My favorite Sade record. Love how her voice sails over these arrangements, which are a perfect mix of jazz and pop of the time. Highly recommend any of the original EU/UK pressings of this record.

I love Peggy, but at this point in his career his work is just coming off as insincere rage bait. I'm not totally familiar with his twitter rants but I did see that he was getting into it with Earl over... not being experimental enough? Although I wasn't deep diving on the lyrics, a lot of it came off as self-inflicted drama that he's using as content to rap (complain) about.

His rapping bag has gotten deeper I suppose, a lot of fast rapping, and especially a LOT of triplets. ... read more

I think the title of this album describes it perfectly. Silky, soulful vocals from Simone and a pretty diverse musical sound throughout. I can't remember the last time I heard the harpsichord on a soul record. Great listen.

A joyous, inventive record that sounds like it draws from all of American music history. The Smilin' Billy Suite in particular is incredible, some of the best jazz you will hear. This album is a lot of fun to listen to for the unconventional instruments in a jazz setting, which lends to a unique listening experience that's fun and interesting the entire way through.

Listening to this album I envision that every song is one that you might hear while traversing the city; different clubs, venues, out in the streets, wherever. Pure joy and a lovely celebration of their culture & heritage.

Love the use of non-traditional instruments on this one. He was ahead of the curb with this record. Great vibes on the love themes and pretty mellow, yet interesting throughout.

Unmistakable guitar tone. Love the compositions and arrangements on this one. The first side is perfect, just not a huge fan of the vocals. Hard not to appreciate this album considering Santana came from the neighborhood I grew up in. One of the best to ever do it.

Going to try reviewing all the albums I own on wax.

From the first time I heard it, the themes of spiritual struggle and redemption were immediately clear. I love how seamlessly it blends the contemporary jazz sound with the Hindustani Classical music tradition without losing sight of the musical themes. The title track absolutely floors me still every time I listen to it. Spiritual, yet groovy, record. One of my favorites of the decade so far.

i cannot get into singer-songwriter stuff

wish it was shorter and more polished. there are some good tracks with some good melodies but the sheer length makes it drag.

Masterpiece. My personal favorite grunge record of this era (so far).

Between the haunting lyrics and the arrangements, to me this creates the quintessential grunge experience. You can feel the pain through the grit in Layne's voice. Coupled with his and Jerry's songwriting and harmonies, both come together to create an atmosphere of absolute dread and hopelessness.

An unbelievably honest, vulnerable record - one that we unfortunately saw play out publicly in Layne's eventual ... read more

sometimes interesting. mostly boring millennial core

VERY pleasantly surprised. I'm not a RHCP fan at all but I always respected his bass playing. He clearly has a passion for trumpet and shows all over this project. Fantastic backing band, although I could live without the songs with singing. Definitely feels like he's taking cues from early electric Miles, notably In a Silent Way with the sparse and atmospheric arrangements. Very solid project, I would even be willing to catch this live if he tours it.

some cool and fun arrangements, brought down by the length of the album making them bleed into each other. this is gonna make me sound like a hater but i often felt like i was listening to an hour+ of anime intros.

at least now I know what the 'i wanna be a cowboy' vine is referencing

There are some interesting melodies throughout the long-ish runtime but I just can't get into folky singer-songwriter type music.

I actually liked the free jazz inspired stuff way more than the orchestral rock stuff.

Love the arrangements and instrumentation on this project. Warm, pleasant atmosphere and the intricate drum machine loops interplay with the sax beautifully. I'm not crazy about the rapping but it's clear how he and Andre 3k influence each other. Not entirely a jazz album, this feels more like a branch off the evolutionary tree. I'm here for it.

Cobham's drumming is unbelievable. Incredible energy throughout.

angry and anxious. the energy and atmosphere of this project is wild. post-rock & avant-garde jazz fans are eating good.