Contrary to misguided criticisms at the time of its release, ‘Promise’—and Sade’s music in general—proves powerful without overpowering the listener’s senses.
Read moreJoni Mitchell’s ‘The Hissing of Summer Lawns’ Turns 50 | Album Anniversary
It didn’t matter to Mitchell that her seventh studio album’s esoteric lean made choosing a single nearly impossible at the time. This was the album she wanted to make.
Read moreBig Audio Dynamite’s Debut Album ‘This Is Big Audio Dynamite’ Turns 40 | Album Anniversary
The album’s willingness to blur boundaries—between rock and reggae, analog and digital—sets it apart from other records of its time.
Read moreCypress Hill’s ‘Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom’ Turns 30 | Album Anniversary
An uncompromised piece of work that demonstrates Cypress Hill’s many abilities, ‘Temples of Boom’ capped what was an incredible three-album run and continued to solidify their legend.
Read moreTha Dogg Pound’s Debut Album ‘Dogg Food’ Turns 30 | Album Anniversary
Behind Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic’ (1992) and Snoop Dogg’s ‘Doggystyle’ (1993), Daz & Kurupt’s debut long player is the third best album the infamous Death Row Records ever released.
Read moreOnyx’s ‘All We Got Iz Us’ Turns 30 | Album Anniversary
The group’s second studio affair is caked with palpable layers of sweat, grime, and pain, its content permeated with a claustrophobic sense of desperation.
Read moreFat Joe’s ‘Jealous One’s Envy’ Turns 30 | Album Anniversary
‘Jealous One’s Envy’ functioned as the crucial transitional step for Joe, setting him up for the superstardom he’d find in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Read moreOutKast’s ‘Stankonia’ Turns 25 | Album Anniversary
With their fourth album, the dynamic duo of André 3000 & Big Boi went places no other hip-hop group was expected to go, and precious few have even attempted to go since.
Read moreLalah Hathaway’s ‘Lalah Hathaway Live’ Turns 10 | Album Anniversary
The Troubadour in West Hollywood is where half of Donny Hathaway’s watershed 1972 release ‘Live’ was taped. Apropos, his daughter chose the location for her first live album as well.
Read moreBig Daddy Kane’s ‘Taste of Chocolate’ Turns 35 | Album Anniversary
Kane’s third studio affair is a mixed bag that serves multiple audiences, but it’s at its best when the legendary emcee sticks to his established strengths.
Read more