#473: Barrio Fino, Daddy Yankee Mr. Despacito himself. (No shade to Luis Fonsi.) That song came out the year I graduated college, so it was a time in my life that I actually went out clubbing. Every time I hear it I flashback to the smell of cheap beer and…

#472: Ctrl, SZA Firstly, that album cover is everything. I, too, want to lay down in a grassy field that doubles as a computer graveyard. This studio debut was released in 2017, and it quickly became the second longest-charting R&B album by a female artist. (After Rihanna’s Anti, no less…

#471: Surrealistic Pillow, Jefferson Airplane Everything I learned about this album more insane than the last thing I learned. Makes sense, from a San Fran band. This wasn’t their first album, but it was the first with their most famous lineup. They replaced their original drummer with Spencer Dryden (who…

#470: 400 Degreez, Juvenile Not to brag, but I could tell that Juvenile was from the South as soon as the album started. Outkast has taught me well. (Unrelated, but has anyone else listened to Andre 3000’s ambient flute album?!) Anyway, Juvenile is a New Orleans’ native who got picked…

#469: Clandestino, Manu Chao Manu Chao might be the punkest musician on RS’s list. He was born in Paris, after his parents defected from Spain. He also started out his career as a street busker, and — fun fact — will still busk to this day, which is kind of…

#468: Some Girls, The Rolling Stones I’ll miss the Rolling Stones, but they’ll never really leave us. In fact, they released another freaking album since we saw them last, Hackney Diamonds. I haven’t listened to it, but it’s weirdly comforting to me that it exists at all. There are only…

#467: BLACKsummers’night, Maxwell Firstly, I feel compelled to point out that Maxwell’s real name is Gerald Rivera, which is just one letter away from Geraldo Rivera. But this is not, in fact, Geraldo Rivera. Maxwell propelled the Nineties neo-soul craze (see D’Angelo and Erykah Badu), and this record was released…

#466: The Beach Boys Today!, The Beach Boys This was the Beach Boys’ first huge hit record, following on the heels of “I Get Around.” But they were going for something different and tried to abandon car and surfing songs. I love RS’s quote from chief songwriter Brian Wilson: “I…

#465: The Best of the Classic Years, King Sunny Adé I’ve done a lot of complaining about compilation albums, but I took no issue with this one. Maybe because it was all completely new to me. …