Apple Music has finished publishing its “100 Best Albums Of All Time” list and in the words of Bonnie Raitt, it certainly gave fans something to talk about. In particular, much of the surprise, anger, disgust, and smugness stems from the top 10, which was published today. Many fans were shocked to learn that The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill had placed higher than Michael Jackson’s Thriller, that Frank Ocean’s second album made the top ten when his first did not, and that albums by fan-favorite icons such as Mariah Carey did not make the list at all.
First off, here are the top ten albums of all time, according to Apple Music:
10. Beyoncé — Lemonade
09. Nirvana — Nevermind
08. Amy Winehouse — Back To Black
07. Kendrick Lamar — Good Kid, M.A.A.D City
06. Stevie Wonder — Songs In The Key Of Life
05. Frank Ocean — Blonde
04. Prince & The Revolution — Purple Rain
03. The Beatles — Abbey Road
02. Michael Jackson — Thriller
01. Lauryn Hill — The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
Over on Twitter (I tried the “X” thing, y’all, it doesn’t work for me), fans are making their opinions known. From arguing that there is no way Blonde is better than Songs In The Key Of Life to wondering where J. Cole was on the overall 100. Still others questioned the veracity of the entire endeavor. Check out some of the responses to Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums Of All Time top ten below and view the whole list here.
This not better than Channel Orange, but it’s top 5 all time to y’all? What was the criteria? Who were the experts and artists involved? https://t.co/S3OCZvBv3P
— Daric L. Cottingham, M.A. (@DaricCott) May 22, 2024
Yeaaaa they just want interactions and controversy. There’s absolutely no planet where Miseducation is the greatest album of all time. It’s not even greatest of the 90s. But this list is horrendous period. https://t.co/VARusbzQDJ
Blonde overrated discourse is so boring precisely because it is exactly correctly rated and people twist themselves in knots trying to form a contrarian take as it gets canonized by lane taste makers
I understand making album lists that are genre specific .. I’ll even ruin the vibe of a party for a music debate lol … but there is no such thing as “the greatest album of all time” .. that entire concept is nonsense
I love Frank, but Blonde is better than Songs In The Key Of Life? Is everybody at Apple okay? Blonde not even better than Channel Orange. Be fr. pic.twitter.com/iCOmEgXoav
I couldn’t tell you exactly when it happened, but Target’s liquor aisle is stacked. What used to consist of a shelf’s-worth of a handful of spirits from some of the biggest brands has expanded into a whole aisle of gin, vodka, whiskey, and tequila options. Yes, what’s there still mostly comes from the biggest brands in the industry, but in that group there are a lot of gems. Especially when it comes to the tequila.
While we like to see a lot of brand diversity in the aisle, more brands also equals more choices, and it can be difficult to separate the good stuff from the great.We’re here to help by naming the 10 absolute best bottles of tequila commonly found at Target and ranking them from good to great.
A quick word about this list of 10 — these are all bottles that we stand behind. The sort of stuff that we’d feel comfortable recommending to friends or picking up ourselves. Are they our 10 favorite bottles of tequila ever? No, but at Target you can’t go wrong with anything on this list, so check for sales and buy whatever works for your budget.
You’ll find all three expressions of Milagro at Target but if you’re looking for the absolute best, it’s got to be the Reposado. Advanced tequila drinkers might find this a bit too additive-heavy, but if you’re just starting your tequila journey, you’re going to find a lot to like here.
Hailing from NOM 1559, Tequila Milagro, this brand stone cooks its agave before crushing it in a roller mill, ferments the juice in stainless steel tanks, and twice distills through a stainless steel pot. The tequila is then aged in American white oak barrels for 2-4 months.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Agave and oak dominate, rich confection-like notes pull you in and a hint of cinnamon lurks underneath the layers.
Palate: Unfortunately that sweetness doesn’t completely translate to the flavor, you get the roasted agave flavor and an overpowering bit of oak, but there is an ethanol-like body that weighs the whole thing down.
Finish: It ends with a burn and a small vanilla lift with a hint of zesty citrus.
The Bottom Line:
Nicely balanced with vanilla sweetness and zesty citrus notes with a slight burn on the backend.
By now I hope that Espolòn is a staple of everyone’s bar cart, if it’s not, remedy that sh*t immediately. This is simply good tequila and for the price, one of the best in its range. This should be your go-to tequila for taking shots with friends or mixing up a cocktail without breaking the bank.
The tequila is produced at NOM 1440, Campari Mexico, where it is one of three brands. The agave is cooked in an autoclave and roller mill extracted, fermented in stainless steel tanks, and twice distilled in a stainless pot with a copper coil. To reach the repo state, the tequila is aged for three months in American white oak barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Mellow and warm with a rich caramelized agave character.
Palate: Juicy pineapple and crushed black pepper. The more natural notes are backed by a rich caramel character.
Finish: Butter and oak, with a very pleasing finish.
The Bottom Line:
A mix of juicy tropical notes with a mellow easy-to-drink finish.
Herradura set the standard for mellow slightly aged tequila back in 1974 when it was the first brand to produce a reposado tequila. Now fifty years later, it’s still a pretty solid reposado.
Herradura’s repo is aged for 11 months in charred American white oak barrels giving the liquid a smooth sweet finish with a beautiful rich amber color.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cotton candy sweet, slightly floral.
Palate: Strong notes of cinnamon and maple mingle with notes of cotton candy. Confection-like, very sweet.
Finish: Vanilla and butter on the finish with a fantastic silky mouthfeel.
The Bottom Line:
Sweet and syrupy smooth, a bit too much if you like additive-free tequila, but if you don’t know where you fall on the additive vs non-additive debate, give it a try!
Olmeca Altos reminds me a lot of Espolòn. It’s affordable, straightforward, and tasty. But I like this a bit more because I prefer blancos to reposados generally (Espolón’s Blanco is a bit too harsh, hence its exclusion from this list).
Olmeca Altos is produced at NOM 1111, Pernod Richard Mexico, using traditional practices like slow-cooking the agave in brick ovens, crushing the juice with a tahona, and distilling in copper pots. The tequila is made using well water which gives it some palpable minerality.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Warm roasted agave wafts from the glass. It’s shockingly pleasant and inviting for a tequila in this price range.
Palate: Heavy on the citrus zest mixed with fresh green peppers.
Finish: Initially herbal and smooth but after a while the heat starts to build.
The Bottom Line:
Zesty and agave forward, and particularly ideal for cocktails.
You aren’t going to find many celebrity tequila brands on this list, and that’s very much by design. But I’m making an exception for country singer George Strait’s Código 1530 simply because it’s additive-free, and there aren’t many additive-free tequilas at Target.
Produced at NOM 1616, Varo Destileria, where it is the only brand in production, the agave is sourced from the Jalisco lowlands and cooked in a low-pressure autoclave before being roller mill extracted and fermented in stainless steel tanks. The juice is then distilled twice in a stainless steel pot before being rested for six months in French White Oak ex-Napa Valley Cabernet wine barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Mellow oak and sweet vanilla mingle over a peppery roasted agave body.
Palate: An initial brightness hits your palate first, with some green vegetal character and slight minerality. Those brighter tones are quickly masked by sweet caramel and the slighest hint of smokiness.
Finish: Citrus and oak with a warmth that sticks to the tongue.
The Bottom Line:
A gem of a tequila and one of the few additive-free bottles at Target.
There aren’t many great bottles of añejo on Target’s shelves but what is there, namely Don Julio 1942, more than makes up for that. This is some premium stuff, yes there are better bottles out there if you love aged expressions, but not at Target.
The tequila here is produced at NOM 1449 and uses agave cooked in stone brick ovens before being roller mill extracted, fermented in stainless steel, and aged in bourbon barrels for two and a half years, giving it some noticeable whisky-esque qualities.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The color is faint and straw-like but the rich aroma makes it clear we’re dealing with an añejo. You’ll get a sense of chocolate, caramel, and vanilla mingled with a warm roasted agave scent and a bit of the barrel.
Palate: Smooth and cinnamon spicy, the vanilla is a strong and dominating presence with rich toffee notes. There is a noticeable luxuriousness here that is a joy to drink.
Finish: The finish is pure oak and agave, most of the sweetness dissipates at the end but it has a pleasing smoothness. This is wince-free tequila.
The Bottom Line:
If you love that smooth whiskey experience, you’re going to love Don Julio. It has a pleasing dessert-like quality to it that is easy to fall in love with.
LALO seems to be quickly growing in popularity and it’s easy to see why. It’s great, additive-free, and affordable. What’s not to love here?
Using agave sourced from the Jalisco highlands, this tequila utilizes deep well water, is double distilled, and uses a proprietary champagne yeast. The agave is cooked in stone steam ovens for 20 to 32 hours and rested for an additional 18 hours.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bright and zesty citrus on the nose.
Palate: Buttery with hints of cooked agave and caramel.
Finish: Fruity, bright, vegetal, there is a very pure quality to this tequila.
The Bottom Line:
Transparent, bright, vegetal, and agave forward. If you’re looking for pure unaltered tequila, you won’t find a better blanco on Target shelves.
Is it crazy that I’m ranking Tequila Ocho over the mighty Don Julio? No, not really. Sure if you like that dessert-like quality to your tequila that Don Julio offers, by all means, go for it. But I want it to have an agave-forward flavor that reminds me that I’m drinking tequila, not, you know, dessert. So I stand by this ranking, this is the better tequila.
Does that mean I would suggest it to a friend? Depends on the friend. If they’re a seasoned tequila drinker, definitely, but if they’re just beginning to explore the expression, I’d probably point them in another direction.
Produced at NOM 1474, Tequilera Los Alambiques, the agave here is slow-cooked in brick ovens, extracted via a roller mill, and fermented in open-air wood vats before being twice distilled in a copper pot. Finally, the tequila is rested for 8 weeks and 8 days in American white oak, old whiskey, and used barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: You get a lot of the oak character on the nose mingling with rich caramelized agave, crushed black peppercorn, zesty orange rind, and earthy rainwater.
Palate: A light sense of vanilla hovers over a green and grassy flavor with hints of warm caramel, rosemary, citrus, and some minerality.
Finish: Dry and oaky contrasted with tropical coconuts and a slight creaminess.
The Bottom Line:
Creamy and easy to drink, with a lot of zesty, earthy, and oaky character.
Billie Eilish‘s new album Hit Me Hard And Soft is dominating the charts right now. Despite not having released a single prior to the album release, many fans are praising the album as some of her best work to date.
Her previous works have spawned quite a few hits, including 2021’s Happier Than Ever, which boasted the fan-favorite title track. Though the music resonated with fans, Eilish admits that she and her brother, prolific producer Finneas, didn’t put much effort into it.
Eilish said in an interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe that she was in a heightened state of confidence while making Happier Than Ever, as she had just won several Grammy Awards for her 2019 debut, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?.
“I think for [Happier Than Ever] we just didn’t put that much into it,” said Eilish. “That’s why there’s 16 songs. Nobody needs that many songs… As much as [it] was coming from this place of like, ‘We’re so good, this sounds so good,’ it was also, at least for me, not knowing at all who I was.”
She continued, explaining that while she felt more sure of herself making Hit Me Hard And Soft, she wasn’t sure how well the music would be received. “Hit Me Hard is almost the reverse of that… We were like, ‘I don’t know if we’re making anything good. This might be terrible.’ Now, when I think about it, I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I’m comfortable in who I am now.’”
You can watch the interview above.
Hit Me Hard And Soft is out now via Darkroom/Interscope. Find more information here.
Last year McDonald’s launched the Grimace Shake and things got real weird real fast. If you somehow missed it, consider yourself lucky, as the milkshake inspired thousands of viral videos of… well, it’s tough to explain, but essentially people threw up purple goo all over themselves while becoming possessed by the spirit of Grimace (how else would you describe the plot?).
Because of its virality, it undoubtedly moved a whole bunch of Grimace milkshakes and earned boatloads of free publicity. McDonald’s was surely happy about all the Grimace shakes it was moving (though perhaps disturbed as to why). And, as a reaction or response to all of this, they are now releasing the… Grandma McFlurry?
By invoking everyone’s Grandma, McDonald’s might be assuming the people of the internet can’t possibly make this one weird — note: never assume anything about the people of the internet — as it is probably the most wholesome snack the brand has ever launched. According to McDonald’s, the McFlurry is “inspired by Grandma’s favorite treat that she hid in her purse,” and features a mix of vanilla soft serve, flavored syrup, and chopped crunch candy pieces.
We picked up a Grandma McFlurry to see if it’s any good, here are our thoughts.
Grandma McFlurry Taste Test
Dane Rivera
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
Right off the bat, the Grandma McFlurry isn’t looking quite as appetizing as the press photos would suggest. But, that tends to be the case with all fast food, so we won’t hold that against it. Flavorwise, I’m struck by how good this thing is.
The flavor is simple and familiar, it’s not something you haven’t tasted before — it’s vanilla ice cream with a generous amount of sweet butterscotch syrup mixed in with crunchy butterscotch-flavored candies. The bits of candy give it a nice textural element, they’re easy to crunch through and explode with an extra dose of sweetness once you bite through them.
Dane Rivera
The candy mimics Werther’s Original in flavor, it’s an equal mix of brown sugar and caramel, but the texture is different. It’s much softer and has a cookie-like texture rather than tasting like bits of hard candy. Altogether, I think this is a solid addition to McDonald’s dessert menu. It’s significantly more tasty than the Grimace shake, but also safer.
It’s a real people pleaser, is my point. It won’t blow your mind but if you love butterscotch (or grandmas), you’ll love this.
The Bottom Line:
A delicious though not entirely essential remix of the typical McFlurry. For the love of all that is good in the world, people of the internet, let’s keep this one wholesome.
Today, Raveena rolled out the second single, “Lucky,” along with another music video that plays with the album’s title in a cheeky and oddly romantic way. The first shot is an old-fashioned title card that gives a hint at her romantic co-lead, but when you actually find out “who” it is, the video’s goofy sense of humor — and surprising heart — become clear.
As Raveena and her buggy new friend get closer, the singer dreams of butterflies. The clever metaphor addresses the transformational power of love, and how the right relationship can help a person grow wings of confidence and comfort. “Butterflies are so delicate that they have to hide in leaves and flowers until the rain passes so that their wings don’t get crushed in the rain,” she explains in a press release. “I felt like that was kind of a metaphor for where I was in my life. I needed to go back to comfort—to deep rest—and stop weathering storms.”
Watch Raveena’s “Lucky” video above.
Where The Butterflies Go In The Rain is out June 14th via Empire.
Two years have passed since Fana Hues released her stellar second album Fana + Flora, and just as fans sought out a new album from the singer-songwriter, Hues re-emerges with good news. Hues announced that her third album MOTH (Matter Of All Things) will arrive on June 14, and today, she celebrates the news by releasing her new single “Rental.” The groovy record is accompanied by an undeniable summer-themed video that features the singer and her friends having the time of their lives together.
The new song itself is a sassy and confident ode to distractions and joy rides in life. In a press release for the song, Hues added, “Rental is a song that explores how giving into a guilty pleasure can be a freeing necessity.” As for MOTH (Matter Of All Things), the project will feature 13 songs and a lone feature from Bam Marley. “Moths fly through darkness constantly searching for light even at the risk of harm,” Hues says about the album. “I’m always en route on a journey to find the reason for a feeling in its purest form, even if it hurts.”
After the release of MOTH (Matter Of All Things), Hues will join Lucky Daye as an opener for The Alogrithm Tour which kicks off this summer.
You can watch the video for “Rental” above and view the tracklist for MOTH (Matter Of All Things) as well as The Alogrithm Tour dates below.
07/11 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
07/13 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
07/14 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox Sodo
07/17 — Denver, CO @ The Ogden Theatre
07/19 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore Minneapolis presented by Affinity Plus
07/20 — Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
07/21 — St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
07/23 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
07/24 — Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
07/26 — Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
07/27 — Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
07/28 — Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
07/30 — Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
07/31 — Toronto, Ontario @ HISTORY
08/02 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre
08/03 — Washington, DC @ The Theater at MGM National Harbor
08/04 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
08/06 — Boston, MA @ Citizens House of Blues Boston
08/07 — New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
08/09 — Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
08/10 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
08/11 — Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
08/13 — Orlando, FL @ House of Blues Orlando
08/15 — Birmingham, AL @ Iron City
08/16 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
08/17 — New Orleans, LA @ The Fillmore New Orleans
08/20 — Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
08/21 — Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
08/22 — Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
08/24 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
08/25 — San Diego, CA @ SOMA
08/27 — Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues Anaheim
08/28 — Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
MOTH (Matter Of All Things) is out 6/14 via Bright Antenna Records. Find out more information here.
By now, you’ve been properly welcomed to Wrexham with Welcome To Wrexham, the docuseries from Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. It seems like you’re not alone in that — the series was just renewed for a fourth season in the middle of its current third season, so we can safely say these soccer/football players aren’t going anywhere, despite Reynolds’ overly busy schedule.
Even though season four of Welcome To Wrexham is already shaping up, season three is still in full swing. There are three more episodes in the season, and a new one will drop this week.
Episode five will air on FX on Thursday, May 23rd at 10 pm. The episode also airs again an hour later at 11 pm for those of you who prefer to be fashionably late. Like previously episodes, it will debut on Hulu and Disney+ the next day, Friday, May 24th by 3 am ET.
Here is the official synopsis for episode five, which is titled, “Temporary.”
99-year-old Wrexham fan Arthur Massey reflects on his life as a supporter as his 100th birthday approaches and the Club continues to struggle with the new Kop football stand.
Aside from Wrexham and the upcoming Deadpool installment, Reynolds is currently starring inIF, the family flick which hit theaters last week. What can’t he do?! Buy an NHL team, apparently.
South Park: The End of Obesity, the seventh South Park special on Paramount Plus, is about weight loss drugs like Ozempnic taking over the mountain town. But “when Cartman is denied access to the life-changing medicine, the kids jump into action,” the official description reads.
Cartman must not be denied for too long:
The advent of new weight loss drugs has a huge impact on everyone in South Park. When Cartman is denied access to the life-changing medicine, the kids jump into action.
This technically isn’t the first time we’ve seen Cartman looking not-big boned, but the other instance involved him looking emaciated on a cross like Jesus, so, yeah, not sure how much that counts. I don’t know why it’s upsetting to see Cartman this way when he basically looks like Stan in Cartman’s clothing, but it is. I’m not the only one, either.
Below, you’ll find South Park fans reacting to skinny Cartman.
South Park: The End of Obesity premieres on Paramount Plus (the home of the other South Park specials, including The Streaming Wars) on May 24. You can watch the teaser below.
Hacks keeps power-breezing through this season, and before you know it, we’ll be waiting for a fourth season announcement. That’s the price we’re paying for authentic comedy, and it’s worth it. Last week, a domineering Christina Hendricks appeared in the episode that, according to Mad Men devotees, should score her an Emmy nomination. Now, it’s time for another pair of entries before the season finale arrives.
When Do ‘Hacks’ Season 3, Episodes 7 & 8 Come Out?
The two newest episodes will stream on Thursday, May 24 at 3:00am EST/12:00am PST.
In Episode 7, “The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular,” we shall see this madness happen: “Deborah braces for Kathy’s attendance at her Christmas party, while Jimmy and Kayla refuse to call it quits on the comedian’s dreams.”
In Episode 8, “Yes, And,” expect even more chaos: “A calendar mix-up finds Deborah double booked… just as an unfortunate supercut of her most problematic early jokes starts circulating.”
That second episode could really be any week in Deborah Vance’s life, right? And somehow, this show manages to keep that dance feeling nimble while Ava and the rest of Deborah’s team continue to sweep up her disastrous trail of yesteryear, and she manages to be the only character on this show who is (arguably) messier than Ava. No wonder they work so well together.
Music ranking lists always prove controversial, and Apple Music‘s Top 100 Albums Of All Time list is no exception. Over the course of the past two weeks, the music streaming platform had taken to the streamer and to its social handles to reveal their picks for best albums of all time, day-by-day.
While the criteria on which the rankings were placed has been kept relatively quiet, those who made the selections were evidently given specific instructions.
How did Apple Music make their Top 100 Albums Of All Time list?
The Apple Music Top 100 Albums Of All Time List was curated by Apple Music’s internal team. Though it’s not clear who, specifically, made these rankings, nor the number of people who put the list together, the team was given a strict set of guidelines. According to Ebro Darden, who is the Global Editorial Head of Hip-Hop and R&B for Apple Music, members of the Apple Music team made their picks based on:
* Albums that represented a cultural moment for the artist or genre.
* Albums that were complete thoughts, not just collections of hit songs.
* Albums that thoroughly represent culture in production and lyrics.
* Albums that inspired a generation to want to create more music.
* Albums that represent the BEST in storytelling, musicianship, recording and production.
* Albums that are timeless and reached far beyond the genre categorization.
Voters of the #100Best on @AppleMusic were challenged to not vote for our favorites, but ..
* Albums that represented a cultural moment for the artist or genre.
* Albums that were complete thoughts, not just collections of hit songs.
The final picks, including Apple Music’s ranking for the best album of all time. You can see the full list here.
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