the Kitchen - Hieroglyphics Review

Genres: Rap, Underground Rap West Coast Rap Alternative Rap

Release Date: November 19, 2013

Review: 3rd official Hiero release is a let down. Whatever recipe they were using in 'the kitchen' left a bad taste in my mouth. Listened a few times and it's just not listenable. The production quality is average at best as the vocals are drowned out by the beats at certain points. There just weren't any catchy hooks, beats, or witty lyricism I'm used to. The songs that did have good lyrics like All as above so Below, had the same melancholy music playing in a loop ad nauseum. Possibly the Hiero group needs to filter out some of the members and let the prominent members shine like they did on Souls of Mischief. I found the song talking about "merch" to be a little offensive to the listeners.. that's purely a sales term and to brag about how they are making money off selling t-shirts, preying on the fans was a bit insulting.. that's just me. They had plenty of time to put this album out, I view this as failure.. let's hope they can team up with better producers and work on those lyrics.

Verdict: 40/100

Kanye West - Yeezus

Genres: Hardcore Rap, Left-Field Hip-Hop, Midwest Rap

Release Date: June 18, 2013

Review: Before I begin, let me just say that I gave this album 3 stars based on the fact that I appreciate the fact that Kanye kept his word and created an absolutely chaotic and polarizing album that has little to no chance of any form of mainstream success. With that said, listeners will either love or hate the album and I highly suggest you preview it before spending your hard earned money on it.

Pistol Annies - Annie Up Album Review

This is the Pistol Annies' second album, and they have continued to put forth great music! I happen to be a fan of the Annies, so this is coming from a fan. I loved their first album, so I was very excited when the new one came out. They are not only three talented vocalists, but they are also gifted songwriters. Every song on this album was written by 1, 2 or all three of the Annies.

The album starts off with the song "I Feel a Sin Comin' On". I think it's one of the best songs on the album! It starts out with Miranda Lambert singing in a sultry a cappella. The first part of the song is sung in a cappella with each of the girls (Miranda, Angie, and Ashley) taking a verse. Then the song goes into a sultry melody to match the mood of the song. I think this song is very nicely done. It's one of my favorites.