Board 8 > Rank the Tracks 136: Sade - Love Deluxe (+ Sufjan Stevens/Jessie Ware results)

(+) Yeah! (+)

darkx's week:
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open
vs.
The Cars - The Cars
vs.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold as Love

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_2
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_3

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points. For albums with greater than 15 tracks, everything ranked below #15 will be given 0 points and the scale for the top 15 will be the same as a 15-track album. For albums with more than 20 tracks, you only have to list your top 15 (with 16-20, I still like having the average rank listed)
4. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
5. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
6. The deadline to vote is Sunday, October 15th at 4:00 PM Central Time; the future week poll will close earlier, when I am putting up the next topic
7. You can sign up to be added to the user cycle (a new user will be added to the end of the current cycle as long as there are four weeks remaining) - the next person on the list will choose 3 albums which the other users will vote on for the next topic.
7a. To ensure people are being given an actual choice, the three nominated albums must be by different artists. You can otherwise stick to a similar sound or era.
7b. The tiebreaker for these polls will be whichever is listed first in the poll options - make sure to deliver the results in order of your own preference (which will hopefully have the added benefit of influencing people toward your first choice if they can't decide).
7c. I have added a tiered vote structure - the least popular album will be removed and its backup votes distributed to the other two entrants.
8. Starting with the next cycle, every four weeks will be a competitive week where those listed choose a single album to face off against others.
9. Skits and tracks under 40 seconds will be excluded from the rankings unless argued otherwise

Sade - Love Deluxe track list:
1. No Ordinary Love
2. Feel No Pain
3. I Couldn't Love You More
4. Like a Tattoo
5. Kiss of Life
6. Cherish the Day
7. Pearls
8. Bullet Proof Soul
9. Mermaid

Current cycle:
10/15: Giggsalot (FKA twigs - Magdalene)
10/22: RyoCaliente (Arcade Fire - The Suburbs)
10/29: darkx
11/5: Steiner/Giggsalot/jcgamer107
11/12: neonreaper
11/19: Great_Paul
11/26: jcgamer107
12/3: Snake5555555555/RyoCaliente/BlueCrystalTear
12/10: ChichiriMuyo
12/17: BlueCrystalTear
12/24: rwlh
12/31: NFUN/Fluttershy_Pony/ChichiriMuyo
1/7: NFUN
1/14: StifledSilence
1/21: MaxGalactica
1/28: ZaziGuado/HBJDubs
2/4: Sheep007

Future Cycle:
2/11: HBJDubs
2/18: Fluttershy_Pony
2/25: Steiner
3/3: competitive week
3/10: Snake5555555555
3/17: ZaziGuado
3/24: firefdr
3/31: competitive week
4/7: Johnbobb
4/14: FoolFantastic
4/21: Seanchan
4/28: competitive week

The Cars - The Cars > The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold as Love > Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open

Jiminy > Cars > Tom Petty

The Cars - The Cars > Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open > The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold as Love

Yay Love Deluxe! I will make sure to rank this one.

Bump.

I should get to this later in the week.

The Cars - The Cars > The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold as Love > Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open

Sufjan Stevens - Illinois results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
FoolFantastic (18)
Sheep007 (32)
Seanchan (38)
Johnbobb (44)
Fluttershy_Pony (46)
MaxGalactica (58)
HBJDubs (74)

General Album Comments

FoolFantastic: Sufjan Stevens Illinois is the most authentically Christian work of popular music I have encountered. Which is not to say this is worship music; far from it. Illinois is a journey from the discovery of god through the realization of ones sins to the pursuit of salvation, only for one to then question their faith after a series of tragic losses and revelations as it heads steadily toward rapture. Of course, Sufjan is much more subtle than that; Illinois wraps all his religious ponderings into a detailed survey of the Land of Lincoln. In doing so, he crafted an album that works solidly on two layers, one tracking his personal experiences as a Christian and another going above and beyond in tackling its surface level concept; there is a track about my hometown making references even I did not know. Sonically and thematically, its among the most ambitious albums ever recorded. To actually explore what it means to be Christian, doubts and all, puts this far beyond the level of typical religious music. He is not trying to convert anyone but simply exploring how his beliefs have shaped his life, somehow making an album that likely appeals more to outsiders than those who would never dare question their faith (there is a reason Sufjan has a large LGBTQ fanbase).

Seanchan: Wasn't anything that was super grabbing me but seemed like one that's going to take more listens for me to get a better sense of. Definitely want to pull up the lyrics on my next listen, as, based on Fool's info, it seems like the type of album that requires more "close" listening. A track early on (not sure which) and then Chicago kind of stuck out in my mind a bit. Also got a capital M Musical sense to the whole thing at points.

Fluttershy_Pony: This might be the album I most dreaded covering. I tried listening to it once years ago during one of my music projects and honestly couldn't make it all the way through the album. It's not that I don't like Sufjan Stevens, but his work is a bit... exhausting. There's so much to analyze in his music, lyrically and emotionally, that they tend to demand a high amount of focus & a long period of quiet reflection afterwards. I feel that after I've experienced one of his songs in full that it'll be a few months before I'm ready to tackle another one. Last time I tried this album, I got completely burned out after a couple songs and gave up.

I've done my best to listen to it this time. I've listened to each song five times and made at least a cursory glance at Genius to see what people were saying about the music. And yet, I still feel rather hollow. There's just so much here that, mentally and emotionally, I can't fully process everything. I feel like properly ranking and processing this album would be a year long endeavor & rushing through it in a week is doing a disservice. I've *listened* to the music repeatedly, but I can't say that I've properly experienced it.

Though I'm being far too negative, I should clarify that these are personal problems and not a critique of the album (or the nomination itself). The music itself is fantastic, powerful, unlike anything else we've covered, and I get why it's so popular. It's just... more than I can deal with in any reasonable timeframe, leaving me to rank rather surface level impressions of the music.

HBJDubs: Home state represent (Decatur not welcome)

Sheep007: I'm very far from the intended audience, I think. Casimir Pulaski Day, Chicago and The Predatory Wasp all impressed me individually, although I can't say I entirely "got" them. I respect the music and it's not a bad album in the slightest, just not really for me.

MaxGalactica: The pinnacle of the singer-songwriter genre. This is likely because Sufjan doesn't stop at just storytelling in this album, he also puts a huge focus on the instrumentals. Every song is so carefully crafted, it's impossible to take it all in in a single listen. The folk and minimalist influences are strongly felt throughout, yet there's a simultaneous sense of grandeur. Every song is essential to this album, including the short interludes, and there's not a single song on here that I dislike, which is pretty rare. Fantastic album, I'm glad we were able to cover it here.

Illinois track ranking

16. To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region (Track #11)
Score: 20 (Average Rank: 13.14/16)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs, MaxGalactica (#9)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic, Johnbobb (#16)

FoolFantastic: A pretty interlude, but not much else.

15. The Black Hawk War (Track #2)
Score: 21 (Average Rank: 13/16)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#8)
Biggest Detractor(s): MaxGalactica, Seanchan (#16)

FoolFantastic: One of the longer intermediary tracks and a great one-two punch with the opener; this is where the albums builds into its grandiose style. Doubtful to be among anyone's favorite tracks, but absolutely vital in the flow of the album.

14. Prairie Fire That Wanders About (Track #13)
Score: 26 (Average Rank: 12.29/16)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#15)

FoolFantastic: Essentially an interlude track, but the construction is interesting. Instead of being instrumental, it pairs two choruses against one another. Like a haunted Christmas carol.

13. Out of Egypt (Track #22)
Score: 28 (Average Rank: 12/16)
Biggest Fan(s): MaxGalactica (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): Fluttershy_Pony (#16)

FoolFantastic: The final two tracks feel like a coda to the album as a whole. Not much on their own, but they instill a final sense of hope despite everything that happens in the back half.

MaxGalactica: The most clearly Reichian piece. One of those pieces you can close your eyes to and feel while reflecting on the album you've just experienced. Perfect closer.

12. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts (Track #12)
Score: 42 (Average Rank: 10/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): Sheep007 (#15)

FoolFantastic: Is this song about Superman, Jesus, a gay lover, or all three? This is the magic of Sufjan, baby. To me, the weakest full track on the album; with the electric guitar, its the most rock-styled track, and I think that is one of his rare weak points.

MaxGalactica: Very tonally different from the rest of the album with the e-guitar focus, but I quite like it. The strong main motif and the backing vocals contribute a lot to that for me.

11. The Seer's Tower (Track #19)
Score: 43 (Average Rank: 10.14/16)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Sheep007 (#16)

FoolFantastic: The quietest song on the album, and the apparent despair side to the hope of Chicago. Haunting, though not as powerful as other tracks (perhaps because it is the most explicitly religious).

MaxGalactica: Somber and poignant.

10. The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders (Track #20)
Score: 50 (Average Rank: 8.86/16)
Biggest Fan(s): MaxGalactica (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#14)

FoolFantastic: In several ways feels like a mirror of Come On! Feel the Illinoise! The big epic to close out the album (and, in reverse from the beginning, followed by two comparatively simple pieces).

MaxGalactica: The response to Come On! Feel the Illinoise!, but it's far more dissonant. Gorgeous piece.

9. Decatur (Track #7)
Score: 53 (Average Rank: 9/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Fluttershy_Pony (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#16)

FoolFantastic: A song about my hometown. Its a little difficult to suspend my belief enough to think anyone would have a big revelation while visiting that shithole, but you do you, Sufjan. Even if I think this is one of the lesser tracks, the rhyme scheme blows me away. And, as I said, the amount of detail he manages to squeeze in while committing to that pattern is jaw-dropping. Cant believe he goes out of his way to diss Krekels, the local ice cream shop (Chickenmobile with your rooster tail/I had my fill and I know how bad it feels).

Fluttershy_Pony: Perhaps the song that best illustrates my point, as I have a very strong reaction to it which I need more time to reflect on. On a surface level, I find this to be probably the catchiest song on the album. Lyrically, I can barely even start to get all of the references to Decatur, but it seems impressively detailed. Emotionally, this song is stirring up some very strong flashbacks and feelings about my own mother--while the song is about a stepmother and our circumstances are not remotely similar, I feel a very strong resonance here and I need a lot more time to come to terms with how I feel. Which is great, but it limits my ability to focus on any of the other tracks. It's a 10/10 song that I needed to hear, but it takes basically all of my mental energy and I have nothing left for the rest of the album.

8. They Are Night Zombies!! (Track #16)
Score: 53 (Average Rank: 8.43/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): Fluttershy_Pony (#13)

FoolFantastic: Dont have much to say on the thematic level, but this song is straight up cool. The perfect lead into the apocalyptic section of the album. Cheerleader chants over exclusively minor chords. Sufjan Stevens has recorded like a dozen Christmas albums at this point, but I bet he could make an excellent Halloween album too.

Fluttershy_Pony: I typically dislike songs with lyrics that spell out words and this track is no exception. While I do like the verses, the choir gets the song off on the wrong foot and it never fully recovers for me.

7. Jacksonville (Track #5)
Score: 54 (Average Rank: 8.29/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): MaxGalactica (#12)

FoolFantastic: But fear not, worshipper, for you can be forgiven for your sins! On a purely literal level, the juxtaposition between a serial killer song and one about the Underground Railroad seems thin, but it comes with a sense of relief on the symbolic level; there is goodness in this world, too. This is also great in how Sufjan captures the good side of a small town; not just an Underground Railroad stop but also a town with schools for the deaf and blind.

6. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois (Track #1)
Score: 55 (Average Rank: 8.29/16)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb, MaxGalactica (#13)

FoolFantastic: A perfect opener in the sense of how little it prepares you for what follows. A quiet piano piece pondering the sky with little touches of flute. Sufjan is great at these short, intimate pieces, and also a great example where he is most likely but not directly talking about God. Also, the time signature here is absolutely wild.

5. Come On! Feel the Illinoise! (Track #3)
Score: 72 (Average Rank: 6.29/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#13)

FoolFantastic: One of Sufjan's epics, weaving from ecstatic wonder through a Cure-inspired middle section to the questioning of his own purpose as an artist. It's rare to get popular music this intricately designed.

MaxGalactica: Love the Cure reference in this one. The first epic of the album, and it does a great job establishing what kind of album this will be.

4. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. (Track #4)
Score: 78 (Average Rank: 5.29/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): MaxGalactica (#10)

FoolFantastic: A perfect example of folk music as storytelling. Just an absolutely devastating song about the serial killer; that middle section has brought me to tears numerous times. In my experience, most works about serial killers tend to accidentally mythologize them, but this reaches its peak by instead focusing on the tragedy of the boys who were lost. Seems the least personal track on the album until the last few lines, where it evolves into a key piece of the religious journey. How does someone cope with the belief that all sins are equal? That a single impure thought puts you on this level? Sufjan captures such an unbearable sense of despair.

3. Casimir Pulaski Day (Track #10)
Score: 87 (Average Rank: 5/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Sheep007 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb, HBJDubs (#11)

FoolFantastic: One of the most devastating songs ever written. All the joy of the last few tracks is immediately shattered as a childhood friend develops cancer. This mix of sadness and quiet anger always hits me, to the point that I am once again crying despite hearing this song a hundred times before. The growing sense of love and hopelessness, the prayers that do nothing, the questioning of a god who lets all this senseless misery happen. This is where Sufjan goes beyond a mere Christian artist. And that trumpet that comes in halfway through

MaxGalactica: Tragic composition both lyrically and instrumentally. I normally don't like banjo all that much, but Sufjan uses it in such a subtle, yet prominent way that it just works for this song. And the trumpet solo is gorgeous.

2. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades (Track #15)
Score: 92 (Average Rank: 4/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#10)

FoolFantastic: There are a shocking four songs on this album that have made me cry at some point; I think there may be a couple dozen total, so that says a lot about the power this album has over me. This at least falls more on the Chicago side than the Gacy/Casimir Pulaski Day side. Perhaps Sufjans most explicitly queer song, and one that hits the perfect mix of love and shame that defines most queer peoples first crushes. This is as bittersweet as they come, as Sufjan lovingly reflects on a friend who is no longer part of his life.

MaxGalactica: Strong Steve Reich minimalist influences in this one, particularly in the woodwinds. The interplay between the lead and backing vocals in polyphonic form in the outro is one of my favorite moments of the album.

1. Chicago (Track #9)
Score: 115 (Average Rank: 2/16)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic, HBJDubs, MaxGalactica (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Fluttershy_Pony (#4)

FoolFantastic: The purest moment of hope on this album. The big hit for obvious reasons, and also the one where a more traditionally Christian album would likely stop. The album as a whole creates this sense of enormity and this is the peak. The instrumentation creates this constant sense of forward motion while also seemingly floating above it all. So much is happening, yet it all perfectly congeals.

MaxGalactica: Honestly one of the most beautiful songs I've heard. The entire song is essentially a ton of variations of two short musical phrases for 6 minutes, which may sound like it would get repetitive after a while, but Sufjan does so much with it to keep it feeling fresh. Instrumentally, there's so much going on it's hard to explain it and keep it brief. The vibraphones, the strings, the backing choir-like vocals, the horns, the tambourine, the underlying bass, everything is crafted together perfectly. Hard to pinpoint an individual favorite moment of this, but I'd probably point to 3:58 when everything comes together leading to the trumpet section afterwards. This song is the purest form of euphoria, and I'm glad Sufjan crafted it.

A couple post-Illinois thoughts considering Sufjan has had a busy couple weeks.

I alluded to a few of the tracks on Illinois probably being queer, which has now been confirmed by Sufjan publicly coming out. Unfortunately, he did so to dedicate his new album Javelin to his partner, who died earlier this year.

It feels odd to admit to anticipating a famous person coming out. My assumption had been that he simply felt no need; like, just look at his lyrics. Does someone need to "come out" when they have released songs about gay romances? Not to mention contributing two songs to the Call Me By Your Name soundtrack. But "The Predatory Wasp" was a very important comfort during my own coming out, yet there was always that sense of self-consciousness, that I truly was reading too deeply into it. I feel validated, but there's an emptiness to it all considering the circumstances...

Like, can this man get a break? The Age of Adz was written after a severe health crisis. Carrie & Lowell was written in response to the death of his schizophrenic mother who abandoned him at a young age. Now this (alongside a recent Guillain-Barr syndrome diagnosis). It's difficult to tell if the songs are a response; they certainly read eerily close to someone mourning the end of a relationship.

Javelin itself is looking to be my runaway album of the year (right after Mitski had jumped ahead of the pack). It's probably only his third best album, which is still good enough to probably land in my all-time top 50. It's one of those rare albums where it feels like an explorative artist returning to familiar territory, but instead of feeling like someone running out of ideas, it acts like a synthesis of all his disparate strengths. It also feels more approachable than his other albums; less dense than Illinois and his electronic epics and less despairing than Carrie & Lowell. I could also see "Will Anybody Ever Love Me?" ending up as my favorite song of the year.

The Cars > Into the Great Wide Open > Axis: Bold as Love

I can attest to Javelin being incredible.

Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good! results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
MaxGalactica (10)
FoolFantastic (12)
hotdogturtle (12)
Seanchan (18)
Sheep007 (18)
HBJDubs (22)
Johnbobb (28)
ChichiriMuyo (30)
Fluttershy_Pony (34)

General Album Comments

FoolFantastic: This is a nice bit of relief after two emotional epics. The two most recent Jessie Ware albums are among the greatest pop records ever and make a perfect pair. What's Your Pleasure? is the chill to That! Feels Good!'s all-night party energy. Both feel like pretty much nothing but hits. I do slightly prefer WYP (the songs there cover more ground), but That! Feels Good! helps solidify Ware as possible the greatest disco artist, several decades after the genre supposedly died. And, despite feeling like an extension of her previous album, TFG also feels like the beginning of a new phase of her career; from the beginning, no matter the genre, Ware has been defined by a downtempo, sophisticated sound. That! Feels Good! shows she can also party with the best of them.

ChichiriMuyo: On my first listen through, and I know I'm going to be listening to this album a good deal this week. Not surprised, though, since I love her previous album. Jessie Ware takes genres that are often derided and elevates them to a level that I suspect the naysayers would have a hard time speaking ill of.

FoolFantastic: I've had Shake the Bottle stuck in my head all morning. Even the weakest song here is extremely catchy; there are just a few elements that don't work for me in that one.

Seanchan: Being my nomination, I think this album is great. While What's Your Pleasure took me a while to warm up to the whole album, That! Feels Good! was immediate fire. But that's only natural given the general difference in sound between the two albums.

MaxGalactica: Great follow-up to What's Your Pleasure? Although not as strong as its predecessor, it's still extremely competent. Jessie Ware has carried out about as good of a modernized disco pop revival as you can get. The top 5 songs on my ranking are the big highlights for me (Freak Me Now, Begin Again, Free Yourself, These Lips, and Beautiful People). Great album, and I'm glad Jessie is getting her opportunity to shine after several failed attempts.

Seanchan: Not a bad song on the album, though I'll say the start and end are not as strong as the middle, which is just banger and banger. Well, okay, Hello Love isn't a "banger" in that sense but I really enjoy that song. Jessie has such a wonderful voice and I like that she's able to sing her butt off in her breathy, sultry kind of style and then pivot to bringing the big disco infused pop hits.

After listening to this I had to go back to What's Your Pleasure again and I'm kind of still undecided which one I like more. I feel like That! Feels Good! is an "easier" album to listen to and to sell someone on Jessie. On the other side, there's no song here I'd put above Spotlight and then I'd really have to think about it for songs like What's Your Pleasure, Adore You, Mirage, and The Kill. Of course, I know myself and I always tend to err on the side of the big, more upbeat songs, so yeah, who knows.

I also listened to Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia again, as I tried to place That! Feels Good! within my larger list of album rankings. That feels like more of a pure pop album than either of Jessie's 2 albums I've talked about. Still great, though much like That! Feels Good! it's the super strong middle that carries the album. I was also trying to reconcile why that album is SO high up in my rankings. I did end up moving it down a bit, because I felt like all 3 of these mentioned albums are inexorably tied together in my mind.

But yeah, much like Max, I'm glad we FINALLY got to give Jessie her due. And I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but go back and listen to What's Your Pleasure too!

Sheep007: Jessie Ware's sound in this album is so upbeat and fun. I'm a bit meh on the lyrics through most of the songs, but I think that's because it's an album that mostly covers sex via innuendos or metaphors that I find kinda bland or grating. Not a huge deal, she's got a great voice and it's a good enough vibe that they can take a backseat.

hotdogturtle: Echoing what several people have said but this sounds like an authentic attempt at making a "disco" album in a way that people don't do anymore. A lot of times people start making disco-inspired albums but don't fully commit to it so it ends up sounding like a cheap imitation. This album could probably pass for being a few decades old if you played it for someone who didn't know.

HBJDubs: I'd definitely be bumpin' to this album if it was played at a club

ChichiriMuyo: This is a very good album. I still like What's Your Pleasure? more, but this is a clear sign that she is evolving as an artist. I'm also of the opinion that some of the lyrics are subpar, but the beats themselves sound even more refined.

That! Feels Good! track ranking

10. Shake the Bottle (Track #8)
Score: 26 (Average Rank: 8.33/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic, Fluttershy_Pony, MaxGalactica, Seanchan, Sheep007 (#10)

9. Lightning (Track #9)
Score: 40 (Average Rank: 6.78/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Fluttershy_Pony (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): hotdogturtle (#10)

8. Hello Love (Track #4)
Score: 42 (Average Rank: 6.56/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Fluttershy_Pony, Seanchan (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#10)

7. These Lips (Track #10)
Score: 45 (Average Rank: 6.11/10)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#10)

6. That! Feels Good! (Track #1)
Score: 47 (Average Rank: 6.22/10)
Biggest Fan(s): ChichiriMuyo (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic, Sheep007 (#9)

hotdogturtle: Not a fan of all the extra speaking voices. Just let me listen to the singer please. I do like the SOUND of the song but not the contents of the song, including the lyrics. It is a good start to the album though because it sets the mood (with the help of the backing instrumentals) and gives a clear idea of what you're about to listen to.

5. Beautiful People (Track #6)
Score: 54 (Average Rank: 5.44/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Sheep007, hotdogturtle (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Fluttershy_Pony (#9)

4. Pearls (Track #3)
Score: 61 (Average Rank: 5/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Fluttershy_Pony (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChichiriMuyo (#10)

3. Freak Me Now (Track #7)
Score: 66 (Average Rank: 4.56/10)
Biggest Fan(s): MaxGalactica (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Sheep007 (#8)

2. Free Yourself (Track #2)
Score: 87 (Average Rank: 3.11/10)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic, hotdogturtle, HBJDubs (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#7)

1. Begin Again (Track #5)
Score: 90 (Average Rank: 2.89/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan, Sheep007, Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Fluttershy_Pony (#8)

1: Mermaid
2: Kiss of Life
3: No Ordinary Love
4: Like a Tattoo
5: I Couldn't Love You More
6: Bullet Proof Soul
7: Cherish the Day
8: Feel No Pain
9: Pearls

Into the Great Wide Open > The Cars > Axis: Bold as Love

1. Feel No Pain
2. Kiss of Life
3. No Ordinary Love
4. Bullet Proof Soul
5. Like a Tattoo
6. Cherish the Day
7. I Couldn't Love You More
8. Pearls
9. Mermaid

I generally enjoyed this album, despite the fact that its not a particularly "exciting" album for me. With that said, I feel like this is one that's going to quickly fade from my memory and will end up being one of those "oh yeah, this one" albums come the next Rank the Albums.

And for the vote:
Tom Petty > Cars > Jimi

I have no idea if that's the "iconic" Tom Petty album but I know I'm not excited to cover more Hendrix.

Oh yeah! This album is an all-timer for me. I love every song. If this was nominated for my album ranking, it probably would have won (or at least gotten top 5).

1. Mermaid
2. Kiss of Life
3. Bullet Proof Soul
4. Feel No Pain
5. Cherish the Day
6. Pearls
7. No Ordinary Love
8. I Couldnt Love You More
9. Like a Tattoo

Also, not sure if I need to stipulate this every time, but you can go ahead and add me back in the signup queue. I'm on there for a solo poll but you can add me for a three-way too. Thanks!

Mermaid
Cherish The Day
No Ordinary Love
Pearls
Kiss Of Life
Bullet Proof Soul
Like A Tattoo
I Couldn't Love You More
Feel No Pain

Very nice and soothing album

1) I Couldnt Love You More
2) Cherish the Day
3) Feel No Pain
4) No Ordinary Love
5) Mermaid
6) Kiss of Life
7) Bullet Proof Soul
8) Like A Tattoo
9) Pearls I dont feel like this deserves to be bottom, but its a different vibe to the rest of the album that I dont enjoy quite so much in this context.

1. Like a Tattoo
2. Mermaid
3. Kiss of Life
4. No Ordinary Love
5. Feel No Pain
6. Bullet Proof Soul
7. Pearls
8. I Couldn't Love You More
9. Cherish the Day

Great album. A bit hard to rate as everything is nearly the same level for me, except my top 2 and bottom 1 are pretty clear. Very relaxing, well-produced, smooth album and Sade's vocals are bliss.

Rankings look all over the place! Very interesting.

Still need to calculate this ugh sorry

bump