Perhaps Licensed to Ill was inevitable -- a white group blending rock and rap, giving them the first number one album in hip-hop history. But that reading of the album's history gives short shrift to the Beastie Boys; producer Rick Rubin, and his label, Def Jam, and this remarkable record, since mixing metal and hip-hop isn't necessarily an easy thing to do. Just sampling and scratching Sabbath and Zeppelin to hip-hop beats does not make for an automatically good record, though there is a visceral thrill to hearing those muscular riffs put into overdrive with scratching. But, much of that is due to the producing skills of Rick Rubin, a metalhead who formed Def Jam Records with Russell Simmons and had previously flirted with this sound on Run-D.M.C.'s Raising Hell, not to mention a few singles and one-offs with the Beasties prior to this record. He made rap rock, but to give him lone credit for Licensed to Ill (as some have) is misleading, since that very same combination would not have been as powerful, nor would it have aged so well -- aged into a rock classic -- if it weren't for the Beastie Boys, who fuel this record through their passion for subcultures, pop culture, jokes, and the intoxicating power of wordplay. At the time, it wasn't immediately apparent that their obnoxious patter was part of a persona (a fate that would later plague Eminem), but the years have clarified that this was a joke -- although, listening to the cajoling rhymes, filled with clear parodies and absurdities, it's hard to imagine the offense that some took at the time. Which, naturally, is the credit of not just the music -- they don't call it the devil's music for nothing -- but the wild imagination of the Beasties, whose rhymes sear into consciousness through their gonzo humor and gleeful delivery. There hasn't been a funnier, more infectious record in pop music than this, and it's not because the group is mocking rappers (in all honesty, the truly twisted barbs are hurled at frat boys and lager lads), but because they've already created their own universe and points of reference, where it's as funny to spit out absurdist rhymes and pound out "Fight for Your Right (To Party)" as it is to send up street corner doo wop with "Girls." Then, there is the overpowering loudness of the record -- operating from the axis of where metal, punk, and rap meet, there never has been a record this heavy and nimble, drunk on its own power yet giddy with what they're getting away with. There is a sense of genuine discovery, of creating new music, that remains years later, after countless plays, countless misinterpretations, countless rip-off acts, even countless apologies from the Beasties, who seemed guilty by how intoxicating the sound of it is, how it makes beer-soaked hedonism sound like the apogee of human experience. And maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but in either case, Licensed to Ill reigns tall among the greatest records of its time.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Biopic The Dirt tells the story of Mötley Crüe's wild ride through their time as one of the most popular and most debaucherous bands of the metal years. During a blistering run that lasted the entirety of the '80s, the L.A. band sold millions of records, toured the world, and challenged death constantly with reckless behavior, substance abuse, and the kind of mayhem that sometimes seems like it only existed in the time when hair metal reigned. Some of these misadventures were collected in the 2001 book The Dirt, and the 2019 film adaptation of the book further dramatizes some of the group's already unbelievable antics, as well as getting into the music that made it all happen. The soundtrack to the film is made up entirely of music by Mötley Crüe, but in addition to 14 selections from their early catalog, they recorded four entirely new tracks in 2018 especially for inclusion in the film. Rapper Machine Gun Kelly (who plays the role of drummer Tommy Lee in the film) features on the song "The Dirt (Est. 1981)," dropping a rapped coda about tattoos, girls, cars, and the rock & roll lifestyle into the song's pop-metal framework. Huge, hooky choruses were part of the Crüe's formula for success in the '80s, and they don't shy away from that formula here, either. In addition to two other new songs, "Crash and Burn" and "Ride with the Devil," the band offer an unlikely cover in the form of Madonna's 1984 smash hit "Like a Virgin." Die-hard metalheads might scoff at the idea of a band synonymous with '80s metal decadence taking a stab at one of the decade's most commercial artists, but 35 years later the context of the song (and of all the musicians in the equation, for that matter) has shifted to the point where the cover can be taken at face value. It's a revved-up version of an undeniably catchy song, delivered with an extra dose of menace and possibly a self-aware smirk at how ridiculous it is. The Dirt soundtrack pairs the nostalgia of well-loved favorites ("Home Sweet Home," "Kickstart My Heart," "Shout at the Devil") with the reinvigorated excitement of the raw newer songs for a collection that feels more like a companion to the film than a greatest-hits repackaging.© Fred Thomas /TiVo

Dirty Loops' full-length debut album, 2014's Loopified, showcases the Swedish trio's ambitious jazz, prog rock, R&B, and electronic dance-inflected pop music. Formed in 2008, Dirty Loops feature the talents of vocalist/keyboardist Jonah Nilsson, bassist Henrik Linder, and drummer Aaron Mellergårdh. All three members studied jazz and classical music in college and spent several years working as session musicians before forming Dirty Loops as an outlet to express their own eclectic, far-reaching musical vision. Working with manager/producer Andreas Carlsson (as well as executive producer David Foster), the group has put together an album that's one part jazz fusion trio, one part electronic dance outfit, and one part contemporary pop act. Impressively, it also ends up being much more than the sum of its parts. Dirty Loops certainly have chops to spare and layer each track with enough jazz-informed chord progressions, arpeggiated six-string basslines, frenetic drum fills, and melismatic vocal breakdowns to fill any number of Stevie Wonder albums (to name-drop an obvious influence). Thankfully, they also don't forget to bring the pop melody, and cuts like the leadoff "Hit Me," the energetic club anthem "Sexy Girls," and the buoyant "Take on the World" grab you with immediately infectious hooks built largely around Nilsson's highly resonant, charismatic croon. In reality, the tracks on Loopified aren't really all that dissimilar to any number of modern pop hits from Justin Timberlake or Bruno Mars. The difference is primarily in Dirty Loops' high level of technical skill and jazz-infused progressions that lend a deeper harmonic nuance and maturity to their songs, even when they are singing about "sexy girls in the club." Ironically, besides a few cheeky lyrical asides, there's not too much that's very dirty or even musically messy about Dirty Loops here. On the contrary, Loopified is an innovative, pure musical vision of jazzy, infectious, crystalline-produced, club-ready pop.© Matt Collar /TiVo

During the short time since her last album, 2013's Stars Dance, and the release of Revival in 2015, Selena Gomez went through about a decade's worth of stuff. A label change (from Hollywood to Interscope), a very public breakup with longtime on-off boyfriend Justin Bieber, management issues, various rehab rumors, and even a few good things (a hit single, a charting collaboration with Zedd). Revival is something of a fresh start for Gomez, both musically and personally. Taking more control over the album, with more writing credits and production oversight, the sound veers away from the bubblegum nature of her early work or the genre-hopping aspects of other releases. Instead, the album sticks pretty close to a club bangers-and-ballads mix with a couple of R&B-inspired jams thrown in. Gomez sounds most at home on the uptempo dance tracks like "Kill 'Em with Kindness" or "Me & the Rhythm," where the smoothness of her voice fits in with the vacant abandon of the beat. She also does a fine job on the tracks that slip outside the bounds of the formula, namely on the snappy, sassy Charli XCX-written "Same Old Love" or the steamy, tricked-out Latin beats and weird synthesizers in "Body Heat." These tracks show at her best, dialing up her personality to match the wit and imagination shown in the arrangements. The songs that don't fare as well are those where Gomez sounds most personal. She aims for several kinds of maturity here, but in the process the music suffers. Whether on the confessional piano ballad "Camouflage," the bruising "Sober" or the cartoonishly sexy "Good for You," it feels forced and overdone. Despite a few too many songs like this, there is still much to like about the album. There are some songs as good as anything she's done and the production is professional all the way thanks to heavy hitters like Stargate, Max Martin, and Hit Boy. It makes for a solid pop album overall, but it's a little too formulaic and predictable to rate among her best work.© Tim Sendra /TiVo

In the two years since her debut was released, beabadoobee has gone from her teen years to her twenties and grown tremendously—effortlessly transferring her lo-fi bedroom pop to a much bigger sound that's still tingling with life. "Talk" is full of '90s jubilance, pumped up with booming bass and a fuzzed-out chorus. She has said she wrote the song about going out on Tuesday nights: "not too much chaos but just enough to have a good time." But it's also about exploring boundaries as you get older—and, in her case, more famous. "Generally, it’s about doing things that aren’t necessarily healthy or great for you, but you can’t help indulging." See also: "See you Soon," which beabadoobee has said "is meant to make you feel like you’re tripping on shrooms." The guitars on "10:36" explode at the bridge in a fit of sunshine, and it's thrilling after hearing the potential on her first record. beabadoobee also gets more experimental with genres, playing around with café pop and bossa nova on "the perfect pair," which expands during the last minute to become one of her most fully rounded songs yet. Free-floating "Beatopia Cultsong" has jug-band lazy-river vibes, the vocals gaining layers with each line before fading out. "Ripples" employs gentle strings and a McCartney-esque melody, the ambience so intimate you can hear fingers sliding on acoustic guitar strings. There are, as expected, moments of shoegaze goodness, on "Don't get the deal" and pretty "Pictures of Us"—which flips the script by keeping the music clear-headed and washing her vocals in a big blur. With its moments of thumping drums, naif melody and spacey background vocals, "fairy song" could easily be recast as a Flaming Lips track. "Lovesong" flutters with butterfly lightness, "tinkerbell is overrated" is especially energetic and catchy folk pop, and "You're here that's the thing" is a cute little retro ditty, à la Lily Allen, that will no doubt be a live fan favorite (singalong-ready lyrics: "When the lights go down/ don't say I didn't warn you/ I don't think that's legal/ in the state of California"). And while she still fits perfectly alongside peers including Clairo, Jay Som and Snail Mail, like them beabadoobee has expanded her worldview, even adding a neo-soul sheen to the folky pop of "Sunny day." © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Only a Lad introduced the world to a man who would later become one of its most recognizable popular composers. Danny Elfman, later to write the score for The Simpsons as well as countless movie soundtracks, formed Oingo Boingo in 1977, but it wasn't until Only a Lad's 1981 release that they achieved national recognition. Only a Lad contains obvious new wave elements, but it doesn't stick to any one style long, undulating over a vast musical terrain. Ska, new wave, classical, heavy metal -- they all make at least cameo appearances. The band's musicianship, even at this relatively early stage, far exceeds most of their peers, and Elfman's deft songwriting ability offers a clear glimpse of what was to come. Elfman's voice fits perfectly within an '80s context, but otherwise, the album sounds far ahead of its time. As such, it should come as no surprise the album had more influence on musicians and artists than on the charts. It's probably a good thing that this particular Oingo Boingo collection never reached too high a level of prominence, though, because the lyrical content of Only a Lad could have landed them in serious hot water. Although never vulgar, the album brazenly shuffles through taboos without compunction, writing from a pedophile's point of view in "Little Girls," not-so-clandestinely discussing masturbation in "Nasty Habits," and generally adopting a socially whimsical and irreverent attitude. The lone track not written by Elfman is a stellar tribute to the Kinks' classic cut "You Really Got Me." Later cited as an influence by such diverse bands as Nirvana, Mr. Bungle, and Fishbone, this album stands up well to the test of multiple listens and would make a worthwhile addition to any album collection.© Kieran McCarthy /TiVo

At this point of his career, the word "prolific" is attached to Gucci Mane almost as often as "Atlanta" and "trap." So it's a surprise that it took two years and a whole lot of soul-searching for the prolific Atlanta trap godfather to complete his official 16th full-length, Breath of Fresh Air. Unlike past albums, this one is notable for being one of Gucci's more "positive" LPs, an intentional pivot that came as a result of the numerous high-profile deaths and imprisonments of his close friends and mentees. Indeed, the album lives up to the title and is one of his most accessible and enjoyable sets to date, packed with nostalgic samples, refreshing production, and his ever-reliably quotable bars. While the wanton violence and anger has been toned down slightly, the sober family man hasn't been declawed by any means. The beats hit hard, the sex is still explicit, and his guests more than make up for his occasional laid-back approach. Highlights include "Thank Me," which features a posthumous appearance by one of his aforementioned fallen comrades, Young Dolph, and production by Kori Anders so popping it'll put a stank face on the hardest of critics; the head-bobbing earworm "There I Go" with J. Cole and Mike WiLL Made-It; and the Disc 1 bookends "Must Be Me" and "Stomach Grumbling," two of Fresh Air's main thesis statements. Disc 2 features standouts like the dramatic, string-laden "06 Gucci" with DaBaby and 21 Savage and the Zaytoven-produced singalong "Say No Mo." Even though it's marketed as a "new positive" Gucci, Breath of Fresh Air shouldn't worry longtime fans wondering if he's seen the light and switched to gospel: this is yet another collection of rousing, engaging trap from a master veteran who knows exactly what his loyal fan base demands.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo