Golden age hip hop ( cited as either just the late ' 80s or the late 80s to early 90s ) was the time period where hip-hop lyricism went through its most drastic transformation – writer William Jelani Cobb says " in these golden years, a critical mass of mic prodigies were literally creating themselves and their art form at the same time " and Allmusic writes, " rhymers like PE's Chuck D, Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, and Rakim basically invented the complex wordplay and lyrical kung-fu of later hip-hop ”.

Critical reaction to Brandy was generally positive, with Allmusic writer Eddie Huffman declaring Brandy " a lower-key Janet Jackson or a more stripped-down Mary J. Blige [...] with good songs and crisp production.

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 ".

Allmusic critic John Dougan has written that " As the band's creative force, Lynott was a more insightful and intelligent writer than many of his ilk, preferring slice-of-life working-class dramas of love and hate influenced by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, and virtually all of the Irish literary tradition.

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

Thom Jurek, a staff writer for Allmusic, gave the album a rating of three out of five stars.

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.

Allmusic staff writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three out of five stars.

Allmusic staff writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three out of five stars.

Allmusic writer Bradley Torreano wrote that " Even if it is a joke, it isn't a funny one, or even a clever one.

Allmusic writer Heather Phares noted the reduced role of Kim Deal, calling it " essentially Black Francis ' solo debut ".

Allmusic staff writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album four and a half out of five stars.

Allmusic writer Greg Prato wrote, " For many, Borland was the only Limp Bizkit member who was taken seriously.

" David Fricke of Rolling Stone praised its resemblance to psychedelia while Allmusic writer Zac Johnson lauded its musical complexity.

A marketing campaign was started in early 1994 to promote Souvlaki in the United States, which Allmusic writer Andy Kellman stated would " undoubtedly go down in industry history as one of the laziest ever "; SBK sent fans a release flyer and were told if they copied and posted 50 flyers around town they would receive a free copy of Souvlaki.

Allmusic writer Stewart Mason later heralded it as one of the " masterpieces of American post-punk ".

The different approach in the sound resulted in comparisons to Blondie, which Allmusic writer William Ruhlmann suggested was a deliberate attempt by Columbia.

A third and final album was again helmed by David Kahne, which Allmusic writer Stewart Mason speculated was a " reaction against the more commercial sound of Benefactor.

" Allmusic writer Heather Phares has argued that Iyall's " teasing, existential musings [...] predated and predicted the aloof yet frank sexuality of early-and mid -' 90s artists such as Elastica and Liz Phair ".

Allmusic staff writer Greg Prato gave the EP two and a half out of five stars.

Allmusic staff writer Jason Birchmeier gave the album two and a half out of five stars, writing, " Of the many, many live albums Pearl Jam publicly released, their October 23, 2003, show at Benaroya Hall is one of the more novel ones ...

" Allmusic writer John Bush states that, " The Beach Boys ended the decade by releasing the worst album of their career ," describing the album as " yet another oddball attempt to push The Beach Boys into the contemporary mainstream despite their many songwriting and production flaws.

Allmusic staff writer William Ruhlmann gave the album three out of five stars, saying that " Mirror Ball is typically uneven.

" Extol wanted to expand their musical style beyond regular metal music — according to Allmusic writer Mike DaRonco, the band intended to show " more of a progressive side ; rather than a typical run of the mill group of burnouts who focused more on their image.

The merging of instruments has led Allmusic to state that guitarists John and Damian O ' Neill " mated infectious guitar hooks to 1960s garage, 1970s glam rock, and Feargal Sharkey's signature vocal quaver.

John Bonham has been described by Allmusic as one of the most important, well-known and influential drummers in rock.

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

Writing for Allmusic, John Dougan described the genre's origins:

In a retrospective review, Allmusic editor John Bush gave the album four-and-a-half out of five stars and complimented its songs ' " freewheeling arrangements ".

However, many mocked the song for its poor lyrical content ; John Bush, writing for Allmusic, described it as " one of the most embarrassing rap performances of the new millennium ".

The prominent fusion guitarist John McLaughlin, for example, had played what Allmusic describes as a " blend of jazz and American R & B " with Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames as early as 1962 and continued with The Graham Bond Organisation ( with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker ) whose style Allmusic calls " rhythm & blues with a strong jazzy flavor ".

The album received positive reviews, John Franck of Allmusic labeled Meantime " arguably one of the most influential and overlooked rock records of the ' 90s ".

On the review of the album Siembra, John Bush of Allmusic referred the message as " a devastating life-in-el-Barrio exposé ".

Allmusic describes the soundtrack album as " marvelous music ... something listeners should be thankful for, particularly fans of either Miles Davis or John Lee Hooker ".

Allmusic profiler John Floyd asserts that O ' Neal was ousted for " looking ' too black '", though the real reason was there wasn't enough money in it for O ' Neal.

John Bush of Allmusic called him " the best rapper / producer in hip-hop history ," while editors of About. com placed him on their list of the Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers, as well as placing him on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time ( 1987 – 2007 ).

" John Dougan of Allmusic says that Into the Unknown is " a bit off-putting at first blush, mainly because the tempos are slower and more deliberate, and because of the use of swirling organs and pianos ", while he calls it a " terrific record that was perhaps more daring than anyone realized at the time of its release.

In John Franck's review of Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence for Allmusic, he stated: " Featuring extraordinary ambidextrous drummer Sammy Siegler ( of Gorilla Biscuits / CIV fame ), Glassjaw has paired up with producer / entrepreneur Ross Robinson ( a key catalyst in the reinvention of the aggro rock sound ) to take you on a pummeling ride that would make Bad Brains and Quicksand proud.

Greg Prato of Allmusic wrote, " If only one singer could be selected as the most identifiable with ' 80s arena rock, it would have to be Journey's Steve Perry "; colleague John Franck praised Perry's as a " soaring, whale of a voice.

John Serba of Allmusic said that Orchid was " quite an audacious release, a far-beyond-epic prog / death monstrosity exuding equal parts beauty and brutality -- an album so brilliant, so navel-gazingly pretentious that, in retrospect, Opeth's future greatness was a foregone conclusion.

John Luerssen of Allmusic gave it three and a half stars out of five, remarking that " Nothing with You " " revisit the timeless lovelorn attack of cherished songs from their past like ' Wendy ,' ' Clean Sheets ,' and ' Silly Girl, while Merican " " harks back to vintage Bad Religion " and " I Quit " is " a nervous, edgy ' Catalina '- like throwback ".

In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic has written that " it plays as the most focused and accomplished set of songs Elton John and Bernie Taupin ever wrote ".

Allmusic critic John Dougal writes that " the Modern Dance remains the essential Ubu purchase ...

Allmusic thoroughly commended the album in their retrospective review, praising Rick Davies's keyboard work, Roger Hodgson's vocals, and John Helliwell's saxophone.

" Opinion again was mixed however, with John Serba of Allmusic commenting, " Bottom line, Aborym is easier to enjoy in theory more than in practice, although tackling the group's wildly disturbing sonic art isn't without its rewards.