Album Reviews
A collection of album and EP reviews written and published from 2004 onward.
- Ne-Yo “Libra Scale” Review ()
Ne-Yo’s new album, as he has explained in numerous interviews leading up to the release of Libra Scale, is a self-described conceptual piece which focuses on the conflicts that arise between love, power and money. In one such discussion with Rolling Stone‘s Sean Fennessey the vocalist detailed some of the primary influences that impacted the […]
- Kings of Leon “Come Around Sundown” Review ()
Since its release in September of 2008, Kings of Leon‘s Only by the Night has sold some 6.2 million copies worldwide, becoming the highest selling digital album in history in the process, has earned the band four Grammy Awards in addition to a slew of other prizes around the world, and has never really left […]
- Lil Wayne “I Am Not a Human Being” Review ()
Despite being held up at Rikers Island Correctional Facility for a large chunk of 2010 Lil Wayne has somehow still proven to be not only one of the most prolific artists alive, but one of the most skilled. Not to overlook the wave of videos which were unleashed earlier this year in support of his […]
- Bruno Mars “Doo-Wops and Hooligans” Review ()
A respected producer and writer before his name was remotely mentioned in the same vein as a solo artist, Bruno Mars is the talk of pop music right now, but he very well might not be the man he appears to be. Catching the ears of many with his appearances on B.o.B.‘s “Nothin’ on You” […]
- Katy Perry “Teenage Dream” Review ()
With her new album, Teenage Dream, Katy Perry is looking to do anything but break the mold, “Some people get full of themselves, and they think that anything they do is going to work or turn to gold or be the right move, and the reason why you’re here is because of the people that […]
- Iron Maiden “The Final Frontier” Review ()
The Final Frontier is Iron Maiden‘s 15th album, and one that initially brought with it rumblings that it would be the legendary band’s swan song. After all, it is called The Final Frontier and founding member and bassist Steve Harris has put 15 albums on the board as the predetermined lifespan of the group. In […]
- Robyn “Body Talk Pt. 2″ Review ()
The first episode of the Body Talk trilogy did well in bringing a bit more recognition for Robyn stateside—the singer just recently concluded the North American stint of her 2010 tour and locked down the #3 position on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Albums chart. But Body Talk Pt. 1, itself, did a bit to shake up the […]
- Avenged Sevenfold “Nightmare” Review ()
To say that a lot has happened since the release of Avenged Sevenfold‘s self-titled 2007 album would be doing the band a great disservice. On the shoulders of the album’s five singles, Avenged Sevenfold went gold and was later honored as the “Album of the Year” by Kerrang! magazine. In 2008 the band hit the […]
- Rick Ross “Teflon Don” Review ()
Ultimately Teflon Don is about two things: Rick Ross flossin’ his wealth and Rick Ross flaunting his friendships. For those of you with no interest in listening to someone take the better part of an hour to reaffirm their self-worth by showcasing how hard they’re shining: Teflon Don is going to be lost on you. […]
- Sheryl Crow “100 Miles To Memphis” Review ()
While Sheryl Crow‘s multi-platinum Tuesday Night Music Club was still pumping out a mammoth wave of singles, a beginner’s guide to soul & southern-flavored rhythm and blues was released in the form of the 1994 Rhythm, Country and Blues compilation. The record attempted to glorify the depth of influence that the “Memphis Sound” continues to […]
- Prince “20Ten” Review ()
What followed the unexpected announcement of Prince’s new album in June was something that had to surprise even his most die-hard fans. (Then again, it is pretty much par for the course in terms of Prince’s career… the last decade even more so.) With less than a month’s notice, it was not only announced that […]
- Kylie Minogue “Aphrodite” Review ()
Sexuality in the realm of female-fronted pop music, or music in general, is nothing new. But in the past couple of decades what has evolved has shifted closer to a sort of “forced sexuality”: overt eroticism with little regard to context or artist. Sure, each situation is as unique as the individual in question, but […]
- The Roots “How I Got Over” Review ()
When we last heard from the Roots, the group had released what was then-deemed their last album, Rising Down. The themes on the record often pointed to dark clouds — examining the bleakness of the times — and leading the way was the album’s first single “75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction).” If you’re looking for angry, […]
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers “Mojo” Review ()
It was once said that “the longer you live, the better you get.” In recording Mojo, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers took to the studio in a way they hadn’t done before (at least to such an extent); not only did the group go into recording the album with an entirely blank canvas—the decision was […]
- The Chemical Brothers “Further” Review ()
While it continued the Chemical Brothers‘ trend of chart topping releases—2007’s We Are The Night was the duo’s fifth consecutive album to go #1 in the UK—the album awkwardly relied on a bevy of unusual collaborations (though, in reality, no more so than 2005’s Push The Button) which left it bearing little consistency. With Further […]
- Eminem “Recovery” Review ()
With “Not Afraid,” the confessional single which drives Eminem’s new album Recovery, the MC alludes to a change which has steered him in a new direction. Not only does he call himself out, admitting that last year’s Relapse was mediocre (“And to the fans, I’ll never let you down again, I’m back/I promise to never […]
- Drake “Thank Me Later” Review ()
Drake has nearly 650,000 followers on Twitter, 225,000 fans on Facebook and 31 million page views on MySpace. But for every fan the young vocalist has garnered, he’s also found a hater. And understandably so as the 23-year-old actor-turned-MC has never shied away from displaying his affluence, his privileged upbringing, or flaunting and flossing every […]
- Christina Aguilera “Bionic” Review ()
While recently discussing Bionic with Out Magazine, Christina Aguilera explained her musical evolution, noting that “every album has been a 180 from the past.” Similar to the focus throughout her entire career, Bionic isn’t meant to be so much of a personal reinvention as another step forward in the singer’s ever-evolving style. While her statement […]
- Stone Temple Pilots “Stone Temple Pilots” Review ()
It has been nine years since the Stone Temple Pilots released Shangri-La Dee Da, the band’s fifth album which received a lukewarm reception and was quickly dismissed after its second single, “Hollywood Bitch,” failed to propel itself into “hit” territory. After talk of returning to the studio following the band’s 2002 tour flared up, tensions […]
- Hank Williams III “Rebel Within” Review ()
“I honestly don’t think it tops Straight To Hell,” explained Hank Williams III when he discussed his new album Rebel Within last fall in an interview with Outlaw Radio Chicago. “It’s got the slow ones, it’s got the fast ones, and a little attitude. But I still don’t think it tops… I still got another […]
- LCD Soundsystem “This Is Happening” Review ()
In 2007 James Murphy followed up his widely praised 2005 debut and the 2006 maxi-track 45:33 with Sound of Silver. Utterly demolishing expectation—which isn’t to say that anticipation for the record hadn’t gathered considerable momentum—the album was immediately met with a glowing response; many eventually acknowledging it as being one of the best of the […]
- Mike Patton “Mondo Cane” Review ()
In a recent interview with AOL’s Noisecreep, Mike Patton attempted to sum up who Mondo Cane is for, “If you like orchestral music and have a heart in your fucking chest, you will like this record.” In keeping with Patton’s seemingly life-long preoccupation with non-linear career-jumps, Mondo Cane does exactly what many of the vocalist’s […]
- Slash “Slash” Review ()
There is little left to be said about Slash’s past work that hasn’t already been dissected a million times over: The guitarist is widely considered to be one of the greatest soloists of all time—if not one of the greatest guitarists of all time—and the songs created during his years playing with Guns N’ Roses […]
- Meth, Ghost & Rae “Wu-Massacre” Review ()
In the world of hip hop Method Man, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon’s Wu-Massacre is an anomaly. As each year passes we’re left with more and more filler on records, augmented by bloated mixtapes packed with songs that fail to ever see a formal release. Even when considering each of these three Wu-Tang members’ most recent […]
- Deftones “Diamond Eyes” Review ()
It has been roughly three and a half years since the Deftones last released an album, 2006′s Saturday Night Wrist. And while the band is known for such spans of time between recordings, the space between Wrist and Diamond Eyes wasn’t entirely by choice. In November of 2008 bassist Chi Cheng was involved in a […]
- MGMT “Congratulations” Review ()
Imagine yourself in the place of MGMT‘s Ben Goldwasser. Following the amazing success of your band’s Oracular Spectacular, which has now sold over one million copies worldwide, you finalize production on your new album, and in preparation for its release you (the royal “you”) make a song available to fans as a free download. But […]
- The Dillinger Escape Plan “Option Paralysis” Review ()
“Option paralysis” is a bit of a double-edged sword. While having a vast selection of choices is nice there are now near-limitless options in every aspect of our lives—what to listen to, who you can communicate with, what to buy, what to eat—but with that comes a general dulling of the senses and a far-from-subtle […]
- Against Me! “White Crosses” Review ()
Not only was New Wave Against Me!’s major label debut (Sire), but it stands as both the most commercially and critically successful album in the band’s career. The 10 song set was produced by Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day), debuted at the #57 spot on the Billboard 200, and would eventually be named […]
- Lil Wayne “Rebirth” Review ()
It has been nearly a year since “Prom Queen” was released as the first single from Lil Wayne’s highly speculated rock album, a record which was later rumored to see release sometime in 2009. Since then, the album’s release was confirmed and three other tracks from the record were officially released, however Rebirth’s release was […]
- Them Crooked Vultures “Them Crooked Vultures” Review ()
First hinting that the band even existed a mere six months ago, the ultra-super-mega powers of John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin; heard of ‘em?), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), and Dave Grohl (Foovana) find themselves tangled in the sounds of murky rock and sludgy blues (with a few oddball tangents to boot) of […]