Thoughts
I consider this a companion piece to early Nas, stylistically it’s cut from the same cloth; when Nas guests on ‘gimme yours’ and ‘homicide’ it’s clear they’ve got history.
Ultimately I find this to be an uneven listen, AZ feels like a bootleg Nas and the creative vision isn’t as clear as Nas’ early classics. Does have it’s quality moments with ‘Sugar Hill’ and the title track featuring a hot and hazy funk.
What’s it sound like?
The best of 90s radio alt rock.
Thoughts
A very important record to me, I could not stop listening to this when it came out in the summer of 1995. I know I wasn’t alone cause it was played constantly on the radio. It’s an important part of the development of my musical taste.
However even without that attachment the record has some all-out classics and otherwise great songs. Her lyrics are as the title would suggest, jagged. She’s observant and articulate which is why I think this has such universal love. The lyrics are highly memorable. Her songs often employ a juxtaposed approach: aggressive and then a quiet ‘innocent’ moment. It creates a dynamic aspect to her tracks
Instrumentation- love the textures, where was that bassline in the original master of you oughta know? There’s an interesting drum-loop like thing happening there. It appears again on you learn, giving a slight hip hop like bounce. Overall a perfect balance of alt and grunge textures in the singer-songwriter space. Her vocal range is impressive and perhaps best on display on forgiven. Perfect is over the top in it’s forced emotion around bad parenting.
An enjoyable trip down memory lane that stands the test of time.
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