Jul 6, 2025 at 2:17 PM

320. Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain (1960) [June 30th, 2025]

Sketches of Spain rook me a while to get into. h---, I didn't even check it out when I did my big Miles binge back in March/April. But honestly, I REALLY liked it this time around.

Now, I have to acknowledge my bias. As someone who has been exposed to lots of Spanish/Latin music over his entire life, having a jazz record that is so deeply influenced by such a musically unique country. "Concierto de Aranjuez" is a spectacular intro, and it might be my favorite Miles track ever. It just sounds so different to everything he did before, and after this, and it's great. The whole record feels like something you would hear in the background of one of those classic Spaghetti Western movies.

I've previously acknowledged that I'm not the best at exactly describing what I love about instrumental records, which makes discussing jazz especially difficult. But still, Sketches of Spain is really fun, and I really enjoyed it.

 

Jul 6, 2025 at 2:24 PM

321. Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool (1957) [July 5th, 2025]

A compilation of Miles' early work? Count me in.

In yet another installment of "Yeez only listens to music from GTA IV", "Move" is a great track. It's fun, smooth, and (as expected) jazzy. As a compilation, Birth of the Cool is very strange to discuss though. There are countless musicians present on this record, and they do great. I checked this record out while reading Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow (specifically, the chapter where Slothrop dives into a toilet full of s--- inside a jazz club), so this record definitely added to the craziness. "Darn that Dream" is a bit unique too, as it's the first Miles track I've heard that actually has vocals. And it's pretty good.

Even if it isn't a proper album, Birth of the Cool was still a d--- good time man.

 

Jul 6, 2025 at 5:52 PM

322. Sly & The Family Stone - There's A Riot Goin' On (1971) [July 5th, 2025]

This might be a bit odd from someone who basically listens to music constantly, but I was never too familiar with Sly & The Family Stone. Aside from the BIG hits, I was never too familiar with the band's work. So when Sly Stone passed away a few weeks ago, I decided that it was time to finally check out one of the band's records.

Back when I checked out Prince's 1999, THIS is what I expected out of a funk record. Seriously, the funk instrumentals are so danceable, which makes the fact that I listened to this on an airplane very tragic. "Luv 'N Hait" is a great intro, "Poet" is like amazing, and "(You Caught Me) Smiling)" is just like, such a good time man. The band managed to reintegrate one of their biggest hits into the outro track "Thank You For Talking to Me Africa", which is a great closer.

This record honestly felt very dark, which I guess is to be expected based on the title. I think this record will take me a few relistens to fully appreciate, but I still enjoyed it a lot.

 

Jul 7, 2025 at 10:38 AM

323. Mobb Deep - h--- on Earth (1996) [July 6th, 2025]

Back when I reviewed The Infamous, I referred to it as a dark, nightmarish fever dream. When the time came to make a sequel, Mobb Deep decided to create a record that is even darker, more nightmarish, and feels like, well....h--- on Earth.

If The Infamous was was the tragic tale about 2 lost souls who keep inching towards damnation, h--- on Earth IS that damnation. The beats that were terrifying on the previous record, are horrific this time around. Havoc killed it with beats like "Drop A Gem On 'Em", "Extortion", and "More Trife Life". Prodigy is still absolutely incredible with his pen, with songs like the aforementioned "Drop A Gem On 'Em" and "h--- On Earth (Front Lines)" being highlights. The features are great once again, with many guests returning from the last record, with the exception of Ghostface Killah, but we have Method Man, so we still got a 2nd Wu MC on here. If I had to highlight a single track however, it HAS to be "G.O.D. Pt. III". Remember how I said that having a Scarface beat/reference in a song automatically gives it points in my book? Well, "G.O.D. Pt. III" is literally based off of Giorgio Moroder's ending theme for the film, and it is IMMACULATE. The beat is a top 5 Hip-Hop beat of all time, and both P and Havoc k--- it.

G.O.D., Father Pt. III
QBC, sip lime Bacardi
Heavy on the wrist, cube-link, my ice ring
Drama we bring, yeah/yo that's a small thing

(that skit at the beginning is a tad too long though.)

While I wouldn't say that it's as good as The Infamous (very few records can match that album tbf), h--- on Earth is still an incredible time. I really wish that this record wasn't as "under the radar" like it, because it's a bonafide classic in my book.

 

Jul 7, 2025 at 10:39 AM

Alright, so I'm finally caught up with everything

The log will now continue regularly. Gonna get in my review for Ripper's AOTWClub album today, or tomorrow at the latest.

 

Jul 7, 2025 at 12:01 PM

324. Alina Baraz - It Was Divine (2020) [July 7th, 2025]

Review shared in AOTW Club

 

Jul 7, 2025 at 6:21 PM

325. The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death (1997) [July 7th, 2025]

Oh boy. Is it an unpopular opinion to say that Life After Death is worse than it's predecessor?

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to love about Biggie's (technically) posthumous sophomore album. Disc 1 is mostly amazing. We start off with the incredible "Somebody's Gotta Die", which is followed by the mega hit "Hypnotize" and my personal favorite, "Kick In The Door". "f--- You Tonight is a very smooth R. Kelly track, and sex offense be d---ed, that man could sing!!! Tracks 6-10 include countless amazing tracks with great features from the likes of the LOX, Jay-Z, Mase and Puffy (ew). So yeah, for the most part, Disc 1 of Life After Death follows up Ready to Die pretty d--- well.

And then there's Disc 2. Even though it starts off good with tracks like the iconic "Notorious Thugs" and all timers like "Going Back to Cali", and "Ten Crack Commandments", the middle parts falls off pretty notably. "Another" and "Playa Hater" s---. "Nasty Boy" is a guilty pleasure for me, but it doesn't match the greatness of Disc 1. The last 3 tracks are great, with "(You're Nobody) 'Til Somebody Kills You" making a great intro. But the standout of Disc 2 has to be "Long Kiss Goodnight". Like, holy s---, Biggie and Puffy we're mad. Puffy's screaming goes hard as h---.

Honestly, the strength of Disc 1 and parts of Disc 2 has made me believe that if the record was structured like this, it would go from like a high 7 to a 10.
1. Life After Death Intro
2. Somebody's Gotta Die
3. Hypnotize
4. Kick In The Door
5. f--- You Tonight
6. Last Day
7. I Love the Dough
8. What's Beef
9. Mo Money Mo Problems
10. Notorious Thugs
11. Going Back to Cali
12. Ten Crack Commandments
13. Sky's the Limit
14. My Downfall
15. Long Kiss Goodnight
16. You're Nobody ('Til Somebody Kills You)

A big part of why I prefer Ready to Die has to be the overall structure. RtD follows Biggie's life from his birth up to his death, while LaD follows him from his death to...his death again? Life After Death is a good record, but it is too long, and it pales in comparison to its predecessor. Still a great time for the first half though.

 

Jul 8, 2025 at 8:14 PM

326. Shady Records - Eminem Presents: The Re-Up (2006) [July 8th, 2025]

Shady Records is a weird label man. How can a label with platinum selling legends like Eminem and 50 Cent, also have multiple failed artists? In a lot of ways, Eminem Presents: The Re-Up is the last hurrah for the "original" Shady lineup. And surprisingly, I like it quite a bit.

This might be a bit of an unpopular opinion, but I think that 2006-2007 Em (affectionately nicknamed as "Pillminem" by some fans) still sounded decent. As such, songs like "We're Back" and "You Don't Know" are pretty good. The other Em songs in the middle like "The Re-Up" and "Jimmy Crack Corn" kinda s--- though. Before focusing onto Em's highlights on the record, I should probably mention the other artists on here. 50 is good on "You Don't Know" but he's pretty unremarkable on here besides that. Obie is fine, while Stat Quo and Bobby Creekwater give nothing, really. The D12 members do okay. The true highlight here is Cashis, who was probably the most talented new signee the record had around this time.

But there are two songs on here that truly steal the show. The first is the short, but intense "Public Enemy #1". This is probably the most paranoid Eminem track ever released officially and it's great. Em raps about government surveillance, 2Pac, JFK, and 9/11 all in the span of like, 2 minutes. It's awesome. And then, there's "No Apologies". I've given the title of "best Eminem song" to a few songs by this point, but I think that "No Apologies" might be one of the best contenders. An incredible closer that shows Em at his most self-loathing, with a sick instrumental. It's honesty great. The Eminem and Cashis tracks make ...The Re-Up mostly worth it, but the rest of the Shady signees leave a lot to be desired

 

Jul 9, 2025 at 2:36 PM

327. Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding (1967) [July 9th, 2025]

Right off the heels of his incredible "Rock Trilogy", Dylan decided to strip his music back to the basics that brought him to the limelight.

To be perfectly honest, my favorite Dylan songs come from the previous three records before John Wesley Harding. To be fair, I do enjoy a lot of Dylan's folkier projects, but I typically lean towards the rock sound most of the time. The intro track, "John Wesley Harding" is pretty d--- good, and it starts off the album very well. Also,

The next 4 tracks are pretty d--- good as well, with "As I Went Out One Morning" being pretty d--- good, and "All Along the Watchtower" being an all time classic (although, I am one of those normies that prefers the Hendrix version). I also enjoy "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" as well. I do have to admit, that I'm not that big a fan of the songs on side B aside from 'I Pity the Poor Immigrant", but they're all serviceable. Even if it isn't my favorite Dylan album, John Wesley Harding is still a pretty good record. Gonna try to check out it's follow up tomorrow.