Otis Blue

I can hear why this was praised at the time — the production was clearly ahead of the curve, and there are a few genuinely innovative moments. But stripped of its historical context, this is a pretty uneven listening experience. The first third is strong, the middle is forgettable, and the back end is a slog. I don't think this is bad by any means, but I do think its reputation has outpaced its actual quality. There are better albums in this genre that get a fraction of the attention. Worth hearing once for context, but I won't be coming back to it.

Pretentious and meandering. Style over substance.

There are about six really good songs here buried in an album that's twelve tracks too long. The edit would be excellent but as presented, it's a patience-testing listen that rewards skipping around.