Best R&B
"Hamilton" - which transferred to Broadway following a sold-out run at The Public Theater in NYC - is the acclaimed new musical about the scrappy young immigrant Alexander Hamilton, the $10 Founding Father who forever changed America with his revolutionary ideas and actions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Then avoid this album at ALL COSTS. Soon your family will start experimenting with this album and know Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton are more than just a trivia question from the Got Milk commercial from 1993. I'll leave it at this: I enjoyed this album enough to: -sing along with it. -move along with it. -make plans to fly out to Broadway to watch and support this show. -most importantly: find out more about Alexander Hamilton beyond the 1993 Got Milk commercial. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I have."
"This excellent cast album has it all: songs about desire, triumph, love, heartbreak, power, obsession, family, cheating, status, happiness and loss. After an eight year absence from visiting NYC, Hamilton has inspired me to book a plane ticket and a ridiculously expensive hotel room in the Big Apple just to see this show in the Fall."
"It's a brilliant pastiche of musical and poetic styles, all perfectly tailored to each particular character, yet woven into an intricate narrative that will inspire, entertain, and break your heart. I was privileged to see the show the week that it opened, and can't stop telling people about it, so I was beyond thrilled that the production team, including writer/performer Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Ahmir Khalib Thompson (aka Questlove) chose to produce a full-length soundtrack that skipped nothing from the original show. Now an entire generation of theater-goers will arrive at Hamilton already knowing the music and words, and that's probably a great thing, because it's incredibly complex and fast-paced."
"I've been immersed in American musical theater my entire life and work in it full-time now."
"Totally met all my expectations. Took the advice from friends to do your research."
Critically-acclaimed international megastar Bruno Mars has unveiled his first piece of solo music in nearly four years.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"All tracks are radio & streaming friendly, the main problems here are there’s only 9 songs, the longest one is only 4:20 and the whole cd is just over a half hour. Mars is proud to cite the influences that shaped his career and this new album: Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, New Edition, Bobby Brown, Jodeci, Boyz II Men, Teddy Riley and Babyface. A true old skool vibe starting out- like James Brown & The Time were jamming together. This one’s about treating his baby right with the good life, which is easy since he’s already ‘bout dat. Too much high-end synth for a slow joint, but eh- it’s ok. Straight Up & Down: “…your booty deserves a celebration/I’m gonna celebrate it all night long!” Ok, my dude."
"Partially raised in Chicago, loved going downtown hearing the latest and greatest. The many influences I can hear in his own brand of music are James Brown, Bobby Brown, Michael Jackson, Prince, guitar riffs similar to Isley Brothers, Earth Wind and Fire, a whole lot of Motown influence, combined with Sir Mars own personal choice of mixing in drums, whistles, strings, sirens, etc."
"I am a huge Bruno Mars fan but this whole CD is just constant funky get down love."
"Love the 90's R&B feel of this."
"I never even bought his music and I cant keep this CD out of my player or cant stop listening to it on my iPOD."
"I listen to this album so much on Apple Music I had to buy a copy."
"This is a party on a CD!"
"Current R&B's standard mix of materialism and misogyny (as in, women as objects, and not much else), but served up cleverly, with a nod and a wink."
i. am, as well as 'For All Time', a previously unreleased track from the Thriller sessions that has been newly mixed and mastered by Michael Jackson.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"As with most new records these days, it has a slight warp; but with the proper tracking force it plays just fine."
"Item arrived quick and just as described!"
"Absolute classic, my little sis loves it!!"
"Specifically, the new versions of Wanna Be Startin Somethin (With Akon was really good), Billie Jean (Kayne West with a nice remix), Beat It (With Fergie which was a nice twist), P.Y.T (with Will.I.Am which is better than the original IMO) & even The Girl Is Mine (which was my least favorite on the original album but made better this time around). You get the original nine songs, the little Vincent Price rap and the 6 new versions PLUS a DVD of the Thriller videos (Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller and the Motown 25th Billie Jean performance). With the exception of the original "The Girl Is Mine" (which I never really liked) this is the perfect version of Thriller released to date."
"One of the greatest albums of all time by one of the greatest artists of all time."
Best Classic R&B
That Songs retains an enormous amount of visionary relevance, though, is demonstrated not only in Coolio 's borrowing of "Pastime Paradise" as a template for "Gangsta's Paradise," but in the cold-as-ice synthesized string quartet of "Village Ghetto Land."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Ever since I first heard Songs in the Key of Life -- more 'Funk Epic Poem' than 'album' -- I've loved its giant scale: 30 or so songs, danceable pop, stirring gospel, angry protest, instrumental jam, you name it."
"YOU LIKE STEVIE, YOU'LL LIKE THIS AWESOME 2-CD & BONUS SONGS PACKAGE! FROM 1976, AFTER MOTOWN MOVED TO L.A. AND DUMPED DETROIT, STEVIE WONDER WAS ONE OF THE VERY FEW MOTOWN GREATS TO KEEP PRODUCING AND OUT-PERFORMING HIS PREVIOUS RECORDINGS YEAR AFTER YEAR . 'SONGS IN THE KEY OF (HIS) LIFE' JUST ABOUT ROUNDS-OUT HIS MUSIC, COMPOSING AND VOCAL CAREER. THIS CD SET HAS ALL THE VARIETIES AND MORE OF WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THIS DETROIT HOMEBOY."
"It brightened dingy walls with falling plaster and watermarked stains that held a kid that wanted to be an "artist." Stevie Wonder gave a set of songs that I can put on in times I'm utterly soundless to solutions and exhausted, waiting to get through, or slip by, and find myself inspired. Without the violin serenades, minus the metronome of our actions and measured against our words, he's as ever simple genius here. It's just a feeling of the power of the music, its ability to bring you joy. I loved setting up my turntable with this one late nights painting."
"Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" was everything I was searching for in great music and more."
"I used to use many of the songs for music presentations with my students and then my album set disappeared."
"This shouldn't need my two cents!"
"I bought this for my daughter's birthday a few weeks before we went to his "Songs in the Key of Life" concert!"
Best Contemporary R&B
Combining a strong, Jazzy vocal style with often frank lyrical content recounting tales of love and loss, Winehouse is a truly talented songwriter with a good ear for melody, making this album an essential purchase.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I feel that her feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness of love come through in a couple of songs so strongly, that I feel for her and want to remind her of those that do care for her, but alas, it is too late."
"Perhaps the best known is Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), who took a cue from jazz artist Peggy Lee and combined it with the soul inflections of such girl groups as Martha and the Vandellas. By the time of its release, Winehouse had become a controversial figure, adopting Ronnie Spector's beehive hairdos and miniskirt dresses while drifting into alcohol and drugs in a way that quickly became infamous. On-going speculation about her chemical dependencies led Winehouse to write and record the album's signature cut: "Rehab," a strange mixture of R&B, South American edges, and slap-in-the-face, tough-girl lyrics that startled virtually everyone who heard it. Drug and alcohol problems, troubled romances, and publicity disasters have kept Winehouse largely silent on the music scene since BACK TO BLACK proved such an international smash."
"It is a true shame that Amy Winehouse passed so young, but listening to this album along with her other music (whether it be on vinyl or other formats) creates a comfort to her listeners that her music will be a huge impact for generations to come."
"This album was purchased for my adult daughter."
"Bad rating because I received two replacements and they both are skipping and the songs mix together."
"Be careful when ordering vinyls, it seems like they get warped in transition and then you're stuck with a defective product you paid for."
"the first 2 tracks on the disc do not work, listens with many jumps."
"I would NOT recommend this album."
Best Funk
The very first double album in rap, "All Eyez on Me" was a critical and popular success, shooting all the way up to number 1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One of the best and iconic albums ever produced by the greatest rapper of all time (to me anyways)."
"2 PAC IS THE MAN."
"I initially got this album when it first came out shortly before his death."
"i am so happy with my cd purchase."
"By one of the greatest albums of all time, forget in hip hop, "Me Against the World", I declared proudly that I was a big Tupac fan."
"One of my Favorites out of my Tupac album collection."
"Excellent price!!!!"
"my favorite album would buy it again if i need to."
Best Motown
2 episodes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"There are songs included that I didn't realize were sung by Marvin Gaye."
"Classic Marvin Gaye."
"Classic album."
"Marvin Gaye was one of a kind and his talent shines brighter than ever on this recording."
"Marvin Gaye, this CD is so relevant to what's going on today, excellent music!"
"Great album definite classic but the deluxe edition with the CD’s and Vinyl seems to always arrive in bad shape possibly due to a flaw in the design the spine arrives with bends and dents my guess is the plastic wrapping is a to bit to harsh."
"5 Stars...beginning to end!"
"Item arrived quickly in good condition.It's a classic!"
Best Neo-Soul
Repressing of this 2000 album from the acclaimed Soul artist.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One of the best albums D'angelo ever made, and one of the best of any artist I own."
"Everytime I hear this album, I'm like, where oh where is the next album D!"
"How can I say anything bad about the greatest soul album of all time?"
"Love this album."
"this album is space age technology left to us by the aliens."
"There's one great track after another and surprisely there's more of a breezy jazzy feel to the album than a modern hip hop groove, even with guest appearances by Redman and Method Man."
"This album will never get old, Quest Love's rhythm makes your toe tap while D'angelo's voice tugs at the heart strings."
Best New Jack
Includes their #1 pop smashes One Sweet Day (with Mariah Carey); I'll Make Love to You; End of the Road , and On Bended Knee ; their Top 10 hits Water Runs Dry; It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday; Motownphilly; In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember) , and five more! Heavily influenced by doo-wop groups such as the Platters and the Dells and developed by ex- New Edition member Michael Bivins, Boyz II Men quickly rose to heavyweight status after the foursome's 1991 debut, Cooleyhighharmony , their success based on romantic ballads and strong vocals.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great CD, such vocal harmony among the 4 of them and a sheer pleasure to listen to them."
"This greatest hits is amazing it have all of my favorite song on this cd."
"I was not disappointed."
"It's B2M...you can't go wrong!"
"I bought it for one song."
"this was a gift fior someone."
""Not my kind of music", says the wife."
Best Quiet Storm
Here are 18 sensuously soulful songs she recorded for the Beverly Glen and Elektra labels from 1983-1995: Angel; Lead Me into Love; Giving You the Best That I Got; Fairy Tales; Talk to Me; It's Been You; Sweet Love; Just Because; No One in the World; Body and Soul , and more!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Anita Baker is incomparable."
"Flawless Anita Baker - A must have."
"She is another 80"s Queen."
"Great songs that will truly go down in the history books of music."
"Its sounds amazing, nothing like the popular bubble gum talentless autotuned crap!"
Best Soul
Combining a strong, Jazzy vocal style with often frank lyrical content recounting tales of love and loss, Winehouse is a truly talented songwriter with a good ear for melody, making this album an essential purchase.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I feel that her feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness of love come through in a couple of songs so strongly, that I feel for her and want to remind her of those that do care for her, but alas, it is too late."
"Perhaps the best known is Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), who took a cue from jazz artist Peggy Lee and combined it with the soul inflections of such girl groups as Martha and the Vandellas. By the time of its release, Winehouse had become a controversial figure, adopting Ronnie Spector's beehive hairdos and miniskirt dresses while drifting into alcohol and drugs in a way that quickly became infamous. On-going speculation about her chemical dependencies led Winehouse to write and record the album's signature cut: "Rehab," a strange mixture of R&B, South American edges, and slap-in-the-face, tough-girl lyrics that startled virtually everyone who heard it. Drug and alcohol problems, troubled romances, and publicity disasters have kept Winehouse largely silent on the music scene since BACK TO BLACK proved such an international smash."
"It is a true shame that Amy Winehouse passed so young, but listening to this album along with her other music (whether it be on vinyl or other formats) creates a comfort to her listeners that her music will be a huge impact for generations to come."
"This album was purchased for my adult daughter."
"Bad rating because I received two replacements and they both are skipping and the songs mix together."
"Be careful when ordering vinyls, it seems like they get warped in transition and then you're stuck with a defective product you paid for."
"the first 2 tracks on the disc do not work, listens with many jumps."
"I would NOT recommend this album."
Best Doo Wop
THE VERY BEST OF FRANKIE VALLI & THE 4 SEASONS packs a single CD with 20 classics recorded for Vee-Jay, Phillips, Curb/Warner, Private Stock, and RSO between 1962-1978.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My favorite of the three Frankis Valli CD's I bought."
"Buy the album, if you own nothing by The Four Seasons."
"Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are incredible."
"Makes me feel young again to listen to their old hit songs."
"Every song a hit every song I remember growing up."
"This CD was a great trip down memory lane and reminded me that, much like the Beatles' music, the music of the Four Seasons is always timely and exciting."
"Someone should digitally re-due the original recordings, as they now sound "tinny" compared to the new digital recordings from the show."
"I love this album... it's got just about any hit by this group you could want, including a couple from when Frankie Valli broke away and went single (Grease)... Not to crazy about the couple of Disco era songs (I just don't like disco) but there are only about two or so, and some 16 or better are just great listening."
Best Music
"Hamilton" - which transferred to Broadway following a sold-out run at The Public Theater in NYC - is the acclaimed new musical about the scrappy young immigrant Alexander Hamilton, the $10 Founding Father who forever changed America with his revolutionary ideas and actions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Then avoid this album at ALL COSTS. Soon your family will start experimenting with this album and know Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton are more than just a trivia question from the Got Milk commercial from 1993. I'll leave it at this: I enjoyed this album enough to: -sing along with it. -move along with it. -make plans to fly out to Broadway to watch and support this show. -most importantly: find out more about Alexander Hamilton beyond the 1993 Got Milk commercial. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I have."
"This excellent cast album has it all: songs about desire, triumph, love, heartbreak, power, obsession, family, cheating, status, happiness and loss. After an eight year absence from visiting NYC, Hamilton has inspired me to book a plane ticket and a ridiculously expensive hotel room in the Big Apple just to see this show in the Fall."
"It's a brilliant pastiche of musical and poetic styles, all perfectly tailored to each particular character, yet woven into an intricate narrative that will inspire, entertain, and break your heart. I was privileged to see the show the week that it opened, and can't stop telling people about it, so I was beyond thrilled that the production team, including writer/performer Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Ahmir Khalib Thompson (aka Questlove) chose to produce a full-length soundtrack that skipped nothing from the original show. Now an entire generation of theater-goers will arrive at Hamilton already knowing the music and words, and that's probably a great thing, because it's incredibly complex and fast-paced."
"I've been immersed in American musical theater my entire life and work in it full-time now."
"Totally met all my expectations. Took the advice from friends to do your research."
Best Rap & Hip-Hop Bass
Platinum selling, Grammy nominated recording artist Drake releases his hotly anticipated sophomore album, TAKE CARE.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great artist."
"I still primarily listen to this album!"
"I love all the slow, easy listening songs on this album, way better than what's on the radio. I also looked up the wikipedia page for the album, so many producers worked on this album and it shows. * Note: The Motto didn't come on the download, so I might just have to download it at an extra cost. Best songs: - The Ride, I like how he goes in and out of first person / third person."
"good album fast delivery."
"I love this Album."
"Absolutely love this album..so much so that this is my second time purchasing it... First the cd now digital."
"This album rocks because Drake makes good music."
"Great album, fantastic price for a vinyl."