Cream - Fresh Cream

year 1966 review:From the acappella intro on "I Feel Free" to the tumultuous rhythmic underpinnings of "N.S.U.," Cream's debut album Fresh Cream was a pronouncement that drums and bass would no longer be limited to the role of background instruments, that rock guitarists would henceforth be judged by the standard of Eric Clapton's soaring, lyric signature, and that emotional/instrumental content is as important as the singer and song. To appreciate the energetic slant Cream put on traditional blues, check out their manic, up-tempo version of Muddy Waters' "Rollin' And Tumblin'." And where many bands routinely ripped off folk and blues artists, Cream made sure people like Robert Johnson ("Four Until Late"), Willie Dixon ("Spoonful"), and Skip James ("I'm So Glad") got both credit and royalties, while expanding the audience for pure blues music.

Muse - Absolution

year 2003 review:Muse lead vocalist Matthew Bellamy's vocal timbre bears a distinct similarity to that of Thom Yorke, leading some to dismiss Muse as simply a band of Radiohead-worshippers. With Absolution, however, the UK-based group proves that it's much more than the sum of its influences, delivering a work that revels in the enormity of its ambition, the breadth of its sonic palette, and the intensity of its emotional resonance. Employing a daring mix of classical-influenced piano and strings, metallic guitars, unabashedly strident house-style synths, and the type of production bombast usually reserved for Queen or ELO, Muse often sounds like an otherworldly jam session between Rufus Wainwright, Front Line Assembly, the Move, and Evanescence. Packed with both pop hooks and unusual instrumental textures at every turn, Absolution invites listeners to expect the unexpected.