Tyrannosaurus Rex - Prophets, Seers & Sages - The Angels of the Ages

How does one rate this music? Part of the charm of the first four Tyrannosaurus Rex albums is that there's something otherworldly about them. No folk music sounds like this, yet they're strangely catchy and melodic (if simple). This is their second album, and it doesn't do much different from their first. Some light percussive playing, lots of strummed acoustic guitar and Marc Bolan's signature wailing/changing. Definitely, absolutely not for everybody, but if you're into this "sort of thing," there's no going wrong with Tyrannosaurus Rex's early albums.

Jay-Z - The Blueprint

Don't Kanye's productions just sound better when he's not rapping over them? There's not much I can say about this one that hasn't been said before. The tracks powered by soul samples give the album a relaxed vibe, which makes Jay-Z's raps seem less like boasting and more like he's just stating fact. It's a victory lap, but it's focused as though there was something left to prove.

The Kinks - Misfits

The Kinks/Misfits
Misfits came out in 1978. Previous to this, the most recent Kinks album I have is Muswell Hillbillies, from 1971. Six years can be a lifetime in popular music, so I did not know what to expect from this album when I put it on. In short: it's a surprisingly energetic arena rock album from an older band with roots in the sounds of the British Invasion. Some surprises include the reggae-inflected "Black Messiah," and years of churning out concept albums hasn't robbed them of their humor. Seventeen years later, Pulp would open Different Class with the song "Misshapes," which bears more than a striking resemblance to Misfits's title song.

Ian Hunter - Shrunken Heads

I only own Mott the Hoople albums from their peak, so it was interesting to hear Hunter, their former frontman, almost 40 years after the band's classic period. He sticks mostly to blues-inflected power pop that wouldn't be out of place on a Mott album, reflecting on politics while being smart enough not to be blatantly specific ("Shrunken Heads") and being an aging rock star with humor (the jaunty "I Am What I Hated when I Was Young"). The ballads are well-written and catchy. I imagine this is what it would sound like if Rod Stewart tried to recapture his glory days today. Not a classic, but a definite unexpected gem.

Ghostface Killah - Fishscale

This is easily one of my favorite solo Wu-Tang joints. I was listening to Ironman, Ghostface's debut, yesterday, and the difference is palpable. Then, Raekwon and Capadonna are on nearly every track, providing verses here and there. And while Ghostface himself is good there, he is in excellent form here, spitting fire on every track like he can yell haters into submission. Throw some MF Doom productions and last great Wu-Tang Clan group tracks to include ODB into the mix, and you've got Ghostface's second stone-cold classic for the decade (the other being Supreme Clientele, of course).

Aerosmith - Classics Live II

As a teen, I loved Aerosmith, and as an Aerosmith-loving teen, I loved this album. Listening to it now, though, you kind of get to realizing that Aerosmith as a band has a limited live repertoire. Do we all realize that "Walk This Way" is on all but one of their five live albums? Okay, okay, it's their biggest hit. But "Back in the Saddle," "Draw the Line," "Same Old Song and Dance" and a handful of others get trotted out every time. Anyway, this album manages to be the best halfway point between the drug-addled sloppiness of Live Bootleg! and the stale professionalism of Rockin' the Joint. Of the eight tracks, only "Movin' Out" and "Let the Music Do the Talking" wouldn't qualify for "greatest hits" status, but the performances capture Aerosmith in their hungry mid-80s comeback mode.

Beyonce - B'Day

Beyonce's released some of the best R&B singles this decade, but her albums have always been uneven. Her first solo album, Dangerously in Love, suffers from being too long. B'Day shorter, mercifully, aside from a couple bonus tracks. Beyonce's weakest trait is generally her slower songs. Generally, with more upbeat tracks she can plow through them by force of personality (or just plain force), but B'Day only has a couple ballads. "Irreplaceable" is among her best songs, which automatically makes this an improvement from Dangerously in Love. It still ends on a bum song (unless you count an extended mix of "Get Bodied"), but the 9 songs before it overshadow it.

Unfortunately, someone thought more is more, since the album was eventually supplemented with several meh bonus tracks (including an underwhelming duet with Shakira) and a disc of songs in Spanish. After listening that version on LaLa, I would give it a B. This review is based on the original album, which I was able to find for about $3.