Of course, "Nothing Compares 2 U" is the smash, but the rollicking "The Emperor's New Clothes" and absolutely biting "You Cause as Much Sorrow" proved that O'Connor had powerful songwriting chops that, sadly, got overshadowed by her public antics. ![]() Indie in aim but pop in approach, "I Do Not Want." is a sturdy rock record that's unafraid to highlight O'Connor's utterly distinct voice. It's a wild journey, but following the bare-bones production of her 1987 debut, "Lion and the Cobra," O'Connor finds her voice on "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," giving folk-ballad vocals over hip-hop beats and crafting a sound that would go on to help define a lot of '90s pop music. Sinéad O'Connor's discography is an unwieldy beast, zigging exactly when you expect it to zag, following up superstar success with a full-blown jazz orchestra record and then veering into a record full of reggae covers and, on occasion, trying to reclaim the pop-rock sphere for her own. But with "Bangerz," it felt like every shard of her personality was contained in one wild, rambunctious and deliberately overstuffed mess of a record that's impervious to any critical whippings. Before and after this album, Cyrus' tones ranged from almost-goth-pop to babbling stoner to semi-country-balladeer. While "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" were the mega-hits, it's smaller moments like the goofy Britney Spears romp "SMS" and the lo-fi ho-down "4x4" that really give "Bangerz" its own distinct identity. Yet "Bangerz," Cyrus' twerk-happy, star-making media sensation of a record, is probably the most authentically "Miley." Taking the reins of her career and doing whatever the damn hell she feels like, "Bangerz" shows her collaborating with rap producers like Mike Will Made-It and Pharrell to craft a trashy party record that has occasional - and surprising - moments of heart. We will be the first to admit that in terms of Miley Cyrus records, 2008's first true-and-proper non-Hannah Montana album, has more polish. Feel free to explore the wild recesses of the rest of the catalog, but also know that "Tubthumper" is the sound of a band putting out its best effort at the perfect moment. Sure, you can have a whiskey drink and a vodka drink to enjoy the big hit "Tubthumping," but this record contains a multitude of great, bizarre alt-pop experiments, ranging from the shoulda-been-a-smash that is "Amnesia," the drum-and-synth smoothness of "Drip, Drip, Drip," the drum-and-bass experiment of "The Good Ship Lifestyle" and numerous other electronic numbers that were fitting for the era and still, surprisingly, hold up today for the most part. The British group Chumbawamba has been around since the early '80s, and its political- and musical-aesthetic can only be described as downright anarchistic, switching wildly between styles and genres while putting out albums titled "Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records." The band's albums vary wildly in quality and tone, but on the commercial breakthrough, "Tubthumper," everything fell into place. (But give some credit to Rucker for going solo, going country, and still finding success on his own.) Every subsequent album was a case of diminishing returns, showing that for all its bluster, Hootie was only a one-album wonder. ![]() ![]() The only problem with this winning formula? Finding a follow-up. The leader of this movement, however, was a little-known South Carolina band named Hootie & the Blowfish, who exploded onto the scene with "Cracked Rear View." With old-school organs, acoustic guitars, and slick production, Darius Rucker's sturdy-voiced ballads and pop numbers connected California kids to Midwest families, creating a kind of universal midrange sound that ended up making songs like "Hold My Hand," "Only Wanna Be with You" and "Let Her Cry" omnipresent radio staples. Following the grunge explosion of the early '90s, it was inevitable that there would be some type of counter-programming, and with the likes of Sheryl Crow and Matchbox Twenty leading the charge, radio soon acquiesced to a pleasant, MOR pop-rock sound.
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