Jun 4, 2025 at 11:29 PM

272. Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison (1968) [June 4th, 2025]

One of the finest live records ever made. While I wouldn't call myself a big overall country fan, (I'm not one of those losers that hates country, I just haven't gotten too well versed) the whole outlaw country subgenre has always been really cool to me. The whole idea of just being a cowboy on the run is so awesome, and the fact that Johnny recorded this concert at a literal prison makes it so much cooler.

The rendition of the classic "Folsom Prison Blues" is elevated by the reactions of the inmates. "Cocaine Blues" is so f---ing fun man"

Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds
I took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman down


The duets with June are great with "Jackson" being the most popular, and the decision to end the record off with "Greystone Chapel" which was literally written by an inmate, is dope as h---. 2 years ago, this album served as my introduction into Johnny's work (which is very expansive, like d---), and I got enraptured right away. Definitely recommend.

 

Jun 5, 2025 at 12:14 AM

I can exchange Side B for Revival, is that ok?

 

Jun 5, 2025 at 12:14 AM

I’ll check it out!!!

 

Jun 5, 2025 at 11:51 AM

273. Chalino Sanchez - Nieves de Enero (1992) [June 5th, 2025]

It's funny. I'm nearly 300 albums into this thread, and this is the first time that i've logged an album that reflects what I listened to when I was a kid. Aside from like Michael Jackson, most of the music that I heard when I was a kid was made up of Mexican Regional music, so even though this exact record wasn't what I listened to (although I don't doubt that some of these songs were on the radio), I still have some nostalgia for it. Not even use if anybody on this forum knows about Chalino (Marsh might), but he's essentially become the face of Mexican Regional for a large amount of Mex-Americans in Texas, which is wild considering the fact that he died in 1992.

"Nieves de Enero" is probably one of Chalino's signature songs, and for good reason. The accordion that starts the track is so memorable, and his personality makes the whole track great. The record's first half is mainly composed of love songs like "Me Persigue tu Sombra" and "Florita del Alma", while the second is composed of corridos like "Ramoncito Quiñones" and "Rodolfo Garza". The variety in subject matter makes Nieves de Enero feel like Chalino's definitive record in my opinion. Thinking of buying the vinyl I saw at a record shop, when I go back to uni.

 

Jun 5, 2025 at 4:33 PM

the next album was supposed to be Post Malone's beerbongs & bentleys, but it was so boring that I quit 3 tracks in

 

Jun 5, 2025 at 4:49 PM

274. Kanye West - Donda (2021) [June 5th, 2025]

More than most records, I admit that I am biased towards Donda. The listening parties, and the aftermath of the release has to be one of my favorite events on this forum. The imagery around the rollout was stellar, and considering what Kanye has been releasing since, I wouldn't be surprised if we never see something of this calibre from him ever again.

In a lot of ways, Donda is Kanye's White Album. Its his longest record that mixes a ton of great, decent, and terrible ideas into an unfiltered flow of creativity. Even though I think The Life of Pablo is a greater record overall, I think that Donda takes the concept even further.

"Jail" legitimately shocked me when it was played for the first time at the Atlanta LP. Hearing Jay on a Kanye song for the first time since 2012 ("Pop Style" doesn't count") was incredible, even if it'll probably never happen again. "Off the Grid" is an incredibly hype showing from Kanye, Carti, and Fivio, and "Ok Ok" is UNDERATED. "Believe What I Say" and "24" are some of the best tracks in Kanye's discography, and I can debate that FOR DAYS.

"Jesus Lord" has to be one of the best songs in Kanye's discography lyrics-wise, and Jay Elec kills his verse. The Larry Hoover Jr. outro is so moving, that it almost makes you forget that Larry Hoover is probably gonna die in prison for good reason lmao. "Tell the Vision" is probably the lowest point on the record, but that piano is too f---ing funny for me too hate it. The extraction on Pop Smoke's vocals....

The run from "Pure Souls" to "No Child Left Behind" is stellar man. I don't really count the Pt. 2's as part of the album, but they're fine. In a lot of ways, this feels like Kanye's swansong. After dropping a mid record like "Jesus Is King", he proved that he still had it, and he dropped one of the best records of 2021. He was newly single, but he still had big deals with brand like Gap. and the whole future seemed bright. We all know that things fell apart a little over a year later, but I can't help but think about what could've been. Overall though, I still love Donda, and part of me still has a SMALL hope that we can have a record as monumental as this once again.

 

Jun 6, 2025 at 12:48 PM

275. Chalino Sanchez - Alma Enamorada (1991) [June 6th, 2025]

My thoughts on this record are pretty similar to what I wrote about Nieves de Enero yesterday. I noticed the love/corrido split on here as well, and I think it worked well. "Alma Enamorada" is Chalino's signature song, and the whole album has a nice vibe. "Los Chismes" was especially good. While I do prefer Nieves de Enero as a whole, Alma Enamorada is still a d--- good record.

 

Jun 6, 2025 at 2:54 PM

276. Kanye West - DONDA 2 (Streaming Version) (2025) [June 6th, 2025]

Donda 2 has had a very strange role throughout my life. Exposing myself as a zoomer once again, but I remember when Donda dropped during the beginning of my sophomore year of high school, and I played that record and CMIYGL to death for those first months. My freshman year was basically dead because of COVID, so I was still adapting. Then by the second semester, Donda 2 dropped in an unfinished state. Over the next few months I would frequently check on leaks related to the project, until Kanye went full Nazi that December (a day before my birthday too lmao), which basically killed the record.

Flash forward to three years later, and it happened again. I was in my freshman year of college, and once again, I was still adapting. and by the second semester, DONDA 2 dropped in an unfinished state. A lot changed in those 3 years, and Donda 2 was a constant. As such, many of the songs on the project have a weird effect on me, as they make me think back to a simple time, when things weren't as stressful as they are now. In those years I had constantly listened to leaks and edits from the project, so I wasn't exactly in a rush. I even have a comp of the record, that I listen to frequently, and that I'll probably listen to tomorrow.

Before discussing the 2025 release, I feel like I should share my thoughts on the original version released back in 2022. There's no denying that the Stem Player version of D2 is unfinished. Despite this, I feel like a lot of the songs were either good, or had potential. "True Love", "Too Easy", "Scifi", etc. I feel like the record also could've served pretty good as a contrast to the original Donda. In comparison, D2 is much angrier, and I feel like if finished, the duology could've represented this era of Kanye pretty well, considering the fact that this was when his divorce/Pete Davidson shenanigans really kicked into gear.

I'm gonna make this clear. The 2025 streaming version of DONDA 2 is bad. It's biggest sin is the fact that it's a worse version of an already unfinished record that dropped three years before. The AI on tracks like "Happy" and "Louie Bags" kills those tracks, and not in a good way. Many songs had further developed versions that leaked, and they chose to use worse versions. I say "they" because it's well documented that Ye had little to do with the rerelease of D2. The release was entirely planned by a think tank of the most insufferable people you can imagine

It sucks because I legitimately have a soft spot for the original Donda 2, and a fully finished version could've been great, legitimately. As it stands though, the released version of DONDA 2 absolutely s----s on a promising concept with lazy AI and odd production.
#Justice4NeverForgiveYourself

 

Jun 6, 2025 at 4:21 PM

277. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter VI (2025) [June 6th, 2025]

2 bad albums in a row. Wow.

The Carter series has become legendary, and a big part of why the series is so great has to do with what the albums represent. C1 was essentially the introduction to the new, post-Hot Boys Wayne, C2 and C3 show him at his prime, C4 shows him returning from his prison sentence, and the release version of C5 shows Wayne after a years long label battle. If we go by that pattern, then Carter IV shows that he's washed, which is strange, since he still kills features (he's still one of my favorite parts of CHROMAKOPIA).

The record starts off pretty well, and I'd say that "Bells", "Sharks", and "Banned from NO" are pretty d--- good. Weezy and 2 Chainz do great on "Cotton Candy" as well. And then, there's "Island Holiday", which is surprisingly not the first Wayne-Weezer crossover, but it is the worst, which is saying something considering that "Can't Stop Partying" sucks too. "Peanuts 2 N Elephant" sounds like shitpost, and is another example of why Lin-Manuel Miranda sucks. "If I Played Guitar" sounds like someone neutered the already s-----y "How to Love" off of C4. The songs with his son and mgk are garbage too. "Written History" is a good outro though.

This album sucks. I wouldn't call it horrific, because the first 9 songs are decent, but that still leaves half the record being dogshit. I'm not one of those guys that was claiming that Wayne was washed back during the Super Bowl debacle, but I think I agree now, at least album-wise. Without a doubt, this is the worst Carter album, and one of the worst albums I've heard this year.

 

Jun 6, 2025 at 5:33 PM

278. JPEGMAFIA - NOT ON VETERAN! (2018) [June 6th, 2025]

Most of the tracks on this EP were released officially today on the director's cut of Veteran, so I chose tho check the OG EP out. It's fine, nothing too special, and I can see why they didn't make it onto the album proper.

 

Jun 7, 2025 at 1:25 PM

279. Johnny Cash - American Recordings (1994) [June 7th, 2025]

Talk about a career reinvention. After a decade of personal and career missteps, Johnny Cash returned to the mainstream with the help of future Revival-defiler Rick Rubin.

American Recordings is a very bold album, which is surprising since the record itself is very stripped back. Aside from the audience's cheers, the record is made up entirely of Cash's acoustic guitar, and his deep, manly voice. "Delia's Gone" is simultaneously dark and beautiful, and it does a great job at setting the record up. The record as a whole feels intimate, and with songs like "The Beast in Me" and the Tom Waits-written "Down There By the Train" make American one of Cash's best works. Incredible record, and a must listen I'd say

 

Jun 7, 2025 at 1:28 PM

This is a bit unrelated, but one of my favorite music channels is finally coming back this month. Deep Cuts has some incredible videos, and his artists guides were crucial in getting me to listen to artists like Aphex Twin, Swans, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Miles Davis, and so on. I 100% recommend his channel to anybody who's interested in some good music discussion (Fantano is f---ing terrible now)
https://www.youtube.com/c/deepcuts

 

Jun 7, 2025 at 1:34 PM

280. Johnny Cash - Unchained (1996) [June 7th, 2025]

I'm much more mixed towards the second "American" album Unchained compared to it's predecessor.

A big part of why I love the original American Recordings so much, has to be its intimacy. Johnny's voice and his guitar are the only sounds present throughout most of the record, and it's incredible. In contrast, Unchained has Johnny being backed up by the legendary Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Now, the Heartbreakers are an incredible band, and they do very well on this record, but I'd say that the loss of intimacy that made the first American... knocks this record down a bit.

There are some nice fun tracks on this record like "Rusty Cage" and some slower, more thoughtful tracks like "Spiritual". But as a whole, Unchained doesn't really grab me as much as it's predecessor.