Hall remained resolutely unmoved by popular movements and fads, and his third & final album contains echoes of the sounds that would resonate years later in the contemporary R&B/soul landscape.
Read moreErykah Badu’s ‘New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)’ Turns 15 | Album Anniversary
Badu’s fifth studio affair finds her brazen honesty and introspection rearing its head once more and, as usual, it refuses to paint her as anything other than the imperfect being she is.
Read moreMiles Davis’ ‘Bitches Brew’ Turns 55 | Album Anniversary
With ‘Bitches Brew,’ Davis didn’t just burn bridges, he broke down barriers between genres and made a mockery of the artificial boundaries that confined others.
Read moreD’Angelo’s ‘Voodoo’ Turns 25 | Album Anniversary
With ‘Voodoo,’ D’Angelo joined Curtis Mayfield, Smokey Robinson and Eddie Kendricks in expressing a deeply held sensitivity while forging a powerfully musical masculinity.
Read moreCorinne Bailey Rae’s ‘The Sea’ Turns 15 | Album Anniversary
From fragile and broken to emphatic and belligerent, Bailey Rae emits humanity and grace in all she does, and that has arguably never been manifested as powerfully as it is across ‘The Sea.’
Read moreJohn Coltrane’s ‘A Love Supreme’ Turns 60 | Album Anniversary
Composed of four tracks (“Acknowledgement,” “Resolution,” “Pursuance,” and “Psalm”), it can be said that Coltrane’s ‘A Love Supreme’ forms or follows the path to enlightenment.
Read morePrince’s Eponymous Second Studio Album ‘Prince’ Turns 45 | Album Anniversary
Prince’s second LP is a reminder of the necessity of patience in artist development, as it’s worth remembering that even a musical behemoth like Prince needed time to marinate and develop.
Read moreLevel 42’s ‘True Colours’ Turns 40 | Album Anniversary
In which the author transports back to his teenage years and the warmth of familiarity to discover a newfound respect for the musicality of Level 42’s fifth album and accept his love for it.
Read morePrince’s ‘Art Official Age’ Turns 10 | Album Anniversary
When Prince’s legendary vault is finally empty, hopefully Art Official Age will be revered by all as it should be: as an interesting, sterling effort that falls short of his best.
Read moreCharles Mingus’ ‘Mingus Ah Um’ Turns 65 | Album Anniversary
‘Mingus Ah Um’ takes those darker recesses of the world and wraps them up in a joyously exuberant roll call of tunes that take their cues not just from jazz, but from gospel and the blues as well.
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