Does Not Live Up To Expectations, but Still a Good Album
920567
I am sixteen years old at the time this review was written, so I wasn't alive in the three years between Presence and In Through the Out Door (ITTOD). Before the album came out, people figured that Zeppelin had either broken up, or where making their greatest album ever! Unfortuneately, even though they did make an album, it was definately not their greatest album ever. Still people just dismiss it, but it is still really good, just not subliminal. The album is dominated by John Paul Jones. He is credited in all of the songs except "Hot Dog" and his synth work dominates many of the songs. The first song is "In the Evening," their usual hard rock song opener with excellent vocals by Plant (Even though some are hard to understand), great guitars by Page, and nice synth work by Jones; it is one of their best songs ever. "Fool in the Rain" is a good song, the only problem is that it is so overplayed on radio stations. "All Of My Love" is a song dominated by Jones' synthesizers, which are very nice and so are Plant's vocals. It was written about the death of Plant's son, not daughter (I don't think he even had a daughter at the time). "I'm Gonna Crawl" is pretty good too. "Hot Dog" is awful, their worst song ever. How 'bout using one of the outakes from this album that was put on Coda like, "Wearing and Tearing?" Even though this is weak for Zeppelin, it is better than most band's pretty good albums. If you take an honest look, this is really a pretty good effort. Too bad that Bonham died shortly after the album was released.
1066102
When I first bought this album I had very high expectations.  After all TLC's sophmore album, the famous Crazy Sexy Cool was In my opinion the best R&B album of all time, and as it sold over 13 million copies I was not alone. I was a little disappointed by Fanmail, it seemed to lack the strength of Crazy. Not that it is too bad though, some songs particulary Unpretty, and I'm good at being Bad really stood out. Yet other songs like Don't pull out on me Yet, and Automatic were weak, and Silly Ho sounded overproduced. Also included on the Disc was the Diana Warren Ballad Come on Down, this surprised me in that 1. TLC was going to sing a Diane Warren song, and 2. That the song really..well sucked, I'd expect more from her than such a truly pathetic, feelingless piece o' trash(she wrote Un-Break my Heart for Toni Braxton). The use of profanity also surprised me but in truth I don't really care one way or another. Also I'm not sure why Left Eye's rap was left off of No Scrubs it really added to the piece. However despite all my complaining Fanmail was still a fairly good disc, with excellent vocals, and catchy beats. So if you want a good R&B disc Fanmail is for you, just don't expect Crazy Sexy Cool.
483868
Most of the time I get a new album it has to grow on me, and it's doing that. I just wish it could do so faster, since other BoC albums stuck with me very quickly. That said, it is still a 4 star album because it's still great. It's just not hitting with me completely yet.
450009
A longtime Marillion fan, I'm still surprised how Misplaced Childhood is so celebrated, usually over other albums.  It has always come across to me as a rather weak album by the group, especially in comparison to the the powerful albums Fugazi and Clutching at Straws (released before and after this album, respectively).  After two albums that did not sell well at the time, the group was under heavy pressure to get some "hits".  They had to come up with some pop ballads to keep the record company happy.  The result is the songs Kayleigh and Lavender.  Kayleigh is especially poppy, and sounds forced and fake, uncharacteristic of the band's music up to that point.  Of course, the songs did become very popular in England, so they achieved their desired goal.  But the songs are bland and don't seem to fit the style of the band's music.
Continuing on, the next song Bitter Suite sounds like the group is just going through the motions.  The song is kind of low-key and doesn't really go anywhere.
Now the album does pick up on the second half; what used to be Side 2 in the record/cassette days.  Waterhole (Expresso Bongo) actually rocks, and is the only significant "heavy" song on the albums, but it is a rather short song.  The album continues to improve with Lords of the Backstage, Misplaced Childhood, and White Feather.
This album isn't necessarily bad - it's still better than probably anything with singer Steve Hogarth - but it's a puzzling mixture of songs, and is missing the power and guts and even beauty that was the norm during this period of the band.  On the bright side, the group really turned things around with the next album (Clutching at Straws - their best!).
4606517
The Discouraged Ones is a good, but not great album. Of course, that's just my opinion and there are others out there that love this album. There are things about this album that I really like as well - songs like "I  Break" and "Deadhouse" are catchy well-written songs that  must surely evoke feelings of melancholy in all that hear them - and I mean  "melancholy" in a good way. Unfortunately, the album drags for me  at some points where Katatonia begin to sound like a less dynamic version  of the Cure. I am a big fan of the atmospheric metal produced by bands like  Type O Negative, Moonspell and Paradise Lost, but I don't feel that based  on The Discouraged Ones, Katatonia is poised yet to join that pantheon of  doom metal greats.
4374879
I've been a sugababes fan for years and have enjoyed all of their albums, from the more a cappalla one touch to the more dance Three. I looked forward to this album, but was a little dissapointed when I got it. The songs are still quite good (I still can't see why they haven't caught on in the US - I think that they are superior to many things on the radio now), I'm just don't think that the album has that same unique songs that you jump out at you like earlier albums do. Overall, it's great driving music, very repetitive in general is my one real criticism, several of the songs don't have many verses but just a repetitive chorus.
2095794
I assume that many fans of the Strokes may be a bit dissapointed with "Room on Fire".  After all,  it has the very tough time of trying to live up to the previous album "Is this It".  And whie it may not be as instantly catchy as that album, it is still a very good follow up.  In fact in some ways it's better.  The Strokes have, for the most part, created an album that retains the sound of the first album, while expanding on it. Some of the songs, such as "12:51", evoke more of a New Wave sound than 70's cool, while others, like the terrific "Under Control" (easily their best song to date) have an almost  Mo-town feel to them. It is different than any thing heard on "Is this It", yet it still manages to soud like the Strokes,
  Fabrizzio Morreti and Nick Valensi have become the bands all-stars on this album. Fab's drums are on point
on every song, and he knows when to hold back (Under Control) as well as let loose (I Can't Win).  As well, Nick seems to have been experimenting with his guitar since the last album, making it sound at times almost like a keyboard  (12:51)
  Although the album does have it's week points (Julian sounds like he is singing from a phone booth again) and it does not sound quite as fresh as the previous album, it is still exciting, and shows that, for the time being, the Strokes still got it.  And if songs like "Autostop" and the upbeat "I can't win don't put a smile on your face, than nothing will.
3097734
I am big fan of Travis (seen them in concert a number of times; check my reviews on most of their releases). On purpose I have waited 2 months to submit my review of "The Invisible Band" (TIB)
At first impression, I really was disappointed with TIB, but I know why: it wasn't the same joy of exploring the unexpected, as was the case with "The Man Who". I mean, how can you follow up such a brilliant album and not be let down? So I was... and hence the delay in reviewing TIB. If I had rated TIB the day it came out, it would have been 3 stars. With the passage of time, I am rating it 4 stars.
The opening track "Sing" (also the first single) is one of the better tracks of the album, an ode to the joy of singing (see my review of the single). "Side" is also very good and not surprisingly the 2nd single of the album, with rich string- guitars and a smart lyrics courtesy of Fran. "Dear Diary" is out of place, quite frankly... a downer song so soon on the album (track 2)? "Flowers in the Wondow" is a long-time concert fave, although I remember it quite heavier live than on the studio version here. The album moves along quite nicely, too nicely? "The Humpty Dumpty Love Song" is really good, with its drawn-out outro.
In the end, the album overall just doesn't have the same impact that "The Man Who" had on me. All in all, nice to hear the new Travis album, but it's not the masterpiece that "The Man Who" was. Let's call this one a "victim of impossible-to-meet expectactions".
3246483
Personally, I think it wasn't as good as their previous album, but still creative and invoking all the same.
2604401
OK, its a solid album with 3 good songs on it. But much of it sounds kinda phoned-in, almost like they were covering themselves. No new ground has been broken at all. Still a album worth buying for fans.
975321
The album is good. It is just not my cup of tea. I really liked their debut album, but this album was too different for me.

With that being said, there are some very good songs on this album!
3297034
Okay, this album is definitely not the greatest and most amazing album I have ever heard, but it's not entirely bad...there are bad, awful songs, like Falling Away, In This World, Secrets, and a few others, but there are also good, and great songs; you've all heard "I Just Wanna Live", "We Believe" and "Predictable", those are very good songs, but there are other great songs, that weren't released as singles, like "Walk Away", "S.O.S.", "The World Is Black", "Ghost Of You", "It Wasn't Enough", etcetera...

I think this album is not as good as to be rated with 5 stars, but it isn't as as bad as to be rated with 1 star, I think 3 stars is the option, in the middle, plus, as my review's title says, IT IS NOT BAD, IT IS NOT GOOD, IT JUST IS, but, if you're planning on buying it, seriously, don't. Thank God I didn't buy it, I borrowed it from a friend, and I really think I would have regretted if I would have bought it.
2330592
I have to start off by saying that I like this album.  I also should let everyone know where my persuasions lie, I'm a diehard fan of Jamiroquai after getting into them from Travelling Without Moving.  I went on to buy Synkronized and saw them in concert just after purchasing the first two albums (arguably their best two).  I really like all the different textures that Jamiroquai have woven throughout their carreer, and this album doesn't disappoint in that sense.  It definitely doesn't live up to ROTSC, and I believe even in the new more electronica mode they're entering, it doesn't live up to the potential shown by a lot of Jamiroquai albums.  None the less, the album is solid and in my opinion only exhibits one really poor track, You Give Me Something, which is a poppy, boring song with no motion and relatively no purpose.  Standout tracks on the album include: Feels So Good, Main Vein, Love Foolosophy, Black Crow, and Corner Of The Earth.  A final note: Overall it was tough to decide if it deserved 4 or 3 stars, so it's more of a 3.5 star album.
988243
Overall, this is a very good album, with some nice beats, and some good rapping by 50, but it is not what we expected from him after hearing "Get Rich or Die Tryin'". On "Get Rich..." almost every one of 50's songs was a hit. With "The Massacre" he has some hot songs, but not as many. This album lacks some of the enthusiastum that 50 put into "Get Rich...." Other reviews on the album I've read all seemed to trash this album, but it's not really that bad. Just a "new sound" for 50. Very different from his last album, but different isn't always a bad thing. Here's my opinion on each song:

1. Intro - Not much to say about that...

2. In My Hood - 3/5 A good song, but probably just an album filler.

3.  This is 50 - 3/5 Also, a good song, with some better rapping from 50, but again, I don't think it's all that great.

4.  I'm Suppost to Die tonight - 4/5 This is where the album starts to get good. Lyrics are pretty good, and the beat is HOT.

5.  Piggy Bank - 5/5 Many people already know this song, in where 50 trashes a lot of rival rappers, like Fat Joe, Nas, Jada etc.

6.  Gatman and Robbin' ft. Eminem - 2/5 Enough said. This song has a weak beat and weak rapping. Not one of his better songs.

7.  Candy Shop ft. Olivia - 5/5 I'm sure every 50 fan has heard this song. A hot song, with hot lyrics, and some nice help from Olivia.

8.  Outta Control - 5/5 This song has one of the best beats on the album. It will get you up and moving. One of my favorites.

9.  Get in My Car - 4/5 The lyrics could have been slightly better, but the beat has a catchy beat and this song is pretty good.

10.  Ski Mask Way - 2/5 I don't know which is worse. The beat or the lyrics.

11.  A Baltimore Love Thing - 4/5 This is a really nice song by 50. The lyrics are EXCELLENT, but the beat could use some work.

12.  Ryder Music - 5/5 Excellent all the way around. The beat is definetly one of the best on the album.

13.  Disco Inferno - 3/5 Only because this song is getting played out, but it is the song that started this whole album.

14.  Just a Lil Bit - 5/5 This is a great song with the best beat on the album. It will be in your head all day long.

15.  Gunz Come Out - 4/5 Decent song, and I think it's in the top 5 of the album.

16.  My Toy Soldier ft. Tony Yayo - 3/5 The title sounds like 50 is just taking Eminem's song and "changing" it a little, but really, it's totally different. An OK song.

17.  Position of Power - 5/5 This is my FAVORITE song on the album. It's great ALL the way around. Good rapping, sound, beat. It's just a great song.

18.  Build You Up ft. Jamie Foxx - 2/5 This song just makes no sense to have Jamie Foxx in it. It's just a horrible song to begin with, but I think 50 could of handled it himself.

19.  God Gave me Style -4/5 This sounds like one of 50's old song from "Get Rich..." which makes it to me, one of the best.

20.  So Amazing ft. Olivia - Finally a love song by 50 that sounds good. This song may be a little fast for a love song, but it's has a hot beat.

21.  I Don't Need 'Em - 3/5 An OK song. Not the best to pick to end the album, but it's good.

BONUS TRACK - Hate It or Love It remix ft. G~Unit - 5/5 This is even better than the original!! It has all of G~Unit in it, and souds hott.

Overall, this album is a really good album and worth the money. Some songs may be rushed, but the ones that aren't are DEFINETLY worth it.
4802437
I can see what they were going for on this album, and all in all it's a solid effort with some good tracks.  The problem I have with it is that I can't help but compare it to their previous efforts such as 2009's Everything to Nothing.  That album was basically perfect.  It had a nice blend of different sounds and the lyrics were simply AMAZING.  Cope, on the other hand, is a bit of a one trick pony.  Nearly all the tracks sound very similar, and the beautiful thought provoking lyrics are missing.  Also, is it just me or is there something different about Andy's voice?  I think it's just the way the album was mixed but it sounds a bit over-processed or something, whatever it is it takes away a bit of the emotional rawness that makes his voice so unique.

I still like the album, and if I'd never heard Manchester Orchestra's earlier work I would probably be a little more impressed with Cope.  I'm going to see MO in Cincinnati next month and honestly I'm hoping they don't devote too much of their set to Cope.

The best tracks in my opinion are Top Notch, Indentions, and After the Scripture.
359818
Compared to some of their albums, no, this isn't the best of their work. Beatles for Sale is still a good album to buy. It may not have as many strong tracks as others, this still has some great songs (I'll Follow the Sun). There are also some really good songs that aren't famous, such as Honey Don't. Overall, looking back, this is a really good album. It just feels like it is missing something that their other albums had.
3854192
I did like this album, considering my 4 star rating, but it's the first album of theirs I would risk calling "disappointing", ONLY compared to all of the six albums they put out beforehand.
  It felt like I'd already heard most of these songs, and that they were below par, but only below Led Zeppelin's par... that's still quite a long climb to get to that height.  What I can say most definitely about Presence is that, and I say this somewhat stunned, is that I can't remember how most of the songs go, except for the first song, Achilles Last Stand.  I can see why some have praised Nobody's Fault But Mine, but I felt it didn't stand up with the best of their music.
  Still, quite a good album, despite the pressures the four of them were placed under during the making of this album.  It was recorded under much haste, Robert Plant was recovering from physical injuries, and forgive me if I'm wrong, but I also think his son passed away not much earlier.  It was hard for me to see any significance of this album because of the gigantic effort they displayed those few and brief years before, but if I compared it to anything else modern, it's significance would grow.