I love the two huge Mr Big songs, but I was sort of under the impression they were the heavy rock band that occasionally popped out a ballad for no apparent reason. It turns out they’re a bit more of a mixed bag, if this album is anything to go by. There are some harder rock moments but also other ballads and other genres slipping in at the same time. It’s quite a good album, although it won’t be breaking into my top ten any time soon. To finish off with To Be With You is great though, and now I have that song stuck in my head.

I was all set to move on to a different band this week but Mr C quite rightly pointed out that Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 were back to back releases and should be listened as such. So I had to postpone the original choice and get this one going. It was good, oddly I think I preferred the first one to this one, although I understand the majority of critics and fans think otherwise. This does have the super famous Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, though, and that counts for a lot.

This has been on the list for a while but after watching the latest Thor movie, there was no choice but to dip into the Guns n’ Roses back catalogue. I was nervous about this, I’ll be honest, it’s a long album and a classic, but I needn’t have worried. It is long and I have to say ending with a 10 minute song isn’t going to put you in my good books, but actually it’s a great album. On the second listen, I was really getting into and enjoying the journey. Nothing to be nervous about!

All that conversation led to picking this album this week, and even then it wasn’t easy. The Apple Music version had Set Adrift missing so I had to cobble together my own Frankenstein style playlist. Anyway, when I finally got it all together, the album was great. It’s hip hop but a more gentle style, not so much angst and anger but just skipping along nicely. I loved it!

It’s hard for me to describe this album without sounding like I didn’t like it… but I did. It’s a great Genesis album and a great vehicle for Phil Collins - particularly as some of the songs sound like they have come straight off a Phil Collins album. I generally enjoyed the album, and Jesus He Knows Me gets stuck in my head far too easily, but the thing about it is, it’s so long! Well over an hour, with several of the songs nearing the 10 minute mark. One you could get away with but more than that and I start to get annoyed. But I liked it, honest!

This is such a good week for music for me - Bastille rocking the dreamlike modern life, Roxette just blasting their way through the 1990s in great pop&rock form. Starting an album with Joyride is a risk because it’s such a good song but the rest of the album absolutely lives up to it. I don’t know that the songs were particularly identifiable by themselves, but as a whole it was a great ride. The only problem I had was the one song that sounds just like It Must Have Been Love, but hey, you can’t really rip off yourself!

It’s been a while since I’ve listened to any MJ but it takes only a moment to be plunged right back into the heart of his genius. This album is stacked full of little tweaks and accents and MJ vocals and 90s sounds and it’s just great from start to finish. I thought the album would suffer for having Black or White on it, which is arguably his greatest song, and really an incredible number. But because it is towards the middle, you’ve got plenty of time to get invested before the greatness happens.

You know what you’re getting with a Boyz II Men album, and this was their debut, showcasing those great vocals, wonderful synchronicity, and amazing rhythm, all the way through. Apparently the album initially shipped without End of the Road on it but it was added in later re-releases, so I listened to it without. Even without that most famous of songs, it’s still a really solid album.

I only first became aware of Richard Marx through the age-old debate over Hazard, but gradually I’ve really come to like his various works. A more recent Christmas song worked its way into my heart, and I’ve listened to a previous album that went down quite well. This one, with the aforementioned controversial song, also was far better than I’d expected! You have to go into it expecting some dated music, in fact it sounds very 80s despite being released in the early 90s, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As long as you like solid 80s pop, you’ll like this.

Thankfully, it’s brilliant. It probably has a bit of a benefit from following on the slow-pace chill-fest of Taylor’s latest album, but even without that, it’s just good soft rock. One is genuinely one of the greatest songs ever, but even with that it doesn’t overshadow everything around it - they all stand up.