| 3 Doors Down Time of My Life | 2.0 |
| 3OH!3 Streets of Gold | 1.5 |
| They can't rap or sing. And the melodies are annoying, not fun. This from a person who likes mindless pop at times - like Ke$ha's CD. |
| A Fine Frenzy One Cell in the Sea | 5.0 |
| A Fine Frenzy Bomb In A Birdcage | 5.0 |
Heard this at the full album listening party at amazon.com! More optimistic, playful, and upbeat than her masterpiece One Cell In The Sea, this is a great thing because it keeps her music fresh! Yet there are still beautiful ballads like "Bird of the Summer" and "Beacon." The sound never is forced. A Fine Frenzy creates another masterpiece!
|
| A Fine Frenzy Oh, Blue Christmas EP | 4.0 |
| A Fine Frenzy Pines | 4.5 |
| Pines is different than her other two albums, with a quieter sound and more pure folk arrangements. The song I recognized most was "Avalanches," a folk/pop gem. Alison made me enveloped in the music and unique narrative, so for me, it works! |
| ABBA ABBA Gold | 5.0 |
| ABBA Super Trouper | 4.5 |
| ABBA The Visitors | 5.0 |
| ABBA Voyage | 4.5 |
| I just did a slew of ABBA ratings - this one ranks just below their classic albums. Very lively and the singing is still strong. Nostalgic but with a bit of a modern edge. |
| ABBA Arrival | 5.0 |
| ABBA Voulez-Vous | 5.0 |
| ABBA ABBA | 4.5 |
| ABBA Waterloo | 3.5 |
| ABBA Ring Ring | 4.0 |
| Ace of Base The Sign | 3.0 |
| Adam Lambert For Your Entertainment | 4.0 |
| Adam Lambert Trespassing | 4.5 |
| Darker doesn't mean better. I feel both halves serve their own purpose and are equally great. |
| Adele 21 | 4.0 |
| Adele 25 | 4.5 |
| Adele 30 | 4.0 |
| AFI Crash Love | 4.0 |
| Against Me! White Crosses | 3.5 |
| Aimee Mann @#%&! Smilers | 4.5 |
| Aimee Mann Bachelor No.2 (Or the Last Remains...) | 5.0 |
| Aimee Mann Mental Illness | 4.5 |
| I think Stephen Thomas Erlewine's All Music Guide review is perfect. I often like his reviews, and he was right on. If you hate acoustics, do not buy this. But if you do like them, this album will weave its way into your mind and the beauty will take hold. |
| Alan Jackson Here in the Real World | 4.0 |
| Alan Jackson A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) | 4.5 |
| Alanis Morissette Flavors of Entanglement | 3.5 |
| Alanis Morissette So-Called Chaos | 4.0 |
| Alanis Morissette Under Rug Swept | 4.5 |
| Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill | 5.0 |
| Alanis Morissette Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie | 4.5 |
| Alanis Morissette Such Pretty Forks in the Road | 3.5 |
| Her voice has never sounded better, and the lyrics are an insightful chronicle of her various experiences while getting older. Musically it feels a bit one dimensional, however, and leaves you wanting more. |
| Alice Phoebe Lou Glow | 3.5 |
| Alicia Keys The Element of Freedom | 2.5 |
| Based on the first half of this CD, I thought Alicia might even best Songs in A Minor. But the second half is full of annoying vocal performances and little excitement. |
| Alicia Keys Songs in A Minor | 4.5 |
| Alicia Keys As I Am | 4.0 |
| Allison Iraheta Just Like You | 3.5 |
| Bringing her own raw, raspy attitude to her debut CD, Allison has made one of the best Idol debut CDs. Yes, it's mainstream, but she really was on Idol, too - I think she shows more of herself on the album than she was able to on Idol. Can she stretch more musically? Yes, but give her time. |
| Aly and AJ Insomniatic | 4.0 |
| Aly and AJ Into The Rush (Deluxe Edition) | 3.5 |
| Aly and AJ Into The Rush | 3.5 |
| Aly and AJ a touch of the beat gets you up on your feet... | 4.0 |
| Always thought that they had a knack for hooks - I still enjoy Insomniatic. Glad to see them expanding their sound in such a enjoyable way. |
| Amy Macdonald A Curious Thing | 4.0 |
| Amy Millan Masters of the Burial | 3.5 |
| Amy Winehouse Back to Black | 4.5 |
| Andrew Bird Noble Beast | 4.5 |
| Angels and Airwaves We Don't Need to Whisper | 2.5 |
| Angels and Airwaves Lifeforms | 4.0 |
| Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion | 2.5 |
| Anna Burch Quit The Curse | 3.5 |
| Anna Nalick Wreck of the Day | 4.5 |
| Arcade Fire Funeral | 2.5 |
| Arcade Fire The Suburbs | 3.5 |
| Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not | 2.5 |
| Ariana Grande My Everything | 3.0 |
| Ariana Grande Dangerous Woman | 3.5 |
| Ariana Grande Sweetener | 2.5 |
| Ariana Grande Thank U, Next | 4.0 |
| Ashlee Simpson Bittersweet World | 2.0 |
| I listened to this again, and couldn't believe I had it at a 3 before. Autobiography at least has some decent bubblegum moments. Bittersweet World is just the sound of a not-so-good singer going beyond her reach. |
| Ashlee Simpson I Am Me | 1.0 |
| Ashlee Simpson Autobiography | 2.5 |
| Ashley Monroe Rosegold | 4.0 |
| Ashley Tisdale Headstrong | 2.0 |
| The songs here are undistinguished dance-pop. The rock turn on Guilty Pleasure at least allowed for better hooks than on this CD. |
| Ashley Tisdale Guilty Pleasure | 3.0 |
| OK, I'll get one thing straight. Ashley is not a very good singer. But what she does have is a bit of personality, and given some tastefully catchy songs, Guilty Pleasure really IS a guilty pleasure. Although she wanted to be more grown up on this CD, it really just comes across as more mature bubblegum than her last album. |
| Au Revoir Simone Still Night, Still Light | 4.0 |
| Automatic Loveletter Truth or Dare | 3.5 |
| Good pop album; her voice has an interesting tone to it, and there are standouts like "Heart Song" and "Fade Away." The thing that needs improvement for next time is tempo. Too many songs are solid but wear thin. |
| Ava Max Heaven and Hell | 3.5 |
| Avril Lavigne Let Go | 4.5 |
| Avril Lavigne Under My Skin | 4.5 |
| Avril Lavigne The Best Damn Thing | 4.0 |
| Avril Lavigne Goodbye Lullaby | 3.0 |
| Avril Lavigne Love Sux | 3.5 |
| Avril Lavigne Avril Lavigne | 2.0 |
| Avril Lavigne Head Above Water | 3.5 |
| Backstreet Boys Unbreakable | 2.0 |
| Backstreet Boys Never Gone | 2.0 |
| Backstreet Boys Black and Blue | 2.5 |
| Backstreet Boys Millennium | 2.5 |
| Backstreet Boys This Is Us | 2.0 |
| More generic dance pop from them. Their early stuff wasn't special, but it was catchier. While they have ok voices, they also sound like a singing factory. |
| Band of Horses Infinite Arms | 4.0 |
| Barenaked Ladies Barenaked Ladies Are Me | 4.5 |
| Barenaked Ladies Stunt | 5.0 |
| Barenaked Ladies Everything to Everyone | 4.5 |
| Barenaked Ladies Maroon | 4.5 |
| Barenaked Ladies Gordon | 4.5 |
| Barenaked Ladies All in Good Time | 4.0 |
| Barenaked Ladies Silverball | 4.0 |
| Their knack for creating catchy, strong pop songs is back - though it lacks the uniqueness and wit of when Page was part of the band. Strong album and much better than their last couple albums but not like Stunt, Gordon, Maroon.. |
| Barlowgirl Barlowgirl | 2.5 |
| Bat For Lashes Two Suns | 3.5 |
| Bea Miller Not an Apology | 3.0 |
| Her vocals are mature for her age for sure. The songs are solidly catchy pop songs. There is nothing here that Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson haven't done better though. It is fun, but unremarkable. An artist to watch, however. |
| Bea Miller Aurora | 4.0 |
| I was debating giving it 3.5, but I think it shows growth from her previous album. While not being as power pop as I expected, it does have rock-infused grooves that are unique and well done. Definitely recommended! |
| beabadoobee Fake It Flowers | 4.0 |
| beabadoobee Beatopia | 4.0 |
| Beach House Teen Dream | 4.0 |
| Beck Sea Change | 4.0 |
| Beck Mutations | 4.5 |
| Beck Midnite Vultures | 3.0 |
| Belle and Sebastian The Life Pursuit | 4.5 |
| Belle and Sebastian Write About Love | 4.0 |
| Ben Lee Awake Is The New Sleep | 4.0 |
| Best Coast Crazy For You | 3.5 |
| Best Coast The Only Place | 2.5 |
| Beyonce I Am... Sasha Fierce | 3.5 |
| Beyonce 4 | 3.0 |
| Billie Eilish When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? | 3.0 |
| Billie Eilish Happier Than Ever | 2.5 |
| It is pleasant to hear. But it is mostly just easy listening with electronic flourishes. |
| Billy Idol Devil's Playground | 2.5 |
| Billy Joel River Of Dreams | 4.0 |
| Billy Ray Cyrus Some Gave All | 3.5 |
| Billy Ray Cyrus Storm in the Heartland | 2.5 |
| Bjork Homogenic | 2.5 |
| Bjork Medulla | 2.0 |
| Bjork Volta | 1.5 |
| Bjork Vespertine | 2.0 |
| blink-182 Blink-182 | 3.0 |
| blink-182 Enema Of The State | 3.5 |
| Blonde Redhead 23 | 4.0 |
| Blondie Parallel Lines | 5.0 |
| Blondie Pollinator | 4.5 |
| Not quite Parallel Lines, but easily their best in a long time. It's also better than No Exit. Deborah Harry sounds fantastic even at 71. The songs are earworms of the best kind. |
| Bloodhound Gang Hooray For Boobies | 1.0 |
| Bob Dylan The Essential Bob Dylan | 5.0 |
| Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks | 5.0 |
| Bob Dylan Together Through Life | 2.0 |
| Bob Dylan Modern Times | 4.0 |
| Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways | 3.0 |
I might be the lone voice of dissent, but I don’t think his voice has it anymore, and I do not care for the jazzy,
bluesy arrangements. His lyrics are still strong and are the reason the album isn’t a failure. He is really a brilliant
wordsmith, as when he decries greed and selfishness. The lyrics raise it to a 3. |
| Bob Dylan Love and Theft | 4.5 |
I think he was starting to lose his voice back then, but he doesn’t sound as ancient as he does on the new album.
And the material is lively and top notch. |
| Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago | 2.0 |
| Bon Jovi Crossroad | 5.0 |
| Bon Jovi Lost Highway | 4.0 |
| Bon Jovi Have a Nice Day | 2.5 |
| Bon Jovi Bounce | 3.0 |
| Bon Jovi Crush | 3.5 |
| Boys Like Girls Love Drunk | 2.5 |
| Brad Paisley Love and War | 2.5 |
| Sorry Brad, but I think that the hat flying off in the cover photo represents the identity crisis on this album. |
| Brand New Daisy | 1.5 |
| Brandi Carlile The Story | 4.5 |
| Brandi Carlile Brandi Carlile | 4.5 |
| Brandi Carlile Give up the Ghost | 4.5 |
| Brandi Carlile By the Way, I Forgive You | 4.5 |
| Brandy Clark Your Life Is A Record | 4.5 |
Has a lot of brilliant songs, and while it can get a bit samey sounding, the songcraft is strong throughout and her
songwriting has never been more clever. |
| Brie Larson Finally Out of P.E. | 3.0 |
Obviously has a much younger target audience than me. But keeping that in mind, it isn’t bad. She chose acting,
but could have been a good music artist. |
| Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning | 2.5 |
| Britney Spears Blackout | 1.5 |
| Britney Spears Circus | 3.0 |
| Britney Spears Oops!...I Did It Again | 2.5 |
| Britney Spears ...Baby One More Time | 2.5 |
| Britney Spears In the Zone | 3.5 |
| Britney Spears Britney | 3.0 |
| Britney Spears Femme Fatale | 4.0 |
| Britney Spears Britney Jean | 3.0 |
| Broken Bells Broken Bells | 3.5 |
| brokeNCYDE I'm Not a Fan, but the Kids Like It! | 1.0 |
| Brooke Hogan The Redemption | 1.5 |
| Just terrible. About comprises everything most generic about pop, from the dance to the R&B to the more rock side. The only song worth a second listen is "All I Want Is You." |
| Brooke White High Hopes & Heartbreaks | 4.0 |
| Excellent album from the former American Idol contestant. It is indeed a throwback to classic rock and has the passion and attention to songcraft needed to pull that off effectively. "Phoenix" and "High Hopes & Heartbreak" shake things up with upbeat guitar and dance beats. |
| Brooks and Dunn Hard Workin' Man | 3.5 |
| Bruce Springsteen Working on a Dream | 4.0 |
| Bruce Springsteen Magic | 5.0 |
| Bruce Springsteen Devils & Dust | 4.0 |
| Bruce Springsteen The Rising | 5.0 |
| Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. | 5.0 |
| Bruce Springsteen Born to Run | 5.0 |
| Bruce Springsteen Wrecking Ball | 4.5 |
| Its rootsy-rock combination is a very effective one - a little better than Working On A Dream, but I haven't heard enough musically special for it to be a classic yet. Still sure to be one of my favorites of 2012. |
| Bruce Springsteen Letter to You | 4.5 |
| I love how energized the band sounds on this one! Listening more but this could be one of his best. |
| Bruce Springsteen Western Stars | 4.0 |
| Butch Walker Sycamore Meadows | 4.5 |
| Butch Walker Left of Self-Centered | 4.5 |
| Butch Walker I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart | 4.5 |
| Butterfly Boucher Flutterby | 4.0 |
| Butterfly Boucher Scary Fragile | 3.0 |
| Camera Obscura My Maudlin Career | 4.5 |
| Care Bears on Fire Get Over It! | 3.5 |
| Even though the singers in this group are young teens, they have much more sass and catchiness than Miley Cyrus has even now. The musicianship is also impressively sturdy. The lyrics are clearly directed towards the young crowd. But if you tune out that fact and focus on the music, the album is lots of fun for anyone. |
| Carly Rae Jepsen Kiss | 3.5 |
| Carly Rae Jepsen Emotion | 4.5 |
| Carly Rae Jepsen Dedicated | 4.0 |
| Very polished - a little too much so, but still delightfully catchy. Thought Emotion was better because it was more nuanced musically. She has grown in her lyrics on this album, however. |
| Carly Rae Jepsen Dedicated Side B | 4.0 |
| Carrie Underwood Some Hearts | 3.5 |
| Carrie Underwood Carnival Ride | 3.0 |
| Carrie Underwood Play On | 3.5 |
| This is a bigger, more diverse album than before, but vocally Carrie is up to the task. Some of the lyrics are a little preachy, and again there is some filler, but she makes up for it with scorchers like "Songs Like This" and "Cowboy Cassanova," beautiful ballads like "Someday When I Stop Loving You" and "What Can I Say," and the sly pop/country mix of "Quitter." |
| Carrie Underwood Cry Pretty | 3.0 |
| Carrie Underwood Denim & Rhinestones | 2.5 |
| I am not sure exactly what she wanted here. It is not country at all. It sounds 80s inspired - which is good IMO - but with production not often worthy of a big budget. It has some moments, like the pretty ?Ghost Story? and the frantic ?Poor Everybody Else.? |
| Case/Lang/Veirs Case/Lang/Veirs | 4.5 |
| Cat Power The Greatest | 4.0 |
| Celine Dion A New Day Has Come | 2.5 |
| Celine Dion Falling into You | 3.0 |
| Charli XCX True Romance | 3.0 |
| Charli XCX Sucker | 4.5 |
| Charlotte Gainsbourg IRM | 2.5 |
| Cheap Trick Bang, Zoom, Crazy…Hello | 4.0 |
| A little straightforward and studio glossy, but it still is a pleasure to listen to their energetic rock. You end up just enjoying and singing along. |
| Chevelle Sci-Fi Crimes | 3.5 |
| Chloe Moriondo Blood Bunny | 4.0 |
| Chris Brown Graffiti | 1.5 |
| Chris Cornell Scream | 1.0 |
| Chris Cornell Carry On | 2.5 |
| Chris Isaak Forever Blue | 5.0 |
| Chris Isaak Heart Shaped World | 5.0 |
| Chris Isaak Always Got Tonight | 4.5 |
| Chris Isaak Mr. Lucky | 4.0 |
| Chris Isaak Speak of the Devil | 4.5 |
| Chris Stapleton Starting Over | 3.5 |
| Christina Aguilera Back to Basics | 3.0 |
| Christina Aguilera Stripped | 2.5 |
| Christina Aguilera Christina Aguilera | 2.5 |
| Christina Aguilera Bionic | 2.0 |
| Christina Aguilera Liberation | 2.0 |
| Christina Perri lovestrong. | 4.0 |
| Very underrated by professional music critics. It's rare to hear this much passion and soul in both the music and lyrics. And just think - she can do even better than the album lovestrong! It has a couple too many ballads, though I can't complain much since they are beautifully orchestrated. |
| CHVRCHES Love Is Dead | 2.5 |
| Cobra Starship Hot Mess | 2.5 |
| CocoRosie The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillbo | 1.5 |
| Colbie Caillat Coco | 2.5 |
| Colbie Caillat Breakthrough | 2.5 |
| Here's the good news: Colbie's voice sounds less prosaic, and there's more in the songs that grab your attention. The bad news: there's still not a whole lot of charm in her music. She still fails to make you feel much emotion. At least she sounded more genuine on her previous CD. |
| Colbie Caillat All of You | 3.0 |
| Coldplay Parachutes | 4.0 |
| Coldplay Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends | 4.5 |
| Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head | 4.0 |
| Coldplay X&Y | 3.5 |
| Coldplay A Head Full of Dreams | 3.5 |
| Colleen Green I Want to Grow Up | 4.0 |
| Company Of Thieves Ordinary Riches | 3.5 |
| Corinne Bailey Rae The Sea | 4.0 |
| Counting Crows Somewhere Under Wonderland | 3.5 |
| A bit Counting Crows on autopilot, but even that is an enjoyable listen. |
| Courtney Love America's Sweetheart | 3.0 |
| Cowboy Junkies All That Reckoning | 3.5 |
| Margo's voice really makes this album work. Could easily sound average in the hands of someone else. |
| Creed Weathered | 1.0 |
| Crystal Bowersox Farmer's Daughter | 4.0 |
| There's certainly no sell-out here. With lots of emotion and not afraid to use swear words, she doesn't hold back. As a singer/songwriter CD, it's excellent. If you were expecting it to rock out, though, you'll be disappointed. Only "Kiss Ya" really rocks, and it uses a formulaic hard rock riff. Only flat out disliked "Hold On," though. |
| Cyndi Lauper Bring Ya to the Brink | 4.0 |
| Cyndi Lauper She's So Unusual | 5.0 |
| Cyndi Lauper True Colors | 4.5 |
| Cyndi Lauper Hat Full of Stars | 3.5 |
| Damone Out Here All Night | 4.5 |
| Daughtry Daughtry | 2.5 |
| Daughtry Leave This Town | 2.0 |
| Dave Matthews Band Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King | 2.5 |
| Dave Matthews Band Busted Stuff | 4.0 |
| Dave Matthews Band Before These Crowded Streets | 4.0 |
| David Bowie Blackstar | 4.0 |
| David Cook David Cook | 2.0 |
| David Gray Foundling | 3.0 |
| Gray sounded like he was going to do something interesting when I heard the first couple tracks - but after that, the arrangements are sparse and his voice sounds more detached than before. This is ok for background music, but doesn't go beyond pleasant. |
| Debbie Gibson Electric Youth | 3.5 |
| I loved this as a kid, and it still is pretty good. The only one of her albums still worth listening to. |
| Debbie Gibson Out of the Blue | 3.0 |
| I think it has a sweet innocence while many pop productions today are glossy. After Electric Youth, Debbie herself became overproduced. |
| Deborah Harry Necessary Evil | 4.0 |
| Delta Rae After It All | 4.5 |
| Demi Lovato Don't Forget | 2.0 |
| Demi Lovato Unbroken | 2.0 |
| Dido Safe Trip Home | 3.5 |
| Dido Life For Rent | 4.5 |
| Dido No Angel | 4.0 |
| Dinosaur Jr. Farm | 4.5 |
| This is my first Dinosaur Jr. album, and it impresses! Drawing from 90s alternative, they also add a power pop dynamic that makes their style fresh. The lead singer doesn't always hit the right notes, and there's one long song too many, but those are minor problems when the album rocks like it does. |
| Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca | 4.0 |
| Dolores O'Riordan No Baggage | 3.5 |
| The first two songs gave me a big "uh oh," but fortunately, the album gets much better after that. "It's You" and "The Journey" are tremendous pop songs. "Apple Of My Eye" is an engaging slow burner. The rest is pretty similiar to Are You Listening - it's good she's out of her Cranberries comfort zone, but nor does she hit the highs of much of her Cranberries stuff. |
| Duffy Rockferry | 4.0 |
| Duffy Endlessly | 3.0 |
| Dum Dum Girls I Will Be | 3.0 |
| Echosmith Lonely Generation | 4.5 |
I disagree with Caleb wholeheartedly. I think the production is brilliant and even offers a new take on 80s pop.
Sydney’s voice is strong and the sentiments are real. |
| Eels Hombre Lobo | 3.5 |
| Eels Electro-Shock Blues | 4.5 |
| Eisley Combinations | 4.5 |
| Eisley Room Noises | 4.5 |
| Eisley The Valley | 4.5 |
| Eisley Currents | 4.5 |
| Eisley I'm Only Dreaming | 4.0 |
| Electric Light Orchestra Alone in the Universe | 4.5 |
| Ellie Goulding Delirium | 2.5 |
| Hmm I like pop so I expected I might like this. I really enjoyed Halcyon Days. As others have said, there's just too much of the same beat and sound, which is not bad but doesn't interest. Not one of the best pop albums out there like 1989 and E-mo-tion - thought it might be before I listened. |
| Elvis Presley Elvis: 30 #1 Hits | 5.0 |
| Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton Knives Don't Have Your Back | 2.5 |
| Emily Kinney This Is War | 4.0 |
| I don't understand the bad ratings. It is a bit twee, but catchy and very charming. |
| Emmylou Harris Red Dirt Girl | 4.5 |
| Empire Of The Sun Walking On A Dream | 2.0 |
| Enya Paint The Sky With Stars | 4.5 |
| Erin McCarley Love, Save the Empty | 3.5 |
| Evanescence The Open Door | 3.5 |
| Evanescence Fallen | 3.0 |
| Evanescence The Bitter Truth | 2.5 |
| Faith Hill Fireflies | 3.0 |
| Faith Hill Cry | 2.5 |
| Faith Hill Breathe | 3.5 |
| Faith Hill Faith | 2.0 |
| Faith Hill It Matters To Me | 4.0 |
| Her best CD. It's where the country and the pop mixes the best. Today, I have rated her other albums, too. |
| Faith Hill Take Me As I Am | 3.5 |
| Fefe Dobson Fefe Dobson | 4.5 |
| Fefe Dobson Joy | 4.0 |
| The first few songs are good pop, but she really hits her stride with "Didn't See You Coming" and the songs after that. She really separates herself from the pop pack with rock, soul, and indie influences. |
| Feist The Reminder | 3.5 |
| Fergie The Dutchess | 2.0 |
| Fiona Apple Extraordinary Machine | 2.5 |
| Fiona Apple When the Pawn... | 3.5 |
| Fiona Apple Tidal | 3.5 |
| Fiona Apple The Idler Wheel... | 2.5 |
| Fiona Apple Fetch the Bolt Cutters | 4.0 |
| First Aid Kit Stay Gold | 5.0 |
| First Aid Kit Ruins | 4.5 |
| First Aid Kit's Stay Gold is one of the most beautiful albums you will hear. This one is a bit rougher and expands their horizons, but they do not lose their folk/rock charm. An early best of 2018 contender. |
| Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes | 5.0 |
| Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues | 4.5 |
| Fleet Foxes Crack-Up | 4.0 |
| Fleet Foxes Shore | 4.0 |
| Florence and the Machine Lungs | 3.0 |
| Flyleaf Memento Mori | 3.0 |
| It's ok. I think Hayley brings more power and Paramore has better hooks. |
| Foo Fighters Wasting Light | 4.0 |
| Foo Fighters Medicine at Midnight | 4.0 |
| Foo Fighters Concrete and Gold | 3.0 |
| Foo Fighters There Is Nothing Left to Lose | 5.0 |
| Fountains of Wayne Welcome Interstate Managers | 5.0 |
| Fountains of Wayne Traffic And Weather | 4.0 |
| Fountains of Wayne Sky Full of Holes | 4.5 |
| Garbage Bleed Like Me | 4.5 |
| Garbage Version 2.0 | 5.0 |
| Garbage Garbage | 4.5 |
| Garbage Beautiful Garbage | 4.5 |
| Garbage Not Your Kind of People | 3.5 |
| Garbage No Gods No Masters | 3.5 |
It’s quite rocking. You can really hear the guitar, rumble and thump. I think it elevates otherwise more pedestrian
material. |
| Garth Brooks In the Life of Chris Gaines | 2.5 |
| Garth Brooks In Pieces | 4.5 |
| Garth Brooks Garth Brooks | 4.0 |
| Garth Brooks Sevens | 4.0 |
| Garth Brooks Scarecrow | 4.0 |
| Garth Brooks The Chase | 4.0 |
| Garth Brooks Ropin' The Wind | 5.0 |
| Garth Brooks No Fences | 5.0 |
| Garth Brooks Fresh Horses | 3.0 |
| Garth Brooks Man Against Machine | 3.0 |
| Have to admit I was disappointed with this album. Sure it's very listenable, but just look at the first song - "Man Against Machine" is fun but does not rival arena rockers such as "Ain't Goin' Down Til the Sun Comes Up." Garth knows how to do a good message song - "We Shall Be Free" was sharp and insightful. But here they often fall flat - "People Loving People" is just plain lazy, and can babies really think the way the baby does in "Mom"? The best songs here have a more old style sound like "Cowboys Forever." |
| Genesis We Can't Dance | 4.0 |
| Gomez How We Operate | 4.5 |
| Goo Goo Dolls Let Love In | 3.0 |
| Goo Goo Dolls Something for the Rest of Us | 4.0 |
| Goo Goo Dolls Boxes | 4.0 |
| I kind of miss the guitar rock of the outstanding album Dizzy Up The Girl, but rarely is this album uninspired. It's familiar but not going through the motions. Lead single "Over and Over" is soaring, "So Alive" deserves to be big like "Iris" was, and the slightly folky "The Flood" is one that breaks new ground for them. |
| Goo Goo Dolls Chaos in Bloom | 3.5 |
| Nice to see them expanding their sound while not going generic. Still, I missed the hooks they are known for. |
| Good Charlotte Good Morning Revival | 2.0 |
| Good Charlotte Cardiology | 3.0 |
| Hookier and more fun than I thought it would be from the reviews. Lyrics are awful, though, and the vocals pretty ordinary. |
| Gorillaz Gorillaz | 2.0 |
| Gossip Music For Men | 2.0 |
| Green Day 21st Century Breakdown | 4.5 |
| Green Day American Idiot | 5.0 |
| Green Day Warning | 4.0 |
| Green Day iDOS! | 1.5 |
| Green Day ¡UNO! | 4.0 |
| Green Day Revolution Radio | 4.5 |
| Green Day Father of All Motherfuckers | 1.5 |
| Haven’t heard it all yet, but the first couple songs sound noisy with no direction. Could this be a joke? |
| Green Day Saviors | 4.5 |
| Grimes Art Angels | 4.0 |
| Grizzly Bear Veckatimest | 4.0 |
| Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction | 2.0 |
| Guster Keep It Together | 4.5 |
| Guster Easy Wonderful | 4.0 |
| Gwen Stefani Love. Angel. Music. Baby. | 4.0 |
| Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape | 2.5 |
| Gwen Stefani This Is What the Truth Feels Like | 2.0 |
| Yes, she's older, but older doesn't have to be this boring. Even her vocals sound hushed. There's none of the freshness and energy of No Doubt, or even much of her other solo work. |
| Hailey Whitters The Dream | 3.5 |
Her voice is thin, and that undermines an otherwise good album. There are some strong hooks here, but
sometimes the arrangements don’t do them justice. |
| HAIM Days Are Gone | 5.0 |
| HAIM Something To Tell You | 3.5 |
Rhythms can get a little too plodding with the same bass sound. Not the modem classic of Days Are Gone.
Harmonies remain great though and there are some excellent songs - "Little of Your Love" is gloriously catchy
and "Right Now" makes its mid tempo sparkle. |
| HAIM Women In Music, Pt. III | 4.5 |
| One of the freshest sounding pop albums you will hear. Each song becomes like its own journey into the soul, feelings and talent of HAIM. |
| Halsey hopeless fountain kingdom | 2.0 |
| Halsey If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power | 4.0 |
| Hannah Montana Hannah Montana | 2.5 |
| Hanson Middle of Nowhere | 3.0 |
| Hanson The Walk | 2.0 |
| Hanson Underneath | 4.0 |
| Hanson Shout It Out | 3.5 |
| Harry Styles Harry Styles | 4.0 |
| Hayley Williams Petals for Armor | 4.0 |
| Heather Nova Siren | 4.0 |
| Heidi Montag Superficial | 1.0 |
| Hey Monday Hold On Tight | 4.5 |
| Catchy, great vocals, lots of craft put into the music. I love it, and don't care what others think. |
| Hey Monday Beneath It All | 4.0 |
| "I Don't Wanna Dance," "Hungover," and "Mr. Pushover" are the most unique songs. The others are Kelly Clarkson meets Jag Star, and because I love both those artists, I like the whole EP. Hopefully the next LP continues their progress. |
| Hey Violet From the Outside | 3.0 |
| Hilary Duff Metamorphosis | 1.5 |
| Hilary Duff Dignity | 2.5 |
| Hilary Duff Hilary Duff | 2.0 |
| Hilary Duff Breathe In. Breathe Out. | 2.0 |
The whistles on "Spark" are one of the most annoying things you will hear in pop music. It doesn't get much
better. Only "Confetti" and "Arms Around a Memory" rise to the level of her sometimes decent bubblegum pop.
The rest is very dull and formulaic, never standing out at all.
What was I expecting? Not much, but I like some pop music so had an open mind |
| Hinder Extreme Behavior | 1.0 |
| Hinds Leave Me Alone | 4.0 |
| Hole Celebrity Skin | 4.5 |
| Hole Live Through This | 4.5 |
| Hole Nobody's Daughter | 2.5 |
| A mixed bag. Courtney's voice has definitely faded. But she can still bring it on songs like "Nobody's Daughter," "Skinny Little Bitch," and "Loser Dust." My problem is that the songs in the middle seem like weaker versions of Celebrity Skin. Not bad, but they don't stand out. Then, "How Dirty Girls Get Clean" is a pale imitation of "Loser Dust." The last song, "Never Go Hungry," is Courtney doing a country sound - it just doesn't fit her. |
| Holly Brook Like Blood Like Honey | 4.0 |
| Honor Society Fashionably Late | 1.0 |
| Imagine the Jonas Brothers, only more amateurish and having worse singing. |
| Hootie and The Blowfish Cracked Rear View | 4.0 |
| Ida Maria Fortress Round My Heart | 1.5 |
| Imagine Dragons ƎVOLVE | 1.5 |
| Imagine Dragons Smoke + Mirrors | 3.5 |
| Imogen Heap Speak For Yourself | 4.0 |
| Imogen Heap Ellipse | 3.0 |
| Indigo Girls Despite Our Differences | 4.5 |
| Indigo Girls All That We Let In | 4.5 |
| Indigo Girls Become You | 4.0 |
| Indigo Girls Rites Of Passage | 5.0 |
| Indigo Girls Indigo Girls | 5.0 |
| Indigo Girls Swamp Ophelia | 5.0 |
| This is one of three classic albums from The Indigo Girls.. Amy and Emily create pure bliss together. |
| Indigo Girls Come On Now Social | 4.0 |
| Indigo Girls Look Long | 4.5 |
| The Indigo Girls sound completely invigorated. Definitely making some of their best music after all these years. |
| Ingrid Michaelson Everybody | 4.5 |
| Ingrid's Girls & Boys was a good album, but sometimes caught in a bit of an uncomfortable mix of intimate indie and mainstream pop. Here on Everybody, Michaelson goes for more hooks while keeping the arrangements from falling into blandness. Check out folky "The Chain" and "Sort Of," and the sweeping power pop of "Mountain And The Sea." |
| Ingrid Michaelson Girls And Boys | 4.0 |
| Ingrid Michaelson Human Again | 4.0 |
| Ingrid Michaelson Lights Out | 4.0 |
| Ingrid Michaelson It Doesn't Have to Make Sense | 3.0 |
| It could have been a good back to basics kind of album, but nothing really here has the hook saviness of "Girls Chase Girls" or the depth and beauty of her best ballads. So it ends up sounding like a run of the mill singer songwriter album. Best songs are "Hell No" and "Another Life." |
| Iron And Wine Kiss Each Other Clean | 3.5 |
| Jack Johnson To the Sea | 2.5 |
| Jack White Blunderbuss | 3.0 |
| Jakob Dylan Women + Country | 3.0 |
| James Blunt Back To Bedlam | 1.0 |
| Janelle Monae The ArchAndroid | 4.0 |
| Jason Castro Jason Castro | 3.0 |
| Jefferson Airplane The Worst of Jefferson Airplane | 5.0 |
Grace Slick is one of the most unique and powerful voices in rock. I think this album gets it just right with the
songs chosen, too. |
| Jenny and Johnny I'm Having Fun Now | 4.0 |
| Jenny Lewis The Voyager | 4.5 |
| Jessica Simpson Do You Know | 2.0 |
| Jessie James Jessie James | 3.5 |
| Jewel Goodbye Alice in Wonderland | 4.0 |
| Jewel 0304 | 2.5 |
| Jewel Spirit | 4.0 |
| Jewel This Way | 4.5 |
| Jewel Pieces of You | 3.5 |
| Jewel Sweet and Wild | 3.0 |
| The production is a little too smoothed over compared to Pieces of You. Also does not have as many strong songs, but at least is consistently solid. And she IS a better singer now. |
| Jill Scott The Light of the Sun | 2.5 |
| Jimmy Eat World Chase This Light | 4.0 |
| Jimmy Eat World Bleed American | 5.0 |
| Jimmy Eat World Futures | 4.0 |
| Jimmy Eat World Invented | 4.5 |
| Jimmy Eat World Integrity Blues | 4.5 |
| Jimmy Eat World Surviving | 4.5 |
| Joanna Newsom Ys | 2.0 |
| Joanna Newsom The Milk-Eyed Mender | 1.5 |
| Joanna Newsom Have One on Me | 2.0 |
| John Mayer Continuum | 2.5 |
| John Mayer Heavier Things | 3.0 |
| John Mayer Room for Squares | 4.0 |
| John Mayer Battle Studies | 3.5 |
| John Prine John Prine | 4.5 |
| Jonas Brothers A Little Bit Longer | 3.5 |
| Jonas Brothers Jonas Brothers | 2.5 |
| You know, PsychoPuppet has a good point - I just think most of their good songs are on one album, A Little Bit Longer, and not this one. |
| Jonas Brothers It's About Time | 2.5 |
| Jonas Brothers Lines, Vines and Trying Times | 2.5 |
| Joni Mitchell Blue | 5.0 |
| Joni Mitchell Ladies of the Canyon | 5.0 |
| Joni Mitchell Court and Spark | 4.5 |
| Joni Mitchell Clouds | 5.0 |
| Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks | 3.5 |
| Jordin Sparks Battlefield | 3.0 |
| Battlefield is an album of solid ballads and Rihanna-style R&B. The best of the upbeat songs is "Emergency"; that should have been the single instead of "Battlefield." I didn't like the re-make of "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" because she sings it too sweetly. In fact, it's a problem in general that she sings the ballads pretty similarly. It's a good thing the production is well done by the typical hit-makers. |
| Joseph I'm Alone, No You're Not | 4.0 |
| Josh Ritter The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter | 4.5 |
| Josh Ritter The Animal Years | 5.0 |
| Josh Ritter So Runs The World Away | 3.5 |
| Big fan of Josh - The Animal Years and The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter are at the elite of singer/songwriter albums. While still good, I was a little disappointed in this CD. It still has catchy pop gems - "Change Of Time," "Lantern," and "Orbital" - but it's lacking in songs like those that we know well from him. It's a little low on energy. Stand out ballads include "Folk Bloodbath" and "The Curse." Other ballads are fine but rely too much on similar strumming and his still-strong storytelling lyrics. The only real missteps are "Rattling Locks" and "The Remnant," where he tries to sound like Tom Waits. Those two songs have rhythms that go nowhere. |
| Josh Ritter The Beast In Its Tracks | 4.5 |
| Julia Michaels Not In Chronological Order | 4.0 |
Impressive album. It is commercial, but doesn’t seem like just a product of current trends. She also brings lyrical
wit to the table. |
| Juliette Lewis Terra Incognita | 1.5 |
| She was always inconsistent, but on this CD, she's just bad. Juliette oversings like she's trying too hard, and the music isn't even fun. |
| Justin Bieber My World | 1.5 |
| Justin Bieber My World 2.0 | 1.5 |
| Justin Bieber Purpose | 1.5 |
| Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveSounds | 2.0 |
| Kacey Musgraves Pageant Material | 4.5 |
| Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour | 5.0 |
The mid-tempo pop production doesn't wow you right away, but as the first song says, it's like a slow burn. It's
ultimately unlike anything she has done before and very rewarding.
I am changing this to a 5 because the whole album keeps you in a state of bliss. That's no easy thing to do. |
| Kacey Musgraves Star-Crossed | 4.0 |
| Kacey Musgraves Deeper Well | 4.5 |
| Kacy Hill Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again | 2.5 |
| Kanye West Graduation | 4.0 |
| Kate Voegele A Fine Mess | 4.5 |
| Katharine McPhee Katharine McPhee | 3.0 |
| Katharine McPhee Unbroken | 3.0 |
| Katy Perry One of the Boys | 3.5 |
| Catchy pop with occasionally clever lyrics and vocals with loads of energy. There are definitely a few pop gems here. |
| Katy Perry Teenage Dream | 3.5 |
| Katy Perry Prism | 3.0 |
| Katy Perry Witness | 2.0 |
| Katy Perry Smile | 2.0 |
Originally I thought it would be awful, but it has a few redeeming tracks. Opener “Never Really Over” does bop,
though over a synthetic riff. “Daisies” is similar to the charming “Firework”. “Harleys In Hawaii” is quirky, and the
closer “What Makes A Woman” shows her softer side nicely. Overall, though, there is just not enough to generate
interest. |
| Katy Rose Because I Can | 3.5 |
| Keane Under The Iron Sea | 2.5 |
| Keith Urban Get Closer | 3.5 |
| Keith Urban Graffiti U | 1.5 |
| Kelly Clarkson My December | 4.5 |
| Kelly Clarkson All I Ever Wanted | 4.5 |
| Kelly Clarkson Thankful | 3.5 |
| Kelly Clarkson Breakaway | 4.5 |
| Kelly Clarkson Stronger | 3.5 |
| Sounds like she was on the verge of more with an updated pop/R&B sound, but the record company reined her in. Still a good album with some standout songs ("Darkside," "Stronger," "Standing In Front Of You," "I Forgive You," "You Can't Win," "Breaking Your Own Heart"). |
| Kelly Clarkson Piece by Piece | 3.0 |
| Voice is good as always.. lyrics are solid. The 80s tinged light electronic sound doesn't always do her her voice justice through. Often they compete with her vocals. Still worth having but not her strongest. |
| Kelly Clarkson Meaning of Life | 2.0 |
| To me, it is a huge disappointment. She goes for a soul/R&B sound, but the arrangements are cookie cutter and she winds up shouting a lot. Her voice is ruined on what sounds like fake soul. A couple slow burners help the album a bit, but it gets a 2 from me. |
| Kelsea Ballerini kelsea | 2.0 |
| Her voice is good, and she can write a hook, but she ruins it with overproduction that shows no personality. Lyrics have growing to do, too. |
| Kesha Animal | 3.5 |
| Kesha Cannibal | 3.5 |
| I think her lyrics are really funny. An exception is "Cannibal," where the Dahmer reference is inappropriate. Overall, if you found Animal to be a guilty pleasure, you will like this EP. |
| Kesha Warrior | 3.5 |
| Kesha Rainbow | 4.0 |
| Kesha High Road | 3.5 |
| Honestly it is not bad at all. Kind of bridges the gap between Animal and Rainbow without quite as many highs as Rainbow (still her best album). |
| Kevin Federline Playing with Fire | 1.0 |
| Kidz Bop Kidz Kidz Bop, Volume 9 | 2.0 |
| Kittie Oracle | 2.0 |
| Kittie In the Black | 1.0 |
| OK, maybe it's because I don't listen to a lot of metal, but I don't think they can roar at all! Any time I have to turn off an album early because of my ears, it's an automatic negative rating. |
| Kris Allen Kris Allen | 2.5 |
Kris Allen's CD is pretty much what you would expect after watching him on Idol. Serviceable, but not a stand out. The CD is over-produced and generically designed for radio. I'd download these three songs only: "Written All Over My Face," ""Red Guitar," and "Alright With Me".
|
| KSM Read Between The Lines | 3.5 |
| This is actually very good bubblegum rock. It really is more inspired by bands like the Go Gos than other Disney stars. The biggest negative is the lead vocals, which sound solid but unseasoned. But the lead singer IS only 16. |
| KT Tunstall Drastic Fantastic | 4.0 |
| KT Tunstall Tiger Suit | 3.5 |
| Kylie Minogue Aphrodite | 4.0 |
| Kylie Minogue Disco | 4.0 |
| Lady A Need You Now | 2.5 |
| Lady A Own the Night | 2.0 |
| Lady Gaga The Fame | 4.5 |
| Lady Gaga Joanne | 4.0 |
| Lady Gaga Chromatica | 3.0 |
It’s too electro-dance heavy for me and the grooves need to vary more. The standouts are “Alice,” “Stupid Love,”
“Sine From Above,” and “Babylon”. The album does make you feel good when you listen to it, and we need that
in these times. But I was expecting something more exciting. |
| Lana Del Rey Born to Die | 3.5 |
| Lana Del Rey Lust For Life | 1.5 |
| Laura Marling Alas, I Cannot Swim | 4.0 |
| Laura Marling I Speak Because I Can | 4.5 |
| Laura Stevenson Sit Resist | 4.5 |
| Laura Stevenson Wheel | 4.5 |
| Laura Stevenson Cocksure | 4.5 |
| This album just plain rocks! Even the "slower" songs build up. Another excellent album from her. |
| Laura Stevenson The Big Freeze | 4.5 |
| Laura Stevenson Laura Stevenson | 4.5 |
Definitely represents the indie/folk side of Laura, and the results are beautiful. There are a couple indie rockers to
add some variety: “State” and “Sandstorm.” |
| Laura Veirs July Flame | 3.5 |
| Lauren Harris Calm Before the Storm | 3.5 |
| Lee DeWyze Live It Up | 2.5 |
| Could have been a lot worse. The safe music actually works to his advantage in a way, because the cloying quality of his voice is kept to a minimum. Three songs here are worth purchasing - "Dear Isabelle," "Brooklyn Bridge," and "Stay Here." "Dear Isabelle" is a rare spare moment, and even though it sounds like John Mayer, succeeds in charming. "Brooklyn Bridge," with its jazzy quality, is refreshingly un-Idol. "Stay Here" is irresistably snappy. All the other songs have been done better by other artists. |
| Leona Lewis Echo | 3.5 |
| Lifehouse No Name Face | 3.5 |
| Lifehouse Smoke and Mirrors | 3.0 |
| Lightning Bolt Earthly Delights | 1.0 |
| I'm sorry, but to me, this is just excruciating noise. |
| Lights Siberia | 4.5 |
| Lights The Listening | 4.0 |
| Lights Little Machines | 4.5 |
| Ok maybe it doesn't have a firm identity like The Listening and Siberia, but it takes the best from both those albums - the warm synth sounds and the edginess are blended together for a terrific listening experience. |
| Lights Skin and Earth | 4.0 |
| It?s not as genre bending as Siberia and sometimes gets lost in pleasant background music, but the many highlights take her electro-pop sound to new levels. Another very enjoyable album from Lights! |
| Lil Wayne Rebirth | 1.0 |
| Lily Allen It's Not Me, It's You | 2.5 |
| Lily Allen Alright, Still | 2.5 |
| Lily and Madeleine Keep It Together | 4.0 |
| A small step down from their previous album due to too much cluttering with electronic pop arrangements. More guitar and acoustic would be good. They are unique though and the songs are still enjoyable. |
| Limp Bizkit Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water | 1.5 |
| Lindsay Lohan A Little More Personal (Raw) | 2.5 |
| Lindsay Lohan Speak | 3.0 |
| Linkin Park Minutes to Midnight | 2.0 |
| Linkin Park Hybrid Theory | 2.0 |
| Linkin Park One More Light | 2.0 |
| Lissie Catching a Tiger | 4.5 |
| Unique, special - that says it all for Lissie. I really think she'll make a classic someday. |
| Lissie Castles | 4.0 |
| Little Big Town Nightfall | 3.5 |
Had to review again. First time I think I was expecting it to be too much like before. They didn’t set out to make
hits on this one. It is a pretty album with emotional songwriting, but the album is still TOO ballad heavy for me.
The fun song, Wine Beer Whiskey, is a bit annoying. But the quality is usually there. |
| Liz Phair Somebody's Miracle | 4.0 |
| Liz Phair Liz Phair | 3.0 |
| Liz Phair Whitechocolatespaceegg | 5.0 |
| Liz Phair Exile In Guyville | 5.0 |
| Liz Phair Funstyle | 2.0 |
| I see this album as a tongue-in-cheek retort to her critics. So while most of these songs are pretty bad mish-mashes, Liz just put together anything she felt like because the critics boxed her in. I think she does fine in pop (especially on Somebody's Miracle,) and I know she can find some direction again. |
| Liz Phair Soberish | 4.5 |
While not a return to the sound of her excellent early albums like the trailblazing Exile In Guyville and my
personal favorite whitechocolatespacegg, they are the closest she has been to those in a long time. The songs
have that personal, honest feel in the lyrics. The songs are more pop in the way they are more polished, but they
are also minimalist and experimental. Not like the underrated but bowing to trends too much self titled album. You
can see how strong artists from Phoebe Bridgers to Hayley Williams to Chloe Moriondo were influenced by her. |
| Lorde Melodrama | 4.0 |
| Lorde Solar Power | 4.0 |
| Loretta Lynn Van Lear Rose | 4.5 |
| Lori McKenna The Tree | 4.0 |
| Yes, the arrangements are simple, but that doesn't mean they are boring. She again produces strong lyrics and has an emotive voice. |
| Lucinda Williams Essence | 4.5 |
| Lucinda Williams West | 3.0 |
| Lucinda Williams Car Wheels on a Gravel Road | 5.0 |
| Lucinda Williams World Without Tears | 4.5 |
| Lucinda Williams Little Honey | 4.5 |
| Lucius Good Grief | 4.5 |
| Lucy Dacus Home Video | 4.5 |
| Lykke Li Wounded Rhymes | 4.0 |
| M.I.A. Maya | 1.5 |
| Madonna Hard Candy | 3.0 |
| Madonna Confessions on a Dancefloor | 4.5 |
| Madonna American Life | 4.0 |
| Madonna Music | 4.5 |
| Madonna Ray of Light | 5.0 |
| Madonna Erotica | 2.5 |
| Madonna The Immaculate Collection | 5.0 |
| Madonna MDNA | 4.0 |
| Madonna Rebel Heart | 3.0 |
Has grown on me a little, but still sounds too desperate to keep up with trends. Instead of expanding the dance
genre limits like on Ray of Light and Confessions, she works with artists like Nicki Minaj. Best are ballads like
""Ghosttown," "Joan of Arc," and "Heartbreak City." There are also nice detours like the folky-dancy "Body Shop."
I recommend the album for fans. |
| Mae The Everglow | 4.0 |
| Maisie Peters You Signed Up For This | 3.5 |
| It has solid hooks but I think the lyrics are the star of the album. That is rare in pop music. |
| Malin Pettersen Wildhorse | 4.0 |
| Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh | 4.5 |
| Mandy Moore Wild Hope | 4.5 |
| Mandy Moore So Real | 1.5 |
| Mandy Moore Mandy Moore | 3.0 |
| Mandy Moore Coverage | 3.0 |
| Mandy Moore Silver Landings | 4.0 |
| Maren Morris Hero | 4.5 |
| Beyond the excellent pop/country of songs like 80s Mercedes and Rich, there's a lot of interesting country/R&B here. Those songs aren't as well developed as the more poppy songs, but they could make for an even better album next time. |
| Maren Morris Girl | 3.5 |
| Maren Morris Humble Quest | 4.5 |
| Margo Price That's How Rumors Get Started | 4.0 |
| Margot and the Nuclear So and So's The Dust of Retreat | 4.5 |
| Margot and the Nuclear So and So's Not Animal. | 4.0 |
| Mariah Carey Music Box | 3.0 |
| Mariah Carey Emotions | 3.0 |
| Mariah Carey E=MC² | 2.5 |
| Mariah Carey The Emancipation of Mimi | 2.5 |
| Mariah Carey Charmbraclet | 2.0 |
| Mariah Carey Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel | 2.5 |
| Mariah Carey Caution | 4.5 |
| Mariah Carey Mariah Carey | 4.5 |
| Marie Digby Breathing Underwear | 2.0 |
| With its processed beats and similar song structures, Breathing Underwear has a numbing effect on the listener. When she finally does try something different, all it is is Evanescence-lite. I recommend her CD Unfold, but you should avoid this album. |
| Marilyn Manson The High End of Low | 1.5 |
| Marilyn Manson Mechanical Animals | 3.0 |
| Marina The Family Jewels | 4.0 |
| Marissa Nadler Marissa Nadler | 3.5 |
| Marnie Stern In Advance of the Broken Arm | 1.5 |
| Maroon 5 It Won't Be Soon Before Long | 2.5 |
| Maroon 5 V | 2.0 |
| Mary Chapin Carpenter The Things That We Are Made Of | 4.5 |
| Shows Mary Chapin to be at her introspective best! While there is a lack of fast songs, the songs are hooky enough and the instrumentation sharp enough not to get sleepy. Could be an underrated gem in her discography. |
| Mary Chapin Carpenter Come On, Come On | 5.0 |
| Mary Chapin Carpenter Stones In The Road | 5.0 |
| Matchbox Twenty Mad Season | 3.0 |
| Matchbox Twenty Yourself or Someone Like You | 4.0 |
| Mayday Parade Anywhere But Here | 2.5 |
| Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell | 4.5 |
| Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell III | 3.5 |
| Meg and Dia Here, Here and Here | 3.5 |
| I thought this was a better CD than their first CD, which had bland hooks. This one adds some variety and also is less stiff. |
| Meg and Dia Something Real | 2.5 |
| Meg Myers Take Me To The Disco | 2.5 |
| It's not bad but the style just didn't do much for me. Tried to update the alternative sound but it fell flat. |
| Meghan Trainor Title | 3.5 |
| She has a strong voice and her girl group meets old school hip hop style produces some classic melodies like "Close Your Eyes." Album cries out for a little more depth though that matches her voice/sound. |
| Meghan Trainor Thank You | 1.0 |
| I liked her previous album, but Thank You is just complete pop/R&B/funk garbage. Guess they didn't sell enough before. :/ |
| Melanie C Melanie C | 3.0 |
| Solid, danceable pop album that doesn’t do much to distinguish itself. |
| Melissa Etheridge Fearless Love | 3.5 |
| Decent Melissa Etheridge music - no more and no less. It would be nice if she did more music different than the usual big production and dramatic vocals, like on the Indian-flavored "We Are The Ones." A very solid listen, though. |
| Melissa Etheridge Breakdown | 4.0 |
| Melissa Etheridge Yes I Am | 4.5 |
| Melissa Etheridge The Awakening | 3.5 |
| Melissa Etheridge Skin | 3.5 |
| Metallica Metallica | 4.5 |
| Metallica St. Anger | 2.5 |
| Metallica Master of Puppets | 5.0 |
| While not one of my all time favorite albums (I do like it, though), this is a classic in the genre. |
| Metallica Death Magnetic | 4.0 |
| Metric Fantasies | 4.5 |
| Not watered down at all. These are all very muscular and powerful rock songs with pop sensabilities. |
| Metric Live It Out | 4.0 |
| Metric Synthetica | 3.0 |
| MGMT Congratulations | 3.5 |
| Sounding somewhere between the Shins and the Flaming Lips, MGMT have created a good indie record - you won't like it as much as any Shins album so far, but the experimentation is a lot more interesting than what the Flaming Lips do. |
| Michael Jackson Thriller | 5.0 |
| Michael Jackson Bad | 4.5 |
| Michael Jackson Dangerous | 3.0 |
| Doesn't match up with Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad, as his vocals can get lost in the busy production. The first three songs, while interesting, are also a bit hookless. But there are some of his best here: "Black Or White," "Remember The Time," "Dangerous," and "Give In To Me." |
| Michael Jackson Off the Wall | 5.0 |
| Michael Johns Hold Back My Heart | 2.5 |
| Michelle Branch The Spirit Room | 5.0 |
| Michelle Branch Everything Comes and Goes | 4.0 |
| Michelle Branch Hopeless Romantic | 4.0 |
Michelle has done an excellent job of upgrading her signature pop sound with R&B, electronic, and classic rock
flavors. As groundbreaking as The Spirit Room is, she needed to grow as an artist as expected after such a great
album, and she did. Hopeless Romantic is long, but no wonder after so much time trying to get new music out.
My only complaint is it "simmers" a little too much without enough "snap." Definitely though confirms her as a
musical force. |
| Michelle Branch The Trouble With Fever | 3.5 |
| There are good songs here that are cluttered by production that gets in the way of her melodies. You keep wanting those melodies to break free. I am a fan of her and was hoping for better. |
| Miley Cyrus Breakout | 2.5 |
| Miley Cyrus Can't Be Tamed | 2.5 |
| Miley Cyrus Bangerz | 2.5 |
| Miley Cyrus Younger Now | 2.5 |
I wish the rest of the album was as strong as two last songs and even “Malibu.” But much of Younger Now just
comes out as dull. Going more rootsy isn’t such a good idea when her voice is as monochromatic and lacking in
emotion as it is. Despite what the critics say, the new Shania Twain is much better! |
| Miley Cyrus Plastic Hearts | 4.0 |
| By FAR the best Miley Cyrus album. The rock sound suits her voice the best. She also does well on certain country where her rootsy timbre can show. Maybe that kind of album is next. |
| Miranda Cosgrove Sparks Fly | 3.0 |
| Fluffy fun; at least she's not forcing being grown up like in the terrible Miley song "Can't Be Tamed." |
| Miranda Cosgrove High Maintenance | 2.5 |
| Miranda Lambert The Weight of These Wings | 3.5 |
| There are good songs here, but they don't come out well enough in the tin can production that isn't even that raw. Her voice is also oddly shoved into the background. A bit disappointed. |
| Miranda Lambert Wildcard | 4.0 |
While it is more mainstream than her other albums IMO, it never drags or suffers for it. That it sounds so fresh is
a testament to Miranda’s talent and witty lyrics. |
| Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank | 1.5 |
| Morningwood Diamonds & Studs | 2.0 |
| MUNA Saves The World | 4.5 |
| Muse The Resistance | 2.5 |
| What were they doing putting three classical-influenced rock ballads at the end? They are not inspiring or enjoyable. Too much of the album is that way, though there are a trio of good rockers (the two that start the album and "Unnatural Selection"), and USOE is epic done right. |
| My Chemical Romance The Black Parade | 4.5 |
| Natalie Imbruglia Left of the Middle | 3.0 |
| Natasha Bedingfield Strip Me | 4.0 |
| Much better than many reviewers are saying. More rocking than usual from her, and the ballads never drag. |
| Neko Case Middle Cyclone | 4.5 |
| Neko Case The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight... | 4.0 |
| Neko Case Hell-On | 4.5 |
| With each listen, it gets more and more interesting. And was quite good the first time. Stylistically, I hear elements of just about all her albums wrapped into a unique package. |
| Nelly Furtado Whoa, Nelly! | 4.0 |
| Nelly Furtado Loose | 2.5 |
| New Found Glory Sticks and Stones | 2.0 |
| New Kids on the Block The Block | 2.0 |
| New Kids on the Block Hangin' Tough | 3.0 |
| Nick Jonas and the Administration Who I Am | 2.5 |
| Nickelback All the Right Reasons | 1.5 |
| Nickelback Dark Horse | 1.5 |
| Nirvana Nevermind | 4.0 |
| No Doubt Tragic Kingdom | 4.5 |
| No Doubt Push and Shove | 3.5 |
| Norah Jones Not Too Late | 3.0 |
| Norah Jones Feels Like Home | 3.0 |
| Norah Jones Come Away with Me | 4.5 |
| Norah Jones The Fall | 3.5 |
| NSYNC Celebrity | 1.5 |
| NSYNC No Strings Attached | 1.5 |
| Oasis Don't Believe the Truth | 3.0 |
| Oasis (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | 4.5 |
| OK Go Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky | 2.0 |
| Olivia Chaney Shelter | 4.0 |
| While she's a little too shrill at times, much of this is beautiful music. An artist to watch for sure. |
| Orianthi Believe | 4.0 |
| Our Lady Peace Burn Burn | 4.0 |
| Papa Roach Metamorphosis | 1.5 |
| Paramore The Final Riot! | 4.0 |
| Paramore Riot! | 4.0 |
| Hayley has a terrific voice. And while a few songs fall into pop/punk imitator territory, there is more confidence and less awkwardness than on All We Know Is Falling. |
| Paramore All We Know Is Falling | 3.5 |
| Paramore Brand New Eyes | 4.0 |
| You can clearly hear Paramore growing up on Brand New Eyes. The intensity of "Careful" and "Ignorance" hits you right away. They better "Misery Business." Hayley is a good enough singer to handle it. Ballads like "Misguided Ghosts" are unlike what they have ever done before. And when the songs have pop hooks, like on "Brick By Boring Brick," they match "For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic," "When It Rains," and "Crushcrushcrush" from Riot! Brand New Eyes might not change the world of music, but sometimes just good old music is enough. |
| Paramore After Laughter | 4.5 |
| Paris Hilton Paris | 1.0 |
| Pure product that isn't even fun - the best beats were given to other artists. This is the album that gets my scorn - Ke$ha is much better. |
| Paris Jackson wilted | 4.0 |
While the lyrics be cringe worthy at times, this is a delightful listen. It is not like her dad’s music at all. Much
closer to a singer-songwriter album. It is atmospheric, but one thing she inherited is a knack for hooks. |
| Patti Smith Horses | 3.5 |
| Paul McCartney Chaos and Creation in the Backyard | 2.5 |
| Paul Simon Graceland | 5.0 |
| Paul Simon So Beautiful or So What | 3.5 |
| Paula Abdul Forever Your Girl | 4.0 |
| Consistently well done 80s dance pop, with "Straight Up" and "Forever Your Girl" rising above the rest. Her voice, while thin, has a sprightliness that fits the music. |
| Paula Abdul Spellbound | 3.0 |
| Peaches Impeach My Bush | 2.5 |
| Pearl Jam Ten | 5.0 |
| Pearl Jam Yield | 4.5 |
| Pearl Jam Pearl Jam | 4.0 |
| Pearl Jam Backspacer | 4.5 |
| Pearl Jam Riot Act | 4.0 |
| Pearl Jam Binaural | 4.0 |
| Pearl Jam Gigaton | 2.5 |
| Pearl Jam Dark Matter | 4.0 |
| Peter Bjorn and John Writer's Block | 3.5 |
| Phil Collins Testify | 3.0 |
| Phoebe Bridgers Punisher | 4.0 |
| Phoebe Bridgers Stranger in the Alps | 4.5 |
| Phoenix (FRA) Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix | 4.5 |
| Pink M!ssundaztood | 4.5 |
| Pink Try This | 4.5 |
| Pink Funhouse | 4.0 |
| Pink Beautiful Trauma | 4.0 |
| Pink Hurts 2B Human | 3.0 |
| Solid songs, but sounds more like Pink by numbers than anything she has done before. The ballads are weaker than the up tempo songs. |
| PJ Harvey Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea | 4.0 |
| PJ Harvey Is This Desire? | 3.0 |
| PJ Harvey White Chalk | 3.0 |
| PJ Harvey Uh Huh Her | 4.0 |
| PJ Harvey Let England Shake | 3.5 |
| There's excellent storytelling here. And it has some good melodies. However, P.J. Harvey deserves better than the light arrangements and so much use of her high register. |
| PJ Harvey The Hope Six Demolition Project | 3.0 |
| Placebo Meds | 2.0 |
| Portishead Third | 2.0 |
| Prince Purple Rain | 5.0 |
| This album is a great example of why I am a pop fan. The best pop combines creativity with accessibility so well. I admit I do not like all his albums, but this is one of the best albums ever. RIP Prince - gone too soon. |
| Priscilla Ahn A Good Day | 4.5 |
| Prussian Blue Fragment Of The Future | 1.0 |
| Pussycat Dolls PCD | 1.5 |
| R.E.M. Automatic for the People | 5.0 |
| R.E.M. Accelerate | 4.5 |
| R.E.M. Reveal | 4.0 |
| R.E.M. Green | 5.0 |
| R.E.M. New Adventures in Hi-Fi | 4.5 |
| R.E.M. Monster | 4.0 |
| R.E.M. Up | 4.0 |
| R.E.M. Eponymous | 4.5 |
| R.E.M. Out of Time | 4.5 |
| R.E.M. Around the Sun | 3.5 |
| R.E.M. Collapse Into Now | 4.0 |
| Excellent album.. it's like a little bit of Automatic For The People combined with Monster combined with Accelerate. My one complaint is that they aren't growing as a band or quite equaling their best work. The last song is the only one that stretches. But just based on song quality, it doesn't disappoint. |
| R.E.M. Lifes Rich Pageant | 5.0 |
| Rachel Platten Wildfire | 1.5 |
She's cute and crush worthy, but obviously the music industry is just using her good looks. There's no talent
shown here. The music is as bland as can be, which could be worse than plain awful. |
| Rachel Platten Waves | 1.5 |
| Look, Rachel's cute, but this is a terrible album. Maybe even worse than her first one. Seems for very young audiences, and even they can do better than this album. |
| Radiohead OK Computer | 5.0 |
| Radiohead Kid A | 3.5 |
| Radiohead Hail to the Thief | 3.5 |
| Radiohead In Rainbows | 4.5 |
| Raelynn WildHorse | 3.5 |
| She's kind of finding her way on this album, and she does not have the best vocal range. But it's an enjoyable listen with some good storytelling. |
| Ramones Road to Ruin | 4.5 |
| Rascal Flatts Feels Like Today | 2.5 |
| Rascal Flatts Still Feels Good | 2.0 |
| Rascal Flatts Me And My Gang | 2.0 |
| Regina Spektor Begin To Hope | 5.0 |
| Regina Spektor Far | 5.0 |
| I don't usually give classic status to albums I just heard, but I truly think this is good enough. Her most mainstream album yet, it is also her most amazing. Not many artists manage to combine accessibility with quirkiness like Regina does. The album is full of her beautiful piano playing and sparkling melodies. It even has bounciness - like on the opener "The Calculation." She does not venture into alternative rock on Far, but "Machine" is the closest, with its ominous mood and somewhat spooky chorus. |
| Regina Spektor What We Saw from the Cheap Seats | 4.5 |
| Regina Spektor Remember Us To Life | 4.5 |
| Regina Spektor Home, Before and After | 4.5 |
| Ricky Martin Ricky Martin | 2.0 |
| Rihanna Good Girl Gone Bad | 4.0 |
| Rihanna Rated R | 2.5 |
| Rilo Kiley Under the Blacklight | 4.5 |
| Rilo Kiley More Adventurous | 4.5 |
| Rob Thomas Cradlesong | 4.5 |
| Robyn Body Talk | 4.5 |
| Rogue Wave Permalight | 4.0 |
| Rooney Eureka | 3.5 |
| Ryan Adams 29 | 4.0 |
| Sabrina Carpenter Emails I Can't Send | 3.5 |
| Sade Soldier Of Love | 4.0 |
| Sam Smith Love Goes | 3.0 |
| Good, soothing voice - but he would do better with a less synthetic sound. |
| Santigold Santogold | 2.5 |
| Sarah Fimm Red Yellow Sun | 4.0 |
| Reminded me in a strange way of Loreena McKennitt meets Sinead O'Connor meets Peter Gabriel.. very interesting listen. It just requires you to listen closely to get the full effect. |
| Sarah Jarosz World On The Ground | 4.5 |
| She always had immense promise, and this album delivers on it. She melds folk, bluegrass, blues and even some rock influence into a marvelous sound that is all her own. With very intelligent songwriting, too. |
| Sarah McLachlan Surfacing | 4.5 |
| Sarah McLachlan Fumbling Towards Ecstasy | 5.0 |
| Sarah McLachlan Afterglow | 4.0 |
| Sarah McLachlan Laws of Illusion | 4.0 |
| Scarlett Johansson Anywhere I Lay My Head | 2.0 |
| Scott Stapp The Great Divide | 1.5 |
| Seaway Big Vibe | 3.5 |
| Selena Gomez When the Sun Goes Down | 3.5 |
| Actually an improvement over her last CD. More fun, entertaining, and hooky. Also even a little adventurous for this kind of pop, as on the ballad "We Own The Night" which is with Pixie Lott. |
| Selena Gomez Rare | 3.0 |
| Definitely more mature, but with some exceptions, tends to not stand out from other recent pop. Hopefully a hint of better things to come. |
| Shakira Laundry Service | 4.0 |
| Shakira She Wolf | 2.5 |
| Shania Twain Up! | 3.0 |
| Shania Twain Come On Over | 4.5 |
| Shania Twain The Woman in Me | 4.0 |
| Shania Twain Now | 4.0 |
| Shania Twain Queen Of Me | 2.5 |
| Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings I Learned the Hard Way | 4.5 |
| She and Him Volume Two | 4.0 |
| She and Him Volume One | 4.5 |
| Sheryl Crow Detours | 4.0 |
| Sheryl Crow Wildflower | 4.5 |
| Sheryl Crow The Globe Sessions | 5.0 |
| Sheryl Crow Sheryl Crow | 5.0 |
| Sheryl Crow 100 Miles From Memphis | 2.0 |
| Surprisingly dull. The band sounds very uninspired, and there are few of the catchy songs Sheryl is known for. Sheryl's vocals are fine for the soul vibe, but there's only so much she can do with these songs. |
| Sheryl Crow Be Myself | 4.0 |
| Sheryl Crow Feels Like Home | 2.5 |
| Sheryl Crow C'mon, c'mon | 4.5 |
| Sheryl Crow Tuesday Night Music Club | 4.5 |
| Sigur Ros Takk... | 4.0 |
| Silversun Pickups Swoon | 2.5 |
| Simon and Garfunkel Sounds of Silence | 5.0 |
| Sinead O'Connor Theology | 3.0 |
| Sinead O'Connor Faith And Courage | 4.5 |
| Sinead O'Connor I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got | 5.0 |
| Sky Ferreira Night Time, My Time | 4.0 |
| Skylar Grey Don't Look Down | 3.0 |
| Sleater-Kinney No Cities to Love | 4.5 |
| Sleater-Kinney Path of Wellness | 3.5 |
| Sleater-Kinney Little Rope | 3.0 |
| Sleigh Bells Treats | 1.5 |
| Sleigh Bells Reign of Terror | 3.5 |
| Slipknot Slipknot | 1.0 |
| Sloan Never Hear The End Of It | 4.5 |
| Smoosh She Like Electric | 2.5 |
| Soulja Boy iSouljaBoyTellEm | 1.0 |
| Spice Girls Spice | 2.5 |
| Spice Girls Greatest Hits | 3.0 |
| Spinnerette Spinnerette | 3.5 |
| At times the album bursts with rock energy, and at other times it builds up tension. It's just too bad the music isn't a little looser, as it gets a bit weary over a whole album. |
| St. Vincent Actor | 4.0 |
| St. Vincent Marry Me | 4.0 |
| St. Vincent Daddy's Home | 3.5 |
| I really enjoy her more soulful entries here. It is when she is more her usual self that sometimes the songs sound like inferior versions of past work. |
| Staind Break The Cycle | 2.5 |
| Stars In Our Bedroom After The War | 4.5 |
| Stars Set Yourself On Fire | 5.0 |
| Stars The Five Ghosts | 4.5 |
| The Five Ghosts is sentimental without being sappy and sexy without being forced. They utilize synthesizer in a thrilling power pop way, and use their sweet harmonies. Maybe one or two too many hazy ballads near the end, but otherwise, this is excellent even if it doesn't reach the heights of Set Yourself On Fire. |
| Stars No One Is Lost | 4.0 |
| Stars From Capelton Hill | 4.0 |
| It is pretty basic Stars album, but just a good Stars sound is enough. They always keep from sounding stale. |
| Static-X Cannibal | 1.0 |
| Steve Earle I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive | 3.5 |
| Stevie Nicks In Your Dreams | 4.5 |
| I think this album captures both the pop and blues eras of Fleetwood Mac well, while sounding modern enough. Terrific job, Stevie! |
| Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots (2010) | 4.0 |
| Straylight Run The Needles, The Space | 4.5 |
| Sufjan Stevens Illinois | 4.5 |
| Sufjan Stevens The Age of Adz | 1.5 |
| I could hardly get through this album. Seen as genius as some, but I find it to be dumb. Fussy electronics with little melody. Big disappointment since I love the album Illinois. |
| Sufjan Stevens Carrie and Lowell | 5.0 |
| Sugarland Twice The Speed Of Life | 4.0 |
| Sugarland Love On The Inside | 4.5 |
| Sugarland Enjoy The Ride | 4.0 |
| Sugarland The Incredible Machine | 3.0 |
| This is an unrelentingly positive album, with big production and choruses. I need positively right now, so I'm definitely in the mood for it. Because of Jennifer Nettles's passion and the solid musicianship, the album has substance depite the arena-readiness of the music. On the downside, the lyrics are a little lazy - multiple references to fire, light, open hearts, etc. - and the album is not inventive. It's a fun album and a worthwhile addition to their catalog, if not close to their best album. |
| Sugarland Bigger | 3.5 |
| They are trying hard for hits here and lost some individuality. But many of the songs have good, catchy hooks - and there are affecting ballads. Points for taking some bold stances in country music, too. |
| Sunflower Bean Twentytwo in Blue | 4.5 |
| Susan Boyle I Dreamed a Dream | 3.0 |
| t.A.T.u. 200 km/H In The Wrong Lane | 1.5 |
| Taking Back Sunday New Again | 3.5 |
| Taking Back Sunday Louder Now | 2.5 |
| Taylor Hicks Taylor Hicks | 3.5 |
| Taylor Swift Fearless | 4.5 |
| Taylor Swift Speak Now | 4.5 |
| Taylor Swift 1989 | 5.0 |
| Taylor Swift Reputation | 3.5 |
| I think the New York Times review is pretty spot on in this case. She does an admirable job of fusing other elements of pop to her signature sound. It's also a deeper album than one might suspect from the released singles. "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" has a girl group bounce, "New Year's Day" is a beautiful acoustic ballad, and "Don't Blame Me" as a sparkling R&B groove. Her voice is a bit limited on the album, and I was wishing for more songs like the more Taylor-like "Getaway Car," but overall the album is another big success for Taylor. |
| Taylor Swift Red | 4.5 |
| Taylor Swift Lover | 4.5 |
| Taylor Swift Folklore | 5.0 |
| Thank you Taylor Swift for this surprise treat. Much appreciated in these hard times. |
| Taylor Swift Taylor Swift | 4.0 |
| Taylor Swift Evermore | 4.5 |
| It may not have as many stand out songs as Folklore, but it is almost as enjoyable. Have to let it sink in It is creative without losing the strength of the material, with exquisite melodies. It also is her best lyrically - even the overdone fantasy murder song is done well. She continues to grow very well! |
| Taylor Swift Fearless (Taylor’s Version) | 4.5 |
The arrangements and more mature vocals maybe take some of the innocence out of the album, but the
arrangements are never bad and it is neat hearing how Taylors these songs. I think a couple of the “castoffs”
could have fit on the original album. |
| Taylor Swift Red (Taylor’s Version) | 5.0 |
| Taylor Swift Midnights | 4.5 |
| Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department (Anthology) | 4.0 |
| Ted Leo and the Pharmacists The Brutalist Bricks | 2.0 |
| Tegan and Sara So Jealous | 4.5 |
| Tegan and Sara Sainthood | 4.0 |
| Tennis Cape Dory | 2.5 |
| This album re-creates the 60s sound, but fails to be memorable. Too often the music just drifts along in a haze. The singer also doesn't exactly have the charisma of a Petula Clark. |
| that dog. Retreat From the Sun | 4.5 |
| The All-American Rejects When the World Comes Down | 2.5 |
| The All-American Rejects Move Along | 4.0 |
| The Beach Boys Pet Sounds | 5.0 |
| The Beatles Revolver | 5.0 |
| The Beatles Rubber Soul | 5.0 |
| The Beatles Let It Be | 5.0 |
| The Beatles Abbey Road | 5.0 |
| The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | 5.0 |
| The Beatles With the Beatles | 5.0 |
| The Beatles 1 | 5.0 |
| The Beatles The Beatles | 5.0 |
| The Beatles Beatles for Sale | 5.0 |
| The Beatles Help! | 5.0 |
| The Beatles Please Please Me | 5.0 |
| The Beatles Yellow Submarine | 3.0 |
| To be fair, have to include this in my Beatles ratings. Fun but a novelty album. |
| The Beatles A Hard Day's Night | 5.0 |
| The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour | 4.5 |
| The Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies) | 1.5 |
| The Cars Move Like This | 4.0 |
| The Cars Heartbeat City | 5.0 |
| The Cars Greatest Hits | 5.0 |
| The Cars Shake It Up | 4.5 |
| The Chicks Taking the Long Way | 4.0 |
| The Chicks Home | 5.0 |
| The Chicks Wide Open Spaces | 5.0 |
| The Chicks Fly | 5.0 |
| The Chicks Gaslighter | 4.5 |
| ?Gaslighter,? a fun and uptempo country-pop tune, definitely does not set the tone for the rest of the album. The ralbum Gaslighter is creative, with many mid tempo songs and ballads. Lyrics skillfully address a variety of topics, rand the musicianship and singing are again top notch. It may actually be TOO ballad heavy, and ?Tights On My rBoat? fell flat, but those are minor gripes. A very successful return. |
| The Civil Wars Barton Hollow | 4.0 |
| The harmonies on this album are tremendous. Some of the best you'll hear. They help get the album through a couple of draggy spots. |
| The Click Five Greetings from Imrie House | 3.5 |
| The Corrs Forgiven, Not Forgotten | 5.0 |
| The Corrs In Blue | 5.0 |
| The Corrs Borrowed Heaven | 4.5 |
| The Corrs Talk on Corners | 5.0 |
| The Corrs Jupiter Calling | 4.5 |
A wonderful mixture of the more traditional and the more pop Corrs. Really too bad they don't get recognized like
before. |
| The Cranberries Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? | 4.5 |
| The Cranberries Wake Up and Smell the Coffee | 3.0 |
| The Cranberries Bury the Hatchet | 3.5 |
| The Cranberries Roses | 2.5 |
| It sounds like The Cranberries, but usually doesn't stand out like they used to. |
| The Cranberries No Need to Argue | 4.0 |
| The Dead Weather Horehound | 2.0 |
| They tried to create dirty blues-rock with reckless abandon, but it ends up clumsy and without fully-realized structures. |
| The Decemberists The Hazards of Love | 2.0 |
| The Decemberists Picaresque | 4.5 |
| The Decemberists The Crane Wife | 4.5 |
| The Decemberists I’ll Be Your Girl | 3.0 |
| I found too many the lyrics to be quite simplistic and the songs wildly inconsistent. Sometimes the synths work and other times they are just head scratching. |
| The Decemberists The King Is Dead | 4.5 |
| This album is growing on me even more. It's like a combination of Ryan Adams and Wilco alt-country mixed with REM mixed with Simon & Garfunkel mixed with their own quirkiness. Deceptively simple and a superb listen throughout. Not far from a 5, but I try to do only a couple of those a year at most. Could be a 5 later. |
| The Decemberists What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World | 4.5 |
| The Dollyrots Because I'm Awesome | 4.5 |
| The Dollyrots A Little Messed Up | 4.5 |
| One of my favorite albums from one of my favorite artists. Kelly Ogden has one of the most charismatic voices in music, and the power pop springs to life. |
| The Dollyrots The Dollyrots | 4.0 |
| The Dollyrots Daydream Explosions | 4.0 |
| It’s nothing different from them, but when they do this power pop so well, why change? It never gets tiresome. |
| The Dollyrots Night Owls | 5.0 |
| The Donnas Bitchin' | 4.0 |
| The Donnas Gold Medal | 4.0 |
| The Donnas Spend the Night | 4.0 |
| The Dresden Dolls Yes, Virginia... | 3.0 |
| The Duke Spirit Neptune | 4.0 |
| The Essex Green Hardly Electronic | 4.5 |
Nearly as good as Cannibal Sea. And just as rewarding a listen. They are masters of pop melody but can do
much more, as their exploration of classic rock, a harder rock edge, folk and even roots country show. |
| The Flaming Lips Embryonic | 2.5 |
| Has interestingly freaky moments mixed with songs that are dull or seem to lack meaning. |
| The Format Dog Problems | 5.0 |
| The Fray The Fray | 2.5 |
| The Fray How to Save a Life | 3.0 |
| The Gaslight Anthem The '59 Sound | 4.5 |
| The Gaslight Anthem American Slang | 4.0 |
| The Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America | 5.0 |
| The Hold Steady Heaven Is Whenever | 4.5 |
| The Hold Steady Open Door Policy | 4.0 |
| The Killers Hot Fuss | 4.0 |
| The Killers Sam's Town | 3.5 |
| The Killers Wonderful Wonderful | 3.5 |
| The Killers Pressure Machine | 4.5 |
| Tunefulness lessens their trademark bombast, but they haven?t gotten boring. It results in one of the best albums rthey have done. On first listen, the only weakness is a few songs seemed a bit long. Could grow on me even rmore. |
| The Lemonheads The Lemonheads | 4.0 |
| The Like Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? | 4.5 |
| The Like Release Me | 5.0 |
| It's like a best-of CD of girl group-influenced songs! But it's more than just a throwback: there's some garage-y guitar, new wave, and Berg's very versatile voice. |
| The Mars Volta Octahedron | 3.5 |
| The Monkees Greatest Hits | 4.5 |
| The National Boxer | 4.0 |
| The National High Violet | 5.0 |
| This album has some of the most uniquely amazing arrangements I have ever heard. Combine that with super memorable choruses, the lead singer's achingly emotional baritone, and lyrics that define a stage of life, and you have a classic. |
| The New Pornographers Twin Cinema | 5.0 |
| The New Pornographers Electric Version | 5.0 |
| The New Pornographers Together | 4.5 |
| Not getting the average ratings for this so far. It has the bounciness of Electric Version plus the majesty of Twin Cinema. Might go up to a 5. |
| The New Pornographers Mass Romantic | 4.5 |
| The New Pornographers Brill Bruisers | 4.5 |
| The New Pornographers Whiteout Conditions | 4.5 |
| They did it again! Makes me bob my head and want to move around as they always do. Very effective use of Neko Case also. There's always something different to enjoy in each NP album, and on this one there is a bit of psychedelic sound. |
| The New Pornographers In the Morse Code of Brake Lights | 3.5 |
| Hooks are still excellent, and the string heaviness provides a new dimension. But the murky production is a distraction. I had to turn up the headphones to get better sound. |
| The New Pornographers Continue as a Guest | 2.5 |
| The Pierces Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge | 5.0 |
| The Pierces Creation | 4.5 |
They make beautiful music, and this album doesn't disappoint at all. More production than before, but it
complements their vocals perfectly. |
| The Postal Service Give Up | 4.0 |
| The Pretty Reckless Light Me Up | 2.5 |
| The Pretty Reckless Death By Rock and Roll | 3.5 |
| The riffs are simple, but are at least hard hitting. Her voice elevates this more - she is a very gifted vocalist. |
| The Raveonettes In and Out of Control | 4.5 |
| The Shins Wincing the Night Away | 4.5 |
| The Shins Chutes Too Narrow | 4.5 |
| The Smashing Pumpkins Zeitgeist | 3.0 |
| The Smashing Pumpkins Oceania | 4.5 |
| The Sounds Dying to Say This to You | 4.0 |
| The Sundays Reading, Writing and Arithmetic | 5.0 |
| The Tallest Man on Earth The Wild Hunt | 4.0 |
| The Thermals Now We Can See | 4.0 |
| The Ting Tings We Started Nothing | 3.5 |
| The Veronicas Hook Me Up | 4.0 |
| The Veronicas The Secret Life Of... | 4.5 |
| The Veronicas The Veronicas | 4.5 |
| The Veronicas Godzilla | 3.5 |
It is more uneven than their other albums. “Godzilla,” while fine, doesn’t really fit. Some others, like “Supernatural
Girl,” are misfires. But it overall is a very good listen with some of their best songs like “Stealing Cars,” “In My
Blood” and “Silent.” |
| The Wallflowers Breach | 4.5 |
| The Wallflowers Red Letter Days | 4.0 |
| The Wallflowers Rebel, Sweetheart | 4.5 |
| The Wallflowers Bringing Down the Horse | 4.5 |
| The Weather Station Ignorance | 4.5 |
| The Weepies Say I Am You | 4.5 |
| The Weepies make absolutely beautiful folk pop. From the beginning to the end, the Weepies let their harmonies and melodies shine through. |
| The Whigs In The Dark | 3.0 |
| The White Stripes Icky Thump | 4.5 |
| The White Stripes Get Behind Me Satan | 4.5 |
| The White Stripes Elephant | 5.0 |
| The White Stripes White Blood Cells | 4.5 |
| Third Eye Blind Third Eye Blind | 4.5 |
| Third Eye Blind Ursa Major | 3.5 |
| Third Eye Blind Blue | 4.5 |
| Tilly and the Wall O | 4.5 |
| Tilly and the Wall Bottoms of Barrels | 4.5 |
| Tim McGraw Set This Circus Down | 4.0 |
| Tinted Windows Tinted Windows | 4.0 |
| Tiny Vipers Life on Earth | 3.5 |
| Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Mojo | 3.0 |
| Tori Amos Abnormally Attracted To Sin | 2.5 |
| Tori Amos Little Earthquakes | 5.0 |
| Tori Amos From the Choirgirl Hotel | 4.0 |
| Tori Amos Scarlet's Walk | 4.5 |
| Tori Amos The Beekeeper | 4.0 |
| Tori Amos American Doll Posse | 4.5 |
| Tori Amos Native Invader | 4.5 |
| Her most majestic and lyrically powerful since Scarlet's Walk. Tori is back! |
| Tori Amos Ocean to Ocean | 4.5 |
| Torres Thirstier | 4.0 |
| Train Drops of Jupiter | 2.5 |
| Travis The Man Who | 4.5 |
| TV on the Radio Dear Science | 4.5 |
| TV on the Radio Return to Cookie Mountain | 3.5 |
| U2 No Line on the Horizon | 4.0 |
| Excellent album, yet it is not one of their very best after a few listens. Does sound fresh, though not as fresh as Achtung Baby. |
| U2 The Joshua Tree | 5.0 |
| U2 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb | 4.0 |
| U2 All That You Can't Leave Behind | 5.0 |
| U2 Achtung Baby | 4.5 |
| U2 Songs of Innocence | 4.0 |
| U2 Songs of Experience | 4.0 |
| It would be nice for U2 to have a late career classic. This isn't it, but if you are fine with U2 doing the familiar reasonably well, you will enjoy this album. |
| Vampire Weekend Contra | 3.0 |
| Vanessa Carlton Heroes and Thieves | 4.5 |
| Vanessa Carlton Harmonium | 4.0 |
| Vanessa Carlton Be Not Nobody | 4.0 |
| Vanessa Carlton Rabbits on the Run | 4.5 |
| Vanessa Carlton Love Is An Art | 4.0 |
| I was really surprised to hear the psychedelic type haze on this album. She pulls it off well, because she hasn?t lost her gift for melody. It is also nice to hear her challenge herself. I do miss the piano a little, though. |
| Vedera Stages | 4.0 |
| Velvet Revolver Libertad | 3.0 |
| Veruca Salt Ghost Notes | 4.0 |
| It's very similar to their two great albums - American Thighs and Eight Arms To Hold You. Actually better lyrically with more emotional depth. Production is good, but the songs could have a feeling of more joy - it also sounds a bit similar, but if you listen closely, you can find things you didn't hear before. Great to have them back! |
| Vivian Girls Everything Goes Wrong | 2.5 |
| Vivian Girls Vivian Girls | 4.0 |
| Waxahatchee Tigers Blood | 4.0 |
| Weezer Make Believe | 2.0 |
| Weezer The Green Album | 4.0 |
| Weezer Raditude | 2.0 |
| Weezer Hurley | 4.0 |
| Weezer The White Album | 4.5 |
| Weezer Van Weezer | 2.0 |
| Weezer Pacific Daydream | 3.0 |
| Weezer Pinkerton | 5.0 |
| Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot | 5.0 |
| Wilco Wilco (The Album) | 4.0 |
| Wilco Star Wars | 4.0 |
| Wilco Schmilco | 4.0 |
| Wilco Cruel Country | 4.0 |
| Wilson Phillips Wilson Phillips | 2.5 |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz! | 3.5 |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever To Tell | 1.5 |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs Show Your Bones | 3.0 |
| Yoko Ono Rising | 1.5 |
| Zella Day Kicker | 4.0 |
| Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer Schematics | 4.5 |
