Reviews by thelastbaron

As far as electronica goes, this is varied and has a lot of really cool moments. Unfortunately, it's about 35 minutes too long. I get that dance tunes have to be a certain length (long), but maybe they could've split this into two albums to make for a better listening experience. That said, this was not intended to be listened to as an album but rather to be played inside a club, so I can understand their decision to keep the whole thing.

3.0/5.0: Good

There's a lot of great 60s psychedelia out there, but this definitely isn't it. Almost every idea is half-baked and poorly performed. Even when they try to do something out-of-the-box it just ends up being nonsense. The exceptions to this rule are "Luvin'" and "Try Me on for Size", which (although incredibly basic) are still great examples of mid-sixties blues-rock numbers.

1.5/5.0: Bad

This is far better than the other 3 Cohen albums (all late 60s/early 70s) I've gotten on this list that were just slightly more interesting versions of Bob Dylan. On this record, Leonard actually puts effort into the music side of things, producing some very intriguing tracks that allow his lyrical abilities and great voice to shine

3.5/5.0: Very Good

Very basic super-compressed over-emotional late 10s pop. Also, the contemporary Christian music melody choices are so aggravating.

1.0/5.0: Embarrassing

Easy listening and she has a great voice. Some of the slower, more basic, pop-tinged numbers are not good, but they're forgivable.

Also, it's possible to write a review of this album without mentioning coffee houses.

3.0/5.0: Good

I'm really struggling to give a crap about yet another British 80s new wave album. There's one or two interesting moments on this but it's mostly interchangeable with all of the other new wave albums on this list.

2.0/5.0: Disappointing

Yes, it's raw, but there's still good songwriting and melodies on this.

3.0/5.0: Good

There's a lot of interesting music on this. However, the songs are a little too long for what they offer, and the vocals are just not great. To be totally honest, this would receive a higher rating if it wasn't the 327th 80s British new wave album I've gotten on this list. Can we please have more variety???

2.5/5.0: Mixed

Super fun album. Indie rock with jazz/prog stylings and short song lengths.

4.5/5.0: Excellent

I don't know if I enjoyed this album enormously, but I'll be darned if it isn't super unique. It really holds your attention, and it is very worthy of being on this list just for the experience.

3.5/5.0: Very Good

Pretty fantastic album. So much variety, with lots of cool beats and weird instrumentation. Easy to see why she became an international sensation with this as a debut record.

5.0/5.0: Iconic

I know it's unreasonable to complain about the basic pop sound of this record since Michael Jackson invented it, but it is very annoying. Yes, some of the music is pretty good, but most of the songs are too long and vapid and I don't care for his voice. 2 stars for influence but I can't imagine ever intentionally listening to this again.

2.0/5.0: Disappointing

Has its moments but is also kind of basic rock.

3.0/5.0: Good

The super slow songs (especially the ones about God and/or America) are just annoying, but the other songs are undeniably great. Textbook songwriting, fantastic melodies, lots of variety, and Randy's great voice.

3.5/5.0: Very Good

I have big problems with some of the instrumentation. The saxophone bits are unbearable and the drum machine sounds terrible. That said, the melodies are pretty good, and some of the goth-ier dirges are right up my alley.

2.5/5.0: Mixed

Super fun album with a lot of hits.

4.5/5.0: Excellent

This was slightly disappointing to me because of the length and its questionable inclusion on the list. However, there are some interesting moments musically and it's certainly better than a lot of the other hip-op on this list.

2.5/5.0: Mixed

Quite an interesting blues sound on this album. I probably didn't enjoy it as much as I should have, but I still think it's very good.

3.5/5.0: Very Good

Can't get behind his voice. It's super corny. Some of the music is actually pretty good, but 1 hour and 5 minutes is just too much of Cee-Lo.

2.0/5.0: Disappointing

Really fun album with a lot of variety. Clearly influential, too. I could hear a lot of sounds/instrumentation that didn't become popular until almost a decade later (or more).

4.0/5.0: Great