Allmusic said, " When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century ,"< ref >

" Steve Huey from Allmusic said that the album is " raw as Megadeth gets, and that can be both good and bad -- Megadeth's later precise, complex riffing and composition aren't completely developed, but the music is performed with a great deal of energy, while Mustaine's vocals ( never his strong point ) are amateurish at best.

Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said, " It was inevitable that the constant grind of touring, writing, promoting, and recording would grate on the Beatles ," leading to the inclusion of several cover versions after the all-original A Hard Day's Night ; the band's visible weariness on the album's cover is noted by narrator Malcolm McDowell during The Compleat Beatles.

Writing for Allmusic, critic Ned Raggett said " With their former band's generally gloomier shadows left behind, what Ash and Haskins draw from their time with Bauhaus is that group's melange of styles — their most underappreciated strength.

Allmusic gave Slave to the Grind a rating of four and a half out of five stars, and said the album was " one of the best — and heaviest — examples of mainstream hard rock / heavy metal ".

" When reviewing Eazy-Duz-It, Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic said, " In terms of production, Dr. Dre and Yella meld together P-Funk, Def Jam-style hip-hop, and the leftover electro sounds of mid -' 80s Los Angeles, creating a dense, funky, and thoroughly unique style of their own.

Steve Huey of Allmusic said that he was " one of the most controversial figures in gangsta rap.

Allmusic said that the album had " melodies and songwriting are pretty consistent ", and gave it a score of four stars out of five.

Allmusic writer Thom Jurek said of the song, " The amazing thing is that both versions are definitive.

Thom Owens of Allmusic said that the album made no attempt to change his sound, and was " sturdy " but less country than his previous efforts.

John Book of Allmusic said the " record contributed to the buzz about the Seattle music scene.

Allmusic said that it combines the mid-tempo grooves of South of Heaven with " manic bursts of aggression " à la Reign in Blood.

Allmusic also said that when writing the album's lyrics, Slayer " rarely turns to demonic visions of the afterlife anymore, preferring instead to find tangible horror in real life — war, murder, human weakness.

A five-star Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine described it as a " monumental impact " and said it " sparked a revitalization of the blues ".

Jason D. Taylor of Allmusic said Alive or Just Breathing is " a pure metal album that seemingly has ignored any fashionable trend and instead relies solely on skill and expertise to sculpt some of the meatiest heavy metal since the glory days of Metallica and Slayer.

While touring on the Clash of the Titans tour to promote the 1990 studio album Seasons in the Abyss, separate sections of the Decade of Aggression album were recorded on October 14, 1990, March 8, 1991, and July 13, 1991, however, Allmusic said that Rick Rubin's production and the executive production from Richard Kimball, " seems to be in terms of shaping the live sound to make it sound like this is all one gig.

Allmusic gave Family four out of five stars and said that the album, " illustrates her range as a singer along with some true strength as a writer.

Steve Huey of Allmusic said, " Since Dry As a Bone / Rehab Doll is more energetic and less murky than many proto-grunge artifacts, it's arguably the most effective and enduring building block in the music's early evolution.

Allmusic reviewer Alex Henderson said of the album, " Smith shows herself to be an expressive, commanding singer " and that " Wisdom shows considerable promise ".

Allmusic said that " instead of doing something calculated like emulating Nirvana or Pearl Jam — or for that matter, Nine Inch Nails or Ministry — Slayer wisely refused to sound like anyone but Slayer.

Allmusic said about the singer: " There was a time when the idea of Sepultura recording without Max Cavalera seemed unthinkable.

Allmusic. com gave the album 3 stars out of 5 and said, " As Green scrapes the lining of his vocal chords through the brash, impassioned tracks, he's singing about more than just ' one tribe, Sepulnation '; he's suggesting something bigger, something worth shouting about and fighting for ".

Allmusic gave the album 4 stars out of 5 and said, " if there are still any lingering doubts about the Green / Sepultura match, 2003's excellent Roorback should put them to rest for good.

Allmusic gave the album 3. 5 stars out of 5 and said that, " Overall, Dante XXI is easily one of Sepultura's strongest releases to feature Green on vocals ".

Andy Hinds of Allmusic laments the polka influence as undermining " the intended threat of a death metal band " while his colleague Alex Henderson praises the band for their " solid, consistently likable effort ," declaring that Finntroll has set themselves apart from their peers " because of their emphasis on Finnish humppa " and " the humor and irony they bring to the table.

Steve Huey of Allmusic said that it " flows logically from one composition to the next, and the mostly long songs have enough variation in texture and mood to hold the listener's interest fairly consistently.

Allmusic gave the album 4 stars out of 5 and said that " unrest and political corruption are recurring themes on Roorback ", and " the songs that Sepultura wrote for Roorback paint a consistently bleak and troubling picture of the world ".

The music website Allmusic refers to them as " arguably the most consistently brilliant and unique American group to emerge during the 1990s ".

His career, though short, is described by Allmusic as " enormously influential " for both country and rock, " blending the two genres to the point that they became indistinguishable from each other.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic describes Parsons as " enormously influential " for both country and rock, " blending the two genres to the point that they became indistinguishable from each other.

"' Forever Changes ' made only a minor dent on the charts when it was first released in 1967, but years later it became recognized as one of the finest and most haunting albums to come out of the Summer of Love, which doubtless has as much to do with the disc's themes and tone as the music, beautiful as it is ," wrote Mark Deming in an entry for the online Allmusic guide.

Old school rap ( 1979 – 1984 ) was " easily identified by its relatively simple raps " according to Allmusic, " the emphasis was not on lyrical technique, but simply on good times ", one notable exception being Melle Mel, who set the way for future rappers through his socio-political content and creative wordplay.

Wire's debut album, Pink Flag ( 1977 ) – " perhaps the most original debut album to come out of the first wave of British punk ", according to Allmusic – contains songs which are diverse in mood and style, but most use a minimalist punk approach, unorthodox structures, " Field Day For The Sundays ", for example, is only 28 seconds long.

As an uncredited critic has written for Allmusic, " being freed of all rules, free improvisation cannot be traced back to a genre other than the very generic term avant-garde ".

Allmusic cites Motown as the pioneering label of pop-soul, a style of soul music with raw vocals, but polished production and toned-down subject matter intended for pop radio and crossover success.

Shiny Beast ( Bat Chain Puller ) was described by Ned Raggett of Allmusic to be "... manna from heaven for those feeling Beefheart had lost his way on his two Mercury albums ".

Stephen Thomas Erlewine's review for Allmusic contends that:

Allmusic categorises electronica as a top-level genre on their main page, where they state that electronica includes danceable grooves to music for headphones and chillout areas.

Certain critics argue that Christian rock music and its subjects seldom appeal to non-believers: Allmusic wrote that " unless a Christian rocker plans to perform for Christian audiences exclusively, he or she needs to provide music that secular audiences will find relevant -- music that listeners can relate to on some level even if they aren't practicing Christians.

Never Say Never eventually became Norwood ’ s biggest-selling album, selling over sixteen million copies worldwide ; and critics rated the album highly, with Allmusic ` s Stephen Thomas Erlewine praising Norwood and her team for wisely finding " a middle ground between Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige — it's adult contemporary with a slight streetwise edge ".

What's Going On would later be described by an Allmusic writer as an album that " not only redefined soul music as a creative force but also expanded its impact as an agent for social change ".

In a retrospective review of the album, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, senior editor for Allmusic, gave " Dare " a 5-star rating.

Bruce Eder, writing for Allmusic, rates the band's 1967 album Groovin ' as their best, noting the record's soulful core and innovative use of jazz and Latin instrumental arrangements.

Allmusic showed a mixed reaction in their retrospective review, noting the overt similarity to the Eagles and deeming the rock opera of side two " a little too wide-eyed and doomsaying for most modern audiences ".

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, senior editor for Allmusic, described specifically Culture Club as a new wave band and generically as the most successful pop / rock group in America and England during the 1980s, adding that, " By 1986, the group had broken up, leaving behind several singles that rank as classics of the new wave era ".

Reviewing Ain't Life Grand for Allmusic, Steve Huey described second singer Rod Jackson as " a combination of ' 80s pop-metal bluster and Faces-era Rod Stewart " with a " touch of Aerosmith ", a description that he felt also fitted the band as a whole.

" Too poppy " for Mick Box ’ liking ( but still, " too eccentric to fit the bill of an AOR record ", according to Allmusic ), it was well received at the time ( Sounds gave it 4 stars ) but failed to chart.

Awarding the soundtrack CD release a rating of four stars out of five, Bruce Eder of the Allmusic website describes the collection of theme and incidental music as " a strange mix of otherworldly ' music of the spheres ', late-50s / early-60s ' space-age pop ', ' British Invasion ' beat, Scottish folk-inspired tunes, kids-style ' Mickey Mouse ' scoring, marital music, light jazz, and light classical ", and singles out both " Cocktail Music ", from " Model Spy ", and the piano track, performed by Gray, from " The Inquisition ", for particular praise.

Indeed, AbsolutePunk have labelled the band as the " godfathers of pop punk ", while Allmusic credits them for " practically serving alongside the work of Blink-182 as the blueprint to the entire genre for the early 2000s.