Quicksilver Messenger Service – Happy Trails
Few albums capture the spirit of San Francisco’s psychedelic ballroom scene as vividly as Happy Trails. Released in 1969, Quicksilver Messenger Service’s second album…
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Latest Reviews
Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison
There are live albums, and then there are cultural landmarks. Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison, released in 1968, belongs firmly in the latter category.…
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Country Joe & The Fish – Electric Music for the Mind and Body
When people think of the San Francisco psychedelic scene of the late 1960s, names like Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, and Big Brother and…
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The Rolling Stones – Aftermath
By 1966, the Rolling Stones had already established themselves as Britain’s most dangerous rock band. Their early records were rooted in Chicago blues, rhythm…
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Buck Owens and His Buckaroos – I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail
During the mid-1960s, country music found itself at a crossroads. Nashville’s polished “Countrypolitan” sound was dominating the charts, with lush string arrangements and pop-influenced…
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Solomon Burke – Rock ‘n Soul
Few singers have ever possessed a voice as commanding, versatile, or emotionally overwhelming as Solomon Burke. Often referred to as the “King of Rock…
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Charles Mingus -The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
Jazz has produced countless ambitious albums, but very few rival the sheer scope of Charles Mingus’ The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. Released…
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Jerry Lee Lewis – Live at the Star-Club, Hamburg
If someone wanted to understand why Jerry Lee Lewis earned the nickname “The Killer,” there may be no better place to start than Live…
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The Beatles – With The Beatles
Success can be a difficult thing to follow, but The Beatles barely paused long enough to acknowledge it. Just eight months after releasing their…
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James Brown – ‘Live’ at the Apollo
Some live albums capture a great performance. Others redefine what a live album can be. James Brown’s Live at the Apollo belongs firmly in…
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Jimmy Smith – Back at the Chicken Shack
By the dawn of the 1960s, Jimmy Smith had already accomplished something extraordinary. In just a few years, he had transformed the Hammond B-3…
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Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
Few albums have altered the course of popular music as profoundly as The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Released in 1963, it transformed a relatively unknown…
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Booker T. & The M.G.’s – Green Onions
Sometimes a single song is so iconic that it overshadows the album it came from. That’s certainly true of Green Onions. The title track…
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Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd – Jazz Samba
Some albums don’t simply become successful—they change the direction of music. Jazz Samba, released in 1962, is one of those rare records. Long before…
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Olivia Rodrigo – You Seem Seem Pretty Sad Got a Girl So In Love
With SOUR and GUTS, Olivia Rodrigo established herself as one of the defining songwriters of her generation, pairing brutally honest lyrics with explosive pop-rock…
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Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
Following the breakthrough success of Emails I Can’t Send and the global pop phenomenon Short n’ Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter entered one of the most…
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Charli XCX – Brat
Few artists have spent the past decade pushing pop music forward as relentlessly as Charli XCX. While many know her from massive hits like…
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Sincere Engineer – Cheap Grills
Some albums announce themselves with grand artistic statements or elaborate concepts. Others earn their place through honesty. Cheap Grills, the third full-length album from…
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Taylor Swift – Midnights
By the time Midnights arrived in October 2022, Taylor Swift had already accomplished something few artists ever achieve. She had successfully reinvented herself multiple…
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Tyler the Creator – Call Me If You Get Lost
By the time Call Me If You Get Lost arrived in 2021, Tyler, the Creator had already completed one of the most remarkable artistic…
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Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Timing has a way of reshaping how albums are remembered. When Dua Lipa released Future Nostalgia on March 27, 2020, much of the world…
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Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
Few pop albums arrive under more extraordinary circumstances than Ariana Grande’s thank u, next. Released on February 8, 2019, less than six months after…
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Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
Before Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves had already established herself as one of country music’s most gifted songwriters. Her first two albums, Same Trailer Different…
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Lorde – Melodrama
When Lorde released her debut album, Pure Heroine, in 2013, she seemed almost impossibly self-assured. At just 16 years old, she dismantled pop clichés…
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David Bowie – Blackstar
Released on January 8, 2016—David Bowie’s 69th birthday—Blackstar initially seemed like another bold reinvention from an artist who had spent five decades staying one…
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Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
Released on March 15, 2015, To Pimp a Butterfly arrived with enormous expectations. Kendrick Lamar had already established himself as one of hip-hop’s brightest…
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Taylor Swift – 1989
By 2014, Taylor Swift had already become one of the biggest names in country-pop, earning critical acclaim and commercial success through deeply personal songwriting…
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Beyonce – BEYONCE
By 2013, Beyoncé had already achieved almost everything a pop superstar could hope for. She had dominated the charts as a member of Destiny’s…
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Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE
Some albums announce the arrival of a major talent. Others redefine the possibilities of an entire genre. Frank Ocean’s channel ORANGE accomplished both. Released…
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Adele – 21
Heartbreak has inspired countless great albums, but few have captured its emotional highs and devastating lows as completely as Adele’s 21. Released in 2011,…
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The Black Keys – Brothers
For nearly a decade, The Black Keys had built a loyal following through relentless touring and a series of gritty, blues-infused garage rock albums.…
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
Reinvention is one of the hardest things for a successful band to pull off. After earning acclaim with the garage-punk fury of Fever to…
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MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
Every so often, an album emerges that captures the mood of an entire generation while sounding unlike anything else on the radio. Released in…
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LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
Dance music and indie rock had crossed paths before, but few artists merged the two with the wit, intelligence, and emotional depth of James…
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Muse – Black Holes and Revelations
By 2006, Muse had already earned a reputation as one of rock’s most ambitious bands. Their first three albums showcased a fearless willingness to…
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Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
Every so often, an album arrives that feels completely out of step with its era in the best possible way. In the mid-2000s, mainstream…
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Kanye West – The College Dropout
Before The College Dropout, Kanye West was already one of hip-hop’s most sought-after producers, crafting hits for Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and countless others.…
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The Darkness – Permission to Land
Rock music in the early 2000s had largely shifted toward post-grunge, nu metal, and garage rock revival. While those genres dominated radio and MTV,…
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Justin Timberlake – Justified
Leaving one of the biggest boy bands in the world is always a gamble. Success as part of a group rarely guarantees success as…
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Destiny’s Child – Survivor
Few pop groups have ever faced as much public turmoil at the height of their success as Destiny’s Child. Lineup changes, lawsuits, media scrutiny,…
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Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP
Success changes artists, but few have ever responded to overnight superstardom the way Eminem did. Following the explosive breakthrough of The Slim Shady LP,…
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Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time
Pop music has always produced breakout stars, but very few debut albums redefine an entire generation. Released in 1999, …Baby One More Time didn’t…
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Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Solo albums from members of successful groups often struggle to escape the shadow of their previous work. Lauryn Hill accomplished the opposite. Following the…
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Daft Punk – Homework
Electronic music had already produced countless club classics by the mid-1990s, but few artists had successfully translated underground dance culture into a complete album…
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Marilyn Manson – Antichrist Superstar
Few albums have generated as much controversy—or as many misconceptions—as Antichrist Superstar. Released in 1996, the second full-length album from Marilyn Manson arrived at…
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2Pac – Me Against the World
Great hip-hop albums often reveal an artist’s strengths. The rarest ones reveal their soul. Released in 1995 while Tupac Shakur was incarcerated and just…
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Green Day – Dookie
Punk rock had always thrived on the fringes of popular music, but in 1994, Green Day kicked the door wide open. Dookie didn’t just…
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Sheryl Crow – Tuesday Night Music Club
Breakthrough albums often arrive after years of struggle, and few debut successes were as hard-earned as Sheryl Crow’s Tuesday Night Music Club. Before becoming…
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