I don’t know about Mixed Berry. This tastes like Kool-Aid; maybe even its bootleg cousin Flavor Aid; with either too much water added or not enough sugar. The fact that it has Zero; it’s sweetened with sucralose instead; suggests the latter. Not that a cold bottle won’t do its job of replenishing your body after a tough (sports) competition.
my rating : 3 of 5
Though the caramel flavor is overwhelmed by the inclusion of fudge swirls, the Ice Cream itself is pretty good. The “choco coated crisps” are what hamper the experience. It would taste a lot better without them, but then it wouldn’t be Star Crunch.
my rating : 3 of 5
I don’t know what’s so Superb about these Cookies. They’re “soft-baked”, which I generally prefer over crunchy, but the “deliciousness” bit on the box rings false. Like most of the Chocolate Chip variety, they’d actually taste better plain. The Free To Eat bit has to do with the fact that they’re “gluten-free” for whatever that’s worth.
my rating : 3 of 5
![audio review : a DM Records compilation : Deep House LA [ Volume 3 ]](https://marcellee.com/posts/120781.jpg)
This third Volume of Deep House LA gets things back on track. Let’s pretend the second one never happened as we groove to the oddly titled Why Didn’t You; easily one of the best songs in the series.
That the album falters from there is less of a concern than the missing six songs, but hey, at least we’re back to artists you never heard outside the Deep House club and vocals limited to short sample snippets.
my rating : 3 of 5
1997
![audio review : a DM Records compilation : Deep House LA [ Volume 2 ]](https://marcellee.com/posts/120767.jpg)
This should’ve been a standalone compilation. The Deep House club is suddenly crowded with Latinos, which is odd, but its biggest blunder is going against the previous standard by mixing instrumental songs with vocal ones. Starting with Boom Boom Boom by The Outhere Brothers is a real cringe. The music keeps the Party going, but it’s a thematic letdown for sure.
my rating : 2 of 5
1996
![audio review : a DM Records compilation : Deep House LA [ Volume 1 ]](https://marcellee.com/posts/120757.jpg)
This is a “continuous mix of 20 hot dance tracks”. That means the music, by names you probably never heard of, blends together as if you’re at a trendy nightclub in Los Angeles. The genre is Deep House and the Grooves suit the occasion, though the DJ doesn’t play the best songs; I’ll Take You Deeper, Animal Magnetism and Sunset On Rio; till the end.
my rating : 3 of 5
1996
audio review : Deep House LA [ Volume 2 ]
audio review : Deep House LA [ Volume 3 ]
Bass 305 were, at one point in time, releasing a new album every year. Now fans have to wait a decade. Their newest have come literally once every ten years. This Bass Resurrection; another album title that has to do with coming back; is even more of a tease as it’s initially promoted as a limited edition of 305 CDs; actual Compact Discs; a throwback to their 1990s heyday. Fans who miss out have to wait even longer to hear it.
Is it worth the wait? Well, it’s the best Bass 305 album since their 1995 Departure, which doesn’t mean much considering every album since has been way below par. This set pays homage to Digital Bass and Bass The Future, but Virtual Bass is their real magnum opus. An album comparable to that would be a return to form. This is merely a return to decency, which, after all these years, is still a pleasant surprise.
What’s even more surprising are collabs with not only past labelmates Techno Bass Crew and Underground Bass Masters but rivals Techmaster PEB and Bass Mekanik; the latter of which includes the album’s best music. Good Versus Evil is a frustrating listen though as the angelic piano chorus; this beautiful bit should’ve been looped to no end; is abandoned halfway in. A similar thing happens on Outer World.
What’s up with all the rehashing? I don’t like the idea of remakes in general. Remaking your own songs when there’s nothing wrong with the originals, not to mention the fact that you’ve already remade them before in the past, is just absurd. Even worse are the Quad City songs; the Bassheads anthem is so damn annoying; and the Comeback Mash-Up at the end. These tracks make no sense on a new Bass 305 album.
Dreamer, on the other hand, is a conceptual improvement over its Cryptobass demo version. Bass Love Ballad should’ve also been given a proper title, but it too sounds nice. Add One Small Step; these Florida boys have always been enamored with the purported Apollo moon missions; to the list of standouts and you start to realize the best moments of this Resurrection revolve not around Bass but pianos.
my rating : 3 of 5
2021
The Three Meats seem more like two because, while the pepperoni is an obvious standout, the sausage and beef look nearly identical. Not that it matters much. It’s Pizza and it’s good.
“It’s not delivery”, but it does have a “fresh baked taste”. If you’re like me, you’ll laugh at the 6 portion bit on the back of the box as you prepare to obliterate a whole pie in one sitting.
my rating : 4 of 5
This Fruit Punch, which contains no actual fruit juice, is the highlight of the Rockstar Punched collection, but it would’ve made more sense to save the (Punched) name for this drink alone. The double jab is a bit redundant. It tastes like Hawaiian Punch or Tropical Punch Kool-Aid with carbonation.
my rating : 3 of 5
This song; about going to, and having fun at, a lavish nightclub; represents each member of Lucy Pearl at their best. That means Raphael Saadiq and Dawn Robinson, over one of Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s sleekest beats, have rarely, if ever, sounded better.
They both have nice singing voices, but it’s the melodies that sell it, especially during the verses. If not for Robinson’s background vocals during the chorus, they’d easily upstage it and throw everything off balance. Not that the drinks aren’t doing that already.
There are no red cups in this establishment. That’s Cristal or Dom Pérignon in those glasses. Everyone’s feeling a little tipsy and a little frisky as they shake their bodies; Robinson’s being one of the most attractive among them; on the packed Dance floor.
my rating : 5 of 5
2000
These are the Best of Bush’s Baked Beans. It’s more the “extra brown sugar” than the “thick/rich” texture that make them the tastiest of the various varieties. They’re good with hamburgers but even better with hot dogs and sausages, especially as a bun topping.
my rating : 4 of 5
Without even factoring in Robbie Lawler’s “perfect” career-ending victory over Niko Price or any of the other impressive knockouts from the Prelims, UFC 290 stands as one of their better events. Newcomer Bo Nickal actually matches Lawler by taking out his opponent in the same amount of time. A revamped Dan Hooker also impresses with a split decision victory over Jalin Turner.
The biggest surprise of the night, other than Dana White arriving with President Trump, is Robert Whittaker’s second-round TKO loss to Dricus Du Plessis, though it’s no surprise to Du Plessis. He predicted he’d do exactly what he did. Still it’s odd seeing Whittaker lose to someone other than Israel Adesanya, who promotes his upcoming bout with Du Plessis with a post-fight encounter.
What ends up being perhaps the best fight is the one I cared the least about; Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno putting his belt on the line against Alexandre Pantoja. Pantoja beat him twice before and does it again here, but they’re well matched. The main event goes about as I expected with Alexander Volkanovski retaining his (Featherweight) title relatively easily against Yair Rodríguez.
my rating : 4 of 5
2023