when i think of times in my life when i was crazy depressed,
i usually think of one of the following albums that helped me.
there is always that one album in an artist’s career that defines their catalog.
from listening to it,
you can tell it had a certain theme and direction.
there was a concept behind it.
the era usually had interesting style,
brought a new direction,
and was their most “outspoken” about whatever was being dealt with.
so i had to ask the foxhole about a couple “defining moment albums“.
5 vixen artists…
“the velvet rope”
janet
overcoming depression and an emotional breakdown
“the mis-education of lauryn hill”
lauryn hill
overcoming a break up and betrayal
“stripped”
christina aguilera
overcoming negativity and a forced image
“rated r”
rihanna
overcoming “that feb 8th situation” and adversity
“lemonade”
beyonce
overcoming cheating and grief
****
for me,
they all came at a time,
or was discovered,
when i was the most hurt.
it was like God sent the album to me to indulge in.
like,
i didn’t even understand lauryn’s album before.
now?
that is therapy for me.
so i had to ask the foxhole,
out of the 5:
Which is your favorite “defining moment” album?
*you can answer in the comments,
but i put a poll on the sidebar–>
i’m excited to see what you guys are thinking!
I miss these album debates we used to have
The miseducation is tied with The Velvet Rope for me. Those two, mind you I was only three when TVR came out and four when TMEOLH but they still my shit
Back To Black, Amy Winehouse.
The album that touch me the most till this day is Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation. That class room session interlude, the teacher, kids talking about love.. and that instrumental made me feel like I was in one of those 70’s movies like Crooklyn on the stool. There was so much imagination and magic for me and that make me feel good music that brings me back to how music was real, now it got me thinking about the Love Jones Sound track “Sweetest Thing”, real music yah!!!
MEOLH <<< all time album. Still no comparison. Everything is Everything, Ex-Factor, Lost Ones, are my favourites, and pretty much the whole album is timeless. Love her. She's still a go-to after all these years. She's the Queen
The Diary of Alicia Keys is a good one too, and to a lesser extent, Mariah Carey's very first album. She was really good until she went bimbo on us, and Michael Jackson's Bad and Thriller albums.
Oh and Sia’s 100 Forms of Fear, Ed Sheeran’s X, Evanescence Fallen (big one for me personally), Erykah Badu Badiuzm, Mary J Blige, The Breakthrough, and that’s all I can think of atm, but yeah, those are the classics for me.
B-day & Stripped. I remember purchasing stripped during china dirty phrase and getting so much flack from my friends! lol.
Definitely Velvet Rope. Was very instrumental in my personal growth. Loved how deeply personal it was and the fact that it humanized Ms. Jackson like never before. Love “Got til it’s gone,” “I get lonely,” “Rope Burn” and everything else on there. Gotta give props to the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill too.
I definitely feel like Mary J. Blige-My Life should have been a part of this list. Not sure how familiar you are with that album but it hits you to the core. It was released 23 years ago and is still, what most consider to be her best work. From the first song to the last, It is so raw, helpless, emotional, and blissful. She’s said many times that she was close to death as she’d ever been during this albums creation and release and you can hear it in every song, lyric and her voice. I feel this album laid the groundwork for TMOLH. I was 17 when it came out, dealing with my sexuality, school, and society, etc and this album was my solace.
^you know it’s crazy,
i listen to that album,
but it doesn’t do anything for me.
maybe I haven’t “listened” to it like I did with the others.
all the songs sounds like she is singing love songs.
the only songs that sound like what you are describing were “happy” and “im going down”.
maybe im missing it…
I was coming to add Rated-R and look and behold. To add another recent one. Alessia Caras first ep. Lawd hammercy. What a powerful album.
Ashanti Ashanti
Aaliyah Aaliyah
Tweet Southern Hummingbird
So Lange A seat the table
Emeli Sande long live the angels
The miseducation album is my favorite album of all time, when I was younger I just like a lot of the catchy songs but when I really explored it I fell in love with it. That duet with Mary on there gets me in my feels every time.
The velvet rope is a very close second, again when I was younger I tried listening to it but at that time deep Janet wasn’t what I was used to so I wrote the album off. Got into it in the past few years and I relate to it HEAVY. Every song on there has a message to it. Fav off it is “Anything”, can’t wait to have sex to that song lol
^omg we are alike because i was the same way!
you don’t understand most message behind music until someone(s) break your heart.
It’s the same for me with L boggie’s MTV unplugged album. So much truth and lessons I’m rediscovering now listening to it vs when I was younger .
The Miseducation of Lauyrn Hill was my album. I really connected with songs like, “Final Hour” “Lost Ones” and “To Zion”. I also loved “Lemonade” and “The Velvet Rope” and I feel like Janet hit home with “What About” with a strong visual at the fashion show awards on VH1 while Beyonce came thru with the pro black feminist anthem “Formation”
^”final hour” is the shit!!!!
Stripped came out at the right time for me…and it was a complete 360 from anything she’s ever done. That album is a classic. It addresses negativity, sex, love & strength. Christina all day for me.
^when i choose to listen to that album,
it’s at a point when i feel like i’ve started becoming something i’m not.
or,
when i’m having low self esteem in a sunken place LOL
that album turned the tables on her first poppy image.
for some,
it reflects being a certain way and not being able to be your truth self.
awesome body of work from her.
I’d have to agree with you on this one. I LOVED Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and Forgive Them Father is my favorite track from that album…but Stripped, DAMN! It came to me at such a pivotal time in my life. MANY of the tracks from that disc STAY on repeat.
Velvet Rope is a great disc, but Janet spoke more to me than Velvet Rope. It’s the same thing with Rihanna. I enjoyed Good Girl Gone Bad more than Rated R.
Not a fan of Lemonade at all. Lol
^you know what’s funny?
A LOT of my people do not like the new b music.
i mentioned her “lemonade” album to a few and they all had the same thoughts.
it made me think of you with your break down of that album.
i feel you on “stripped” tho.
that grabbed me.
i just got “forgive them father”,
and once I did,
i must have listened to that twenty times on my way to one of those fuck shit jobs.
Lauryn Hill’s album beasted all the above!
^you may be surprised LOL
some think “lemonade” or even “rated r” related with them more.
I usually let people have their opinions on something as subjective as music or art in general, but… anyone who compares any body of work from Rihanna or even Beyonce to Lauryn Hill, are IMO delusional. Those two don’t even have the capacity to reach the depth of Lauryn Hill’s lyrics. LH is multifaceted and was able to reach pretty much everybody on the human level. I can’t say the same for Beyonce nor Rihanna. Sorry, they just don’t got it.
^sometimes it’s not about the lyrics or the depth of the artist.
they could be simply singing about what you’re going through and you relate.
as much as i listened to TMEOLH,
rated r came at a time when i was facing similar topics rihanna was singing about.
it’s how the listener perceives the message within the music.
some music might be shallow to you,
but for someone who needed it at a particular time,
it could be what helps them through their darkness.
as you can see,
i don’t get the hype of mary j blige “my life”.
many others said it helped them through break ups and hurt.
^speaking of lauryn,
are we gonna ignore the fact that whole album was about the sadness of a spiritual side vixen?
I respect what you’re saying, and as you suggested and I have stated too, music is subjective (not entirely), which is, again, why I let people have their opinions on it, but objectively speaking, we will have to agree to disagree on that matter.If these works speak to you, that’s one thing, but it’s another to claim that those artists are of the same calibre as some of the legends, that’s less subjective. (I’m not accusing you of making those claims however).
You’re right though, it’s not always about the lyrics or the depth, nothing wrong with that, but they should stay in their lanes, is what I’m saying lol. There’s a reason why that one album tends to come up in every discussion about great music.
The Miseducation STILL bumps!
She tore Wyclef up in “Lost Ones” lol
The title track is also a favorite.
I like the others too, but Miseducation is just incomparable…a moment in time.
^ya know,
it’s funny,
i didn’t know what “lost ones” was about.
i just knew i liked it a lot.
as soon as i really listened to the words…
i related with that heavyyyyyy.
Love your list
The mis-education is a timeless classic, not many acts can release just one album and be shot into legendary status immediately
such a classic
Rated R is still my favourite Riri album. That album hit me to my core
Lemonade is one of the most beautifully put together and well thought albums ever in my opinion.
I still feel Bey’s best is yet to come though.
I feel like her Album of the Year loss this time will have her coming out next time to prove a point
^i added such gems to that list.
they all hit me at different moments of when i was in the most pain.
the one i go to the most is lauryns tho.
TMEOLH is unbeatable
^that is such a beautiful album
out of all of them,
that one is my favorite.
i didn’t understand that album before,
but when i finally “got it”…
O.
M.
G.
i got it.