Best Contemporary R&B
Combining a strong, Jazzy vocal style with often frank lyrical content recounting tales of love and loss, Winehouse is a truly talented songwriter with a good ear for melody, making this album an essential purchase.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I feel that her feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness of love come through in a couple of songs so strongly, that I feel for her and want to remind her of those that do care for her, but alas, it is too late."
"Perhaps the best known is Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), who took a cue from jazz artist Peggy Lee and combined it with the soul inflections of such girl groups as Martha and the Vandellas. By the time of its release, Winehouse had become a controversial figure, adopting Ronnie Spector's beehive hairdos and miniskirt dresses while drifting into alcohol and drugs in a way that quickly became infamous. On-going speculation about her chemical dependencies led Winehouse to write and record the album's signature cut: "Rehab," a strange mixture of R&B, South American edges, and slap-in-the-face, tough-girl lyrics that startled virtually everyone who heard it. Drug and alcohol problems, troubled romances, and publicity disasters have kept Winehouse largely silent on the music scene since BACK TO BLACK proved such an international smash."
"It is a true shame that Amy Winehouse passed so young, but listening to this album along with her other music (whether it be on vinyl or other formats) creates a comfort to her listeners that her music will be a huge impact for generations to come."
"This album was purchased for my adult daughter."
"Bad rating because I received two replacements and they both are skipping and the songs mix together."
"Be careful when ordering vinyls, it seems like they get warped in transition and then you're stuck with a defective product you paid for."
"the first 2 tracks on the disc do not work, listens with many jumps."
"I would NOT recommend this album."
Combining a strong, Jazzy vocal style with often frank lyrical content recounting tales of love and loss, Winehouse is a truly talented songwriter with a good ear for melody, making this album an essential purchase. This time around, she's taken her inspiration from some of the classic 1960's girl groups like the Supremes and the Shangri-Las, a sound particularly suited to her textured vocal delivery, while adding a contemporary songwriting sensibility. With the help of producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, "Rehab" becomes a gospel-tinged stomp, while the title track (and album highlight) is a heartbreaking musical tribute to Phil Spector, with it's echoey bass drum, rhythmic piano, chimes, saxophone and close harmonies.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I feel that her feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness of love come through in a couple of songs so strongly, that I feel for her and want to remind her of those that do care for her, but alas, it is too late."
"Perhaps the best known is Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), who took a cue from jazz artist Peggy Lee and combined it with the soul inflections of such girl groups as Martha and the Vandellas. By the time of its release, Winehouse had become a controversial figure, adopting Ronnie Spector's beehive hairdos and miniskirt dresses while drifting into alcohol and drugs in a way that quickly became infamous. On-going speculation about her chemical dependencies led Winehouse to write and record the album's signature cut: "Rehab," a strange mixture of R&B, South American edges, and slap-in-the-face, tough-girl lyrics that startled virtually everyone who heard it. Drug and alcohol problems, troubled romances, and publicity disasters have kept Winehouse largely silent on the music scene since BACK TO BLACK proved such an international smash."
"It is a true shame that Amy Winehouse passed so young, but listening to this album along with her other music (whether it be on vinyl or other formats) creates a comfort to her listeners that her music will be a huge impact for generations to come."
"This album was purchased for my adult daughter."
"Bad rating because I received two replacements and they both are skipping and the songs mix together."
"Be careful when ordering vinyls, it seems like they get warped in transition and then you're stuck with a defective product you paid for."
"the first 2 tracks on the disc do not work, listens with many jumps."
"I would NOT recommend this album."
Reminiscent in its scope of nothing so much as Aretha's early-'70s Spirit in the Dark and Young, Gifted and Black , The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill also easily earns its late-'90s place next to Erykah Badu's Baduizm .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The three main elements she employs are rap, soul singing and R&B music, both old and new, used in various combinations and to various degrees, with other elements thrown in for extra spice. "Lost Ones" is a strong, confident rap ("My emancipation don't fit your equation...You might win some but you just lost one"), but it includes some harmonized singing of the choruses as well. "Doo Wop" mixes rap with retro R&B, and includes the memorable hook about "...that thing, that thing, that thiiiing...". "Superstar" references the Doors hit "Light My Fire", with harmonizing voices alternating with a single gospel voice against a background of a hip-hop arrangement which features a harp, of all things."
"She really is amazing."
"Had this years ago and someone borrowed it and never returned it."
"We had it years ago and she remembered how fantastic the tracks were."
"Ms. Hill's brilliant and Grammy Award winning album sheds light on numerous topics. Lyrically deep and melodically intrinsic, we learn about what makes this amazing artist tick. A teacher/speaker proceeds to lead young people through a series of guided discussions about life. Hip hop, reggae, soul and samples are melded into a sound painting."
"It's very beautiful."
"I would say it shares a likeliness to that of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' in terms of wanting to play it over and over from start to finish and loving every song."
"Awesome singer, great CD, great price as described."
Best Classic R&B
That Songs retains an enormous amount of visionary relevance, though, is demonstrated not only in Coolio 's borrowing of "Pastime Paradise" as a template for "Gangsta's Paradise," but in the cold-as-ice synthesized string quartet of "Village Ghetto Land."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Ever since I first heard Songs in the Key of Life -- more 'Funk Epic Poem' than 'album' -- I've loved its giant scale: 30 or so songs, danceable pop, stirring gospel, angry protest, instrumental jam, you name it."
"YOU LIKE STEVIE, YOU'LL LIKE THIS AWESOME 2-CD & BONUS SONGS PACKAGE! FROM 1976, AFTER MOTOWN MOVED TO L.A. AND DUMPED DETROIT, STEVIE WONDER WAS ONE OF THE VERY FEW MOTOWN GREATS TO KEEP PRODUCING AND OUT-PERFORMING HIS PREVIOUS RECORDINGS YEAR AFTER YEAR . 'SONGS IN THE KEY OF (HIS) LIFE' JUST ABOUT ROUNDS-OUT HIS MUSIC, COMPOSING AND VOCAL CAREER. THIS CD SET HAS ALL THE VARIETIES AND MORE OF WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THIS DETROIT HOMEBOY."
"It brightened dingy walls with falling plaster and watermarked stains that held a kid that wanted to be an "artist." Stevie Wonder gave a set of songs that I can put on in times I'm utterly soundless to solutions and exhausted, waiting to get through, or slip by, and find myself inspired. Without the violin serenades, minus the metronome of our actions and measured against our words, he's as ever simple genius here. It's just a feeling of the power of the music, its ability to bring you joy. I loved setting up my turntable with this one late nights painting."
"Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" was everything I was searching for in great music and more."
"I used to use many of the songs for music presentations with my students and then my album set disappeared."
"This shouldn't need my two cents!"
"I bought this for my daughter's birthday a few weeks before we went to his "Songs in the Key of Life" concert!"
Best Motown
2 episodes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"There are songs included that I didn't realize were sung by Marvin Gaye."
"Classic Marvin Gaye."
"Classic album."
"Marvin Gaye was one of a kind and his talent shines brighter than ever on this recording."
"Marvin Gaye, this CD is so relevant to what's going on today, excellent music!"
"Great album definite classic but the deluxe edition with the CD’s and Vinyl seems to always arrive in bad shape possibly due to a flaw in the design the spine arrives with bends and dents my guess is the plastic wrapping is a to bit to harsh."
"5 Stars...beginning to end!"
"Item arrived quickly in good condition.It's a classic!"
Best Quiet Storm
Here are 18 sensuously soulful songs she recorded for the Beverly Glen and Elektra labels from 1983-1995: Angel; Lead Me into Love; Giving You the Best That I Got; Fairy Tales; Talk to Me; It's Been You; Sweet Love; Just Because; No One in the World; Body and Soul , and more!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Anita Baker is incomparable."
"Flawless Anita Baker - A must have."
"She is another 80"s Queen."
"Great songs that will truly go down in the history books of music."
"Its sounds amazing, nothing like the popular bubble gum talentless autotuned crap!"
Best Soul
Combining a strong, Jazzy vocal style with often frank lyrical content recounting tales of love and loss, Winehouse is a truly talented songwriter with a good ear for melody, making this album an essential purchase.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I feel that her feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness of love come through in a couple of songs so strongly, that I feel for her and want to remind her of those that do care for her, but alas, it is too late."
"Perhaps the best known is Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), who took a cue from jazz artist Peggy Lee and combined it with the soul inflections of such girl groups as Martha and the Vandellas. By the time of its release, Winehouse had become a controversial figure, adopting Ronnie Spector's beehive hairdos and miniskirt dresses while drifting into alcohol and drugs in a way that quickly became infamous. On-going speculation about her chemical dependencies led Winehouse to write and record the album's signature cut: "Rehab," a strange mixture of R&B, South American edges, and slap-in-the-face, tough-girl lyrics that startled virtually everyone who heard it. Drug and alcohol problems, troubled romances, and publicity disasters have kept Winehouse largely silent on the music scene since BACK TO BLACK proved such an international smash."
"It is a true shame that Amy Winehouse passed so young, but listening to this album along with her other music (whether it be on vinyl or other formats) creates a comfort to her listeners that her music will be a huge impact for generations to come."
"This album was purchased for my adult daughter."
"Bad rating because I received two replacements and they both are skipping and the songs mix together."
"Be careful when ordering vinyls, it seems like they get warped in transition and then you're stuck with a defective product you paid for."
"the first 2 tracks on the disc do not work, listens with many jumps."
"I would NOT recommend this album."
Best Funk
The very first double album in rap, "All Eyez on Me" was a critical and popular success, shooting all the way up to number 1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One of the best and iconic albums ever produced by the greatest rapper of all time (to me anyways)."
"2 PAC IS THE MAN."
"I initially got this album when it first came out shortly before his death."
"i am so happy with my cd purchase."
"By one of the greatest albums of all time, forget in hip hop, "Me Against the World", I declared proudly that I was a big Tupac fan."
"One of my Favorites out of my Tupac album collection."
"Excellent price!!!!"
"my favorite album would buy it again if i need to."
Best Neo-Soul
Repressing of this 2000 album from the acclaimed Soul artist.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One of the best albums D'angelo ever made, and one of the best of any artist I own."
"Everytime I hear this album, I'm like, where oh where is the next album D!"
"How can I say anything bad about the greatest soul album of all time?"
"Love this album."
"this album is space age technology left to us by the aliens."
"There's one great track after another and surprisely there's more of a breezy jazzy feel to the album than a modern hip hop groove, even with guest appearances by Redman and Method Man."
"This album will never get old, Quest Love's rhythm makes your toe tap while D'angelo's voice tugs at the heart strings."
Best New Jack
Includes their #1 pop smashes One Sweet Day (with Mariah Carey); I'll Make Love to You; End of the Road , and On Bended Knee ; their Top 10 hits Water Runs Dry; It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday; Motownphilly; In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember) , and five more! Heavily influenced by doo-wop groups such as the Platters and the Dells and developed by ex- New Edition member Michael Bivins, Boyz II Men quickly rose to heavyweight status after the foursome's 1991 debut, Cooleyhighharmony , their success based on romantic ballads and strong vocals.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great CD, such vocal harmony among the 4 of them and a sheer pleasure to listen to them."
"This greatest hits is amazing it have all of my favorite song on this cd."
"I was not disappointed."
"It's B2M...you can't go wrong!"
"I bought it for one song."
"this was a gift fior someone."
""Not my kind of music", says the wife."