Bee

Chelsea Hotel No. 2 stands head and shoulders above the rest of the album, but in doing so it does make the other songs feel rather lackluster.

This album suffers for having to follow her first album. I think I would have liked Motomami better without El Mal Querer setting such an impossibly high bar, but that one was the album of a lifetime and this one feels only okay in comparison. It's solid, but I don't feel the urge to listen to it endlessly.

"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash."

Favorite song: "25 Minutes to Go"

I have a soft spot for this one: it's the first album I ever loved.

I didn't think much of the middle two songs ("15"/"Lavender Daughter") initially—they weren't bad in isolation, but I felt like they killed the momentum of the album as a unit. But having listened to the album maybe six or seven times in the last week, they've grown on me, and thus my opinion of the whole has improved slightly. Honestly, I'd probably have bumped this up to a four and a half except that the "42 teeth" thing in "BODY" drives me absolutely batty.

Favorite song: "Monster"

I was expecting a good deal from this album based on how much I liked the singles, and it did not disappoint. I loved most of the songs on their own, but more than that, I loved how the whole album has a cohesive sound. Would definitely recommend, and will certainly be listening again.

Favorite song: Eve & Paradise Lost

Milhanas' fado-inspired pop is something I didn't know I needed until I heard it, and once I did, I couldn't get enough. One of my favorite albums of all time.

I listened to this album on a whim and I loved it, but I didn't realize how much until I listened to the just-released accoustic versions. Honestly, they just drove home for me how delicious the sound of the original album is—not to knock the lyrics, but they're just not the same without the production.

Favorite song: My Lady of Mercy