254 - Otis Redding - Dictionary of Soul

What stood out the most to me is how up-front Otis's vocals are (other than "I'm Sick Y'All," which sound like it was recorded and mixed by a completely different crew). Booker T and the MGs truly back him by providing rhythm and flourishes to accentuate Otis's singing. At most, the horns may get close to the same level as the vocals at moments where they serve the occasional response role or a quick burst. That leaves the emotion of Otis's vocal delivery exposed for the listener.

A good chunk of Dictionary of Soul are covers. I had only heard his version of "Try a Little Tenderness," so when I read that it was originally a Bing Crosby tune, I HAD to find out what all was changed for this cover. Talk about a complete make-over! Another cover of note is Otis's version of "Day Tripper." While not as drastic of a change as "Tenderness," I actually completely missed paying attention to "Day Tripper" on my first listen because Otis did make the song his own and not just him providing vocals to a loyal cover band.

For some reason, the second half of the album didn't fare so well with me. The songs weren't worse, just didn't grab me as much as the first half.

Songs I knew I liked: "Try a Little Tenderness"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)," "Tennessee Waltz," "Day Tripper," and "My Lover's Prayer"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: None

253 - Bruce Springsteen - The River

I don't have nostalgic feelings for the classical rock 'n' roll sound, let alone the theatrical version that Springsteen and Meatloaf have used as the foundation of their sounds. I have a lot of respect for Bruce's career and songwriting, but the finished product does NOTHING for me.

The River shifts back and forth between uptempo songs of hope/fun and ballads of how bad life is. That added enough of a variety to this double album that it drag along as much as I feared it would.

Songs I knew I liked: "Hungry Heart" - story is this was written for The Ramones

Songs I didn't know but now like: "I'm a Rocker" - I think I like it because I could see how this could have been written for The Ramones, too.

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: Let's face it, I'm not going to listen to this album ever again. If I have to pick a particular song, then "Sherry Darling" is the proto-typical Springsteen, theatrical classic rock n roll sound (see also Meatloaf) and gave me the greatest itch to skip.

252 - Jay-Z - The Blueprint

I reviewed The Blueprint previously. The album had been ranked at #464 before the 2012 update to the Rolling Stone Top 500. Looking over my review, there's nothing obvious in my comments that seem to indicate that this album should be ranked as high as it is now. *shrugs*