Dido was a late discovery of mine. I of course remember her huge singles from when they dropped but I had never checked out a whole project until late 2017. I love her first couple, with 'Life for Rent' earning a near-perfect 4.5/5 and from there I checked out her later albums and since then I had been anticipating new music. The singles didn't leave me feeling optimistic though. After the first listen or two it is fair to say that I was underwhelmed. I think the first song we heard from this and the first song on the album is the strongest track but nothing touches her best work. It has grown on me and I've found some tunes to add to a best of Dido playlist but as I said, nothing comes close to her best on her other projects and there are too many average songs. I think 'Safe Trip Home' is her weakest album but even that has songs like 'Grafton Street' and 'Northern Skies' that hold up well. About a 3/5 for now. Best Tracks: Hurricanes, You Don't Need a God, Take You Home, Friends

I've been adding albums to this site, and as I got to Next, it shocked me that I hadn't previously listened to this. It's been a while since I've listened to Next's other albums, but based on what I remember, this is their best album. 'Wifey' is the well-known classic from this, and one of their best songs with 'Too Close', but there a number of other worthwhile R&B songs with the rest never dipping too low in quality. The weakest moments are the bookends - the Beanie Sigel featured 'What U Want', which doesn't develop into anything, and the dancehall influenced 'Oh No No'. The sexual innuendo at times on songs such as 'Splash and 'Cybersex' would make R. Kelly proud. A cohesive R&B project led by the underrated Naughty By Nature producer KayGee. Best Tracks: Wifey, Beauty Queen, My Everything, Call on Me, Let's Make a Movie, Splash

This is probably R. Kelly's most hip hop influenced album. Kells raps on the opening track, then the following three are all quite hip hop influenced, and you've got about half a dozen more of them. While there are songs that work, Kells doesn't generally do the hip-hop/R&B as well as the slow jamz. It is also an R. Kelly album which I'm not very passionate about. There isn't a five out of five-star song here, which I would say every one of his other albums has to keep you going back. Of the slow jamz, I enjoy the ridiculously metaphorical 'Sex Planet' and 'Leave Your Name', but nothing is on the level of his previous or future work. The Virginia Tech Tribute track, 'Rise Up', is another favourite as I'm a sucker for these type of uplifting tracks from Kells - It's much like many of the tracks that made up the 'U Saved Me' disc. Everything is solid-good, hence the reasonable rating, but I'd say that almost every other R. Kelly album has received more air time from me. 3.5-3 / 5 Best Tracks: Double Up, Leave Your Name, I'm a Flirt Remix, Sex Planet, Rise Up

Run-D.M.C.'s final album starts off well, getting better and better from track one to three with the title track being the pick from the disc, just like it was on their previous album, 'Down with the King'. The Fred Durst assisted 'Them Girls' is the worst thing here and it begins a run of weak songs. 'The School of Old' is a slight improvement but 'Take the Money and Run', which samples the song of the same name by the Steve Miller Band, is not my thing either. 'Rock Show' continues the trend of the rock-influenced tunes as does 'Here We Go 2001'. It's probably the best of the lot but still nothing to write home about. From there, more of a general hip hop sound is present until the album closes. If you love rap-rock, you may enjoy this more than I do, but overall, it's a poor way for the iconic group to hang up the mic. Best Tracks: Queen's Day, Crown Royal, Ahhh, Simmons Incorporated

This compilation was apparently only released in Japan and features some tracks from 'TP.3 Reloaded' and live versions of tracks from 'Chocolate Factory' and 'Happy People / U Saved Me'. Of the new tracks, 'Africa' and 'Front Line' feel very much like something off the 'U Saved Me' disc of the previously mentioned album. There are some remixes also, one of which is Jennifer Lopez's 'Baby I Love You', Twista's 'So Sexy', and also some tracks Kells has featured on like, Syleena Johnson's 'Hypnotic' and 'Pick Up the Phone' which is from the '2 Fast 2 Furious Soundtrack'. Well worth listening to for fans. Best Tracks: Hypnotic, Sex in the Kitchen Album, Baby I Love You, You Kept My Fire Burning, You Save Me (Live Version).