA and turning point collapse in on themselves soon 🙏 1/5

This record is a vibe. Her voice is beautiful, and the songs are super pleasant. When the subject matter gets a bit religious I roll my eyes but thats "old standards" for ya. Joan seems like a national treasure through all of her advocacy and public comments. 4.5/5 -> 5/5

...𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭. 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘵 - *𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨* 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘦. 2.5/5 -> 3/5

Haven't liked some Iggy Pop in the past, but this was enjoyable! Baby and China Girl were the highlights for me. 3.4/5 -> 3/5

A very meh punk album. Not too many stand out moments but not offensive. 2.4/5 -> 2/5

Tim was a lot of things, but he was not a Black Funk/Soul/R&B artist. This album doesn't come off as an homage, but rather a messy interpretation. The lyrics were shallow, boring and horny. Not an essential album, even if the final song was a bit of a bop. 1.4/5 -> 1/5

You know what this album sounds like? 90 minutes of Led Zeppelin outtakes and B-sides.

Oh, that's what this is? That explains it.

2/5

I don't care who you are, >90 mins of Van Morrison is too much. The songs exist but don't really individually stand out. Not a bad album, but a weird inclusion on this list regardless. 2.5/5 -> 3/5

Solid music - the guitars sound very "deep" and I can't explain it better than that. 3.5/5 -> 4/5

A pretty well constructed album. Some fairly generic indie beats for the time but overall strong. 4/5

I'm sure that Lou Reed thinks that he shits gold, but all I hear is a weak attempt at a rock opera. It's way too literal and has no attempts at subtlety or deeper themes. The Bed and Sad Song are probably the best two tracks, but I can't get over the stupid and obvious lyrics. I mean, seriously, if he changed the name of the closer and had a phrase repeating that was better thought out it would have been a banger. All together though just a display of his subpar talents compared to his many, many contemporaries. 1.5/5 -> 2/5

On first listen I was leaning towards a three, but Kicks had that special something that made me want to go through again. On second listen more of the tracks stood out to me, with Lights On, Two Weeks, Video Girl, Numbers, Give Up and Kicks all being favorites. A pretty solid release from FKA Twigs (though I prefer Eusexua). 3.8/5 -> 4/5

Really not a fan of this one. It sounds like it was recorded in a big, echoey, open room. The vocals and instruments are all overblown (especially the piano and the saxophone). Most of the songs were too 60s diner "rock n roll" for my taste. I like the song born to run (except that "ooh-oh oh, oh, oh-oh-oh; oh-oh-oh-oh-ohh" part) and Bruce's politics but not much else here. 1.5/5 -> 2/5

Listened to this on a camping trip out in the Olympics. It made it a bit more interesting, but on second listen driving home there are a lot of boring duds on this album. Slow Burn and Rainbow are good bookends. 2.3/5 -> 2/5

Several bops and several flops. Girl Gone Bad was probably the most interesting song here, but of course there are a few classics. House of Pain wasn't that impressive a closer. 3.4/5 -> 3/5