Reviews by thelastbaron

There are a lot better swing, jazz, and Latin albums from that time period, but still enjoyable nonetheless.

3.5/5.0: Very Good

The three country ballads ("Strong Enough", "No One Said it Would Be Easy", "I Shall Believe") are downright terrible. They offer exactly nothing interesting at all, and consist entirely of interminable whining and boring country music. However, the rest of the album shows a lot of variety and is actually pretty good.

2.5/5.0: Mixed

3.0/5.0: Good

3.5/5.0: Very Good

4.0/5.0: Great

5.0/5.0: Iconic

4.5/5.0: Excellent

4.0/5.0: Great

4.0/5.0: Great

4.5/5.0: Excellent

4.5/5.0: Excellent

Why is this tagged as metal? This is not even remotely metal. It’s missing the rhythmic complexity/intensity and the musical aggression (NOT the false chest-beating of Kid Rock) that defines the genre. Chuck Berry is musically closer to Thrash than this is to metal. Instead, this is genuinely terrible (and pathetically imitative of ‘90s hip-hop and rock) music that drains intelligence from the listener. It presents no ideas worth hearing either musically or lyrically, yet astonishingly drags itself out for seventy-one minutes.

But while we’re on the subject of metal, why do we get a Kid Rock album, but are missing seminal metal records from Bathory, Mayhem, Death, Incantation, Darkthrone, Meshuggah, Opeth, and Mastodon? This is a seriously under-represented genre in this list and we’re filling up precious few slots with some of the worst music ever made; music that isn’t really even part of the genre. What a tragedy.

0.5/5.0: Unlistenable

This album came out in 1963, and somehow, the harmonica has STILL not been banned and it’s 2025. When the hilariously incongruous nails-on-chalk-board sound of the harmonica first waded blindly into the opening track I burst out laughing. It’s inconceivable that anyone would subject themselves to this sonic torture. I would understand it if there was some sort of attitude behind the music but it’s just lazy lyrical platitudes and half-hearted instrumentals.

Addendum: His attempts at playing the blues are a travesty to the genre.

0.5/5.0: Unlistenable

1.5/5.0: Bad

4.5/5.0: Excellent

5.0/5.0: Iconic

5.0/5.0: Iconic

Mamunia and Let Me Roll It aren't great, but the rest of the album is pretty close to perfect, with unusual song arrangements and Paul's usual stellar vocal melodies.

4.5/5.0: Excellent

I liked some of the forays into different genres, but this album definitely felt a little dated. I also thought it maybe could've gone harder at times.

3.0/5.0: Good

Very weird album with a cool backstory. It's like jazz-fusion, but it only takes the odd instrumentation choices from prog, and the more ambient, strange soundscapes from experimental jazz. Only three stars because his voice is just not good, even though I understand that the whole "childlike" singing was intentional.

3.0/5.0: Good