A little late with this one but 9/10

Snooper - super snooper

Egg punk album someone posted here back in May when it released. I thought it was the most original album of 2023, because I had not learned egg punk is a whole genre and has existed for like a decade

It's still a great ass album, best egg album I heard, even above freak frequency by stuck. I will be honest, I like super snooper more than any prison affair tape and the only rival is the ismatic guru trilogy for me.

Snooper does a good job of fusing garage vibes with left field turns in the album that other egg bands just aren't really doing. The lyrics are in line with the genre but the vocals just hit right, even better than free refills, and the whole album is just a better listen

It's been on repeat since May for me but just burned it to a CD last night after getting it on bandcamp. Sounds great in the car.

9/10 but I wish it were longer

think this is just mandatory for how i'll start every year. no better way to start your morning fr. 40 minutes of pure other-wordly instrumentation.

GOD/10

been ages since I last listened to this record and its still amazing. 9.5/10

Like a 8/10

Fav song is Randomly

TAEYEON - To. X (Kpop/R&B)
8/10
A nice lil ep to keep fans fed with a lil more focus on R&B. Her vocals are as amazing as usual and especially on a more touching ballad such as All for Nothing
Fav songs: All for Nothing, Melt Away, To.X

Nas - Hip Hop is Dead

Been listening to Still Dreaming a lot and decided it was time to just try the whole album and.. eh?? it's okay. some good stuff on here for sure but it's kinda bloated and the production is def a little dated. I'd give it maybe a 5/10.

Fav Tracks: Where Are They Now, Playa on Playa (feat. Snoop Dogg), Still Dreaming (feat. Kanye West & Chrisette Michele)

Stanley Clarke - Montreux Jazz Festival 1977

Overall Thoughts:

So Stanley Clarke is one of the founders of Return to Forever, alongside Chic Corea. This is right after their album Romantic Warrior which I've heard a million times. The drummer worked on Return to Forever's newest album and their next album. The keyboardist went on to do a bunch of film and TV scores- because he knew what a synthesizer was in 1977. I'm not sure where every song is from but Clarke calls out the second one, School Daze, which is the title track from his recent solo album. Lots of these are Return to Forever adjacent with long soft passages that build. You get some rock riffs, some psychedelic guitar, a horn section. There's a straightforward piano passage toward the end. Everything you could want. Not a huge fan of bass, but Clarke is as good as they come.

Fav Sequence(s):

Big fan of anytime a song starts quiet or gets quiet in the middle. That's the Return to Forever special sauce in this one. They really know how to play off of each other at a whisper. Really makes the riffs pop when they come back out.

7/10, more considered and elegant than Ritenour's stuff, but a little less personality; not sure how connected this group was

8/10
Gets be Hype for the Gym
Reminds me to always get that paper
some of the best beats
Best use of adlibs by any artist i listened too, and i stand on that.
The engineer created the best vocal delay /reverse reverb effects i ever heard.

Crash Talk
6.5/10

Whitney Houston - I Wish You Love

10/10. I always thought that the film version of the song was more beautiful gentler quiet storm than the gospel-y album version and this confirms it for moi.

Beyoncé - *Dangerously in Love

loved every bit of this. the first 3 tracks are certified hits and I love em but I really can't be bothered to play them anymore since they feel so played out now but iconic songs regardless but the rest of it?? wow wow so good. 8/10

Favorite Songs:
Signs (feat. Missy Elliot)
Me, Myself, and I
Speechless
Be With You
Gift From Virgo

I feel as though "Gift from Virgo" is much too underrated.

Real for highlighting it.

for sureee. I define myself as a casual Beyonce fan, only started listening to her when Self-Titled came out but didn't listen to earlier works. So now i've decided I want to go through her discog, really surprised at the artistry. Gift from Virgo is really special and surprised I don't hear more of her fans speak on this one.

"Complex Simplicity" by Teedra Moses (2004):

To me, it's a bona-fide classic debut album; R&B/soul at its absolute finest. The standard version is flawless. Also, yes, I might've shed several tears while listening to "I Think of You."

Would wholeheartedly recommend.
10/10

Favorite Tunes/Highlights:

• "Be Your Girl"
• "Caught Up"
• "Caution"
• "Complex Simplicity"
• "I Think of You (Shirley's Song)"

I have no idea why it's so rarely discussed among the fans either, tbh.

It's her vocal masterpiece.

I was on the reddit page searching to see if anybody made a post about but nah.. nothing! kinda crazy.

Damn. :|

Her subreddit used to be quite inactive for some odd reason, lol.

Just letting you know.

Kauai is really good. Just a short fun EP.
Palisades and Sober are 10/10 to me. I like his singing stuff more than rapping imo.
Overall like a 7.5 for me.

I lick my lips and then I think about how sweet it is to be meeee...

So to date me must be HOOOOOTTTTT

YEAT - 2093

on this album, Yeat stripped back the gimmicks and went for a more cohesive sound than his previous works

leaning more into the alien/futuristic wave that he's helped popularize in the past 2-3 years following the likes of Carti and Opium affiliates, this album is a step into a new era of futuristic house beats mixed with trap drums for an interesting experience

rating: 9/10

fav tracks:

YOU GET IT.

Renee Rapp - Snow Angel
Decent pop album with some elements of r&b and ballads. I like how she rlly showcases her vocal prowess on the self titled track She reminds a bit of Sabrina Carpenter both in sound & looks so if u fw her music u'd probably like this too (tho I slightly prefer Sabrina)

Fav tracks:
Talk too Much
Poison Poison
Snow Angel
Tummy Hurts

Aside from that other tracks range from ok to forgettable.
6/10

Justin Timberlake - Justified

I LOVE THIS ALBUM. grew up on this album but I do have some gripes. Track 1-8 are pretty much flawless but man the last 3-4 songs take a good dip in quality. I do like that from here on out Justin and Timbo just made shorter albums, that was the right move. either way, this is still a classic!

Beyoncé - B'Day

After a great debut, I was really excited to dive into her next project but man... quite disappointing unfortunately! This time around the bulk of the production is handled by Sean Garrett and Swizz Beatz and I just can't with this style of uptempo songs. I liked Deja Vu, Kitty Kat, and Resentment. Outside of those, there was nothing else that really stuck with me. Might be in the minority on this one but yea.

Current Rankings:

Dangerously in Love (8/10)
B'Day (5/10)