Rated 8/10
A little long, but this is full of really cool, dissonant guitar work and challenging songs structures. Easy to see the influence this had on a lot of punk, rock, and metal. This is a great find and was definitely worthy of being on the list.
4.0/5.0: Great
Rated 8/10
This is more soft jazz than anything else. Very enjoyable listen, even if it doesn't really stick with you.
3.5/5.0: Very Good
Great message, but entirely too long and not that interesting musically.
2.0/5.0: Disappointing
Rated 8/10
Entertaining album. Loved the noisier bits and the guitar tone generally. Vocals weren't great, but nothing out of the ordinary for the genre.
4.0/5.0: Great
Rated 2/10
The soul parts of this album are the most listenable bits, but the rap is just phenomenally annoying. Monotone-almost-mumbling with no variety that just goes on and on. Additionally, the beats are just about as basic as you can get. The half-dozen interludes range from introspective to unintentionally hilarious, but really add nothing to the album except just enough time to get it over the half hour hump. This whole record feels half-baked.
1.0/5.0: Embarrassing
A few of the slower songs were not good, but mostly this was good old country.
3.0/5.0: Good
Rated 6/10
This is a fun jam album. It does drag quite a bit through "Calvary", and "Happy Trails" is not a well executed finale, but overall this was enjoyable.
3.0/5.0: Good
Rated 8/10
Some of the more Southern Baptist-tinged numbers make me cringe due to past experiences, but thankfully there's a lot of variety here. She also has an incredible vocal range, hitting every note effortlessly. That said, her vibrato is a little annoying, but doesn't detract too much from the overall experience. Extra points for being only 27 minutes long.
3.5/5.0: Very Good
Rated 6/10
The instrumentation on this is pretty good for folk music (although the bar to clear is on the floor for folk). Her repetitive way of singing her poetic lyrics (or stupid lyrics, depending on your perspective) is supremely annoying and had me wishing she would change her delivery by the 8th track - which she thankfully did. Overall, the jazzier bits are enjoyable, even if they're very basic jazz bits, and there is enough variety to make this listenable.
3.0/5.0: Good
Rated 4/10
Instrumentally, this is much better and far darker than "Celebrity Skin", but Courtney Love is objectively a terrible vocalist, landing squarely in the shockingly bad category. She couldn't hold a tune if her life depended on it, and this is with music that has incredibly simple vocal melodies.
2.0/5.0: Disappointing
Rated 4/10
This was an OK listen, but is it an album I NEED to listen to before I die? Not even remotely close. If they want to put a film score on the list, then choose a score from an actual film. I mean, the idea making of a score to a nonexistent film is cool, but it ultimately falls a little flat without actual context.
2.0/5.0: Disappointing
Rated 4/10
I feel like this is one of the most faceless or unoriginal albums on the list. The country songs are bad, but that's just because of the genre - James is OK at performing them. The American folk songs are aimless and forgettable, but that's just because of the genre - James feels half asleep performing them. The blues songs are great, but that's just because of the genre - James is finally awake while performing them. Even the artist's name and album cover are completely replaceable without anyone noticing. That being said, I did like the blues on this.
2.0/5.0: Disappointing
Rated 6/10
This started off really badly but got better as the album went along. Each song is a pretty simple idea that just gets repeated endlessly, which makes the 36 minutes feel more like 66. That said, some of those ideas are interesting.
2.5/5.0: Mixed
Rated 6/10
Super goofy, but the creativity is there and I enjoyed it.
3.0/5.0: Good
Rated 10/10
Reading about this album, this is allegedly when R.E.M. sold out, which is difficult to believe given the prevalence of mandolin on the record.
As for the music, there's a ton of variety and emotions on display, the songwriting is concise, and the album never gets boring.
4.5/5.0: Excellent
Rated 10/10
Not quite as good as the other Stevie albums on this list, but still excellent.
4.5/5.0: Excellent
Rated 6/10
This was good, although I really couldn't stand the slow country songs. However, he really turned it around midway way through with "Pretty Good" and "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven."
3.0/5.0: Good
Rated 6/10
This was a good album. I enjoyed the variety.
3.0/5.0: Good
Rated 10/10
Another immaculate album from Stevie Wonder. The instrumentation/performances are unbelievable, as are the melodies. Finally, Stevie's usual great storytelling is also on display here. If you don't have the time to listen to a double album like Song in the Key of Life, this one is almost as good, and gets you there in half the time.
5.0/5.0: Iconic
Rated 8/10
It's very long, the lyrics can be goofy, and the Chris Rock skit is terrible, but there are an undeniable amount of hits on here.
3.5/5.0: Very Good
