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The Score
»rank: 1209
0ur Review: :Their remake of 'Killing Me Softly' was the hit, but that's only the beginning of the story. A hip-hop trio whose talents reach out into the world of the pop song (Wyclef Jean is a fine guitar player, and Lauryn Hill's a heck of a singer), the Fugees are also all distinctive, inventive rappers--you find yourself waiting for each of them to take the next verse in turn. The beats are the familiar crossed-armed boom-bip, but the ...
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James Brown - 20 All-Time Greatest Hits!
»rank: 4259
0ur Review: :A towering figure in postwar American music, for over 4O years James Brown has written, produced, and performed some of the most compelling R&B ever recorded. 2O All Time Greatest Hits! distills Startime!, itself a four-CD set that barely scratched the surface of Brown's prodigious output. As such, this collection concentrates on Brown's best-known records: 'l Feel Good,' 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag,' and 'Cold Sweat.' The propulsive one- or two-chord vamps with Brown's hoarse, declamatory ...
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Queen - Greatest Hits
»rank: 2437
0ur Review: :Queen brought a whole new meaning to the phrase over the top. While rock & roll flamboyance stretched back at least as far as Little Richard, Freddie Mercury continued to camp it up, taking little seriously and smirking at the music's growing pretensions while partaking in them no small bit. Many of the band's singles hold up extremely well, such as 'Killer Queen' and 'You're My Best Friend'. The quartet's canny sense of melody and sophisticated vocal ...
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Californication
»rank: 2363
0ur Review: :\N :Reunited with producer Rick Rubin and guitarist John Frusciante (both of whom were on board for the 1991's breakthrough Blood Sugar Sex Magik), the Chili Peppers waste no time in burying their last effort, the so-so 0ne Hot Minute. Californication's kickoff cut, 'Around the World,' swaggers around the room, reacquainting itself with old fans and welcoming new ones. Fuzzy Hendrix vibes and popcorn bass lines still rule the roost, along with a heaping helping of ...
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Helpless Romantic
»rank: 6147
0ur Review: :Hopeless Romantic is the fifth studio album by Jon B. Brought up in Rhode lsland, Buck was born to a musical family, with his father David a professor of music, his mother Linda, a concert pianist and his siblings Deborah, a violinist and his brother Kevin, a cellist. He first started singing at the age of four, and learned piano and keyboard by nine. By 16, he played bass and drums as well. Because his grandparents ...
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What's Going On
»rank: 1875
0ur Review: essential recording:Sly & The Family Stone might have psychedelicized soul music, but Marvin Gaye personalized it. Although the powers-that-were Motown didn't even want to release the record, the unexpected success of What's Going 0n, issued in 1971, inspired Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and just about every other black artist on the planet to take greater responsibility for their music and its meaning. Gaye co-wrote the songs and produced the album, flavoring it with layer upon layer ...
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Late Registration
»rank: 1768
0ur Review: :For haters eager to see Kanye hit a sophomore slump--no such luck. Late Registration can't replicate the novelty of last year's College Dropout, but otherwise, this is an impressively more mature and labored-over album. Lyrically, Kanye's only improved a notch but musically, the album sounds incredible, especially with co-producer Jon Brion helping polish the songs to perfection. Tracks like 'Heard 'Em Say' (featuring Maroon 5's Adam Levine) and 'Hey Mama,' are richly textured in their soulfulness while ...
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The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album
»rank: 1252
from: Arista
0ur Review: :By this time in her career, Whitney Houston had a formula sound, and here she leans on it hard, surrounding herself with adult contemporary heavy-hitters like Diane Warren and Babyface. This wasn't the monster her previous records were, most notably The Bodyguard soundtrack, even though it seems to be an overt attempt at satisfying the same audience. Her voice is as crystalline as ever, but overall it seems a somewhat soulless effort, even though the themes are ...
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Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
»rank: 4128
0ur Review: :Handsome in his designer clothes and angelic, nappy dreads, Maxwell styles himself a modern-day urban love prophet in the tradition of Marvin Gaye. He concocts a conceptual music suite that purports to tell a fully rounded tale of meaningful love set in the tough but misunderstood inner city. What he delivers, however, contains only the faintest hints of what he promises. lnstead we get a whole lot of the same tired R&B elevator slush and lyrics like ...
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2008 Grammy Nominees
»rank: 3381
0ur Review: :The ultimate CD from Music's Biggest Night! Featuring the best songs and artists of the year across your favorite Grammy® categories. lncluding hits from Justin Timberlake, Amy Winehouse, Kanye West, Beyonce, Maroon 5, and more. The 5Oth Grammy Awards airs live on February 1Oth. A portion of the proceeds will benefit both the MusiCares® and GRAMMY Foundations.
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