Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon III: The Chosen: 8 (A-)

 

Digital-only

Yabby You - Dread Prophecy: neutral

One of those terrible box sets which has a third disc of mostly crap you would never want to hear. Should have been a single disc collection. Single listen only.

Jacob Miller - Who Say Jah No Dread [honorable mention]

 :-) [Same songs twice. And many of the songs sound the same anyway. Ie, it sounds like the same song played about 12 times. Not sure why a small number of people think this is among the greatest reggae albums of all time.]

Mama Sissoko - Soul Mama: 7.5 (high B+)

 

One of those Bandcamp-only jobs where it's selling for $25.

Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death: 8 (A-)

[Upped way up from honorable mention after Skinty Fia made me reevaluate the band]

Del the Funky Homosapien - No Need for Alarm: 7.5 (high B+)

 

Bartees Strange - Live Forever

 :-|

Staff Benda Bilili ‎– Effacer Le Tableau [honorable mention]

 :-)

Faust - IV: 7.5 (high B+)

 

I'm shelving this as one of the few acknowledged #krautrock classics. Like having Selling England by the Pound for prog.

Kokoko! - Fongola [honorable mention]

 :-)

Supertramp - Crime of the Century: liked

:-)

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Road to the Riches: 7.5 (high B+)

 

Would buy it, but it's out of print and going for $50 or so used, which is ridiculous. It's not that good.

Bktherula - Nirvana [EP]

 :-|

Phoebe Bridgers - If We Make It Through December [EP]

  :-| [Digital only]

Scarface - Greatest Hits: 7.5 (high B+)

 

#bestof

Backxwash - Deviancy [EP]: 8 (A-)

 

Bringing physical distribution to a new height of stupidity. This one is only on digital and cassette.

Mr. Lif - Sleepyheads: 7.5 (high B+)

 

Augustus Pablo - Classic Rockers: 8 (A-)

 

Review is for the above 1987 original version. When it was re-released on CD, they added the track "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown," from an album everyone should already have. They also swapped "Love Won't Come Easy" by Leroy Sibbles for "Just as Long" by Horace Andy, and added six really not as good songs (two of them dub versions of the same songs, right after the main ones). In other words, they ruined it. The original vinyl is ridiculously expensive, otherwise I'd buy it. The main track I miss is "Earth wind and fire," which is outstanding. The CD cover looks like this:

Even the cover is notably inferior. What a waste.

Mr. Lif - I Heard It Today: 8.5 (high A-)

 

Various - Beserkley Chartbusters, Vol. 1: 7 (B+)

Obviously the Jonathan Richman songs, the most notable things on here, are had elsewhere. #multiartistcomp

Skip James - The Complete Early Recordings: X

 

These 18 early recordings are all he did in his prime. They are in many different compilations. Totally outside my bailiwick, and not seminal enough (although obviously seminal) to put on the shelves or grade.

Breaking Circus - The Very Long Fuse [EP] [honorable mention]

 :-)

Girls Against Boys - House of GvsB: 9.5 (high A)

 

Girls Against Boys - The Ghost List [honorable mention]

 :-)

Girls Against Boys - Freak*on*ica [honorable mention]

 :-)