AMG is really amazing. I can’t think of a more comprehensive encyclopedia of well curated music-related data and thoughtful criticism in one place. It would be

AMG is really amazing. I can’t think of a more comprehensive encyclopedia of well curated music-related data and thoughtful criticism in one place. It would be really exciting if this database were available publicly a la MusicBrainz because the rich relationship graph encourages novel interfaces to explore the content. Before all of this information was readily available on the internet, The Rolling Stone Album Guide was the de facto reference and a used copy can be had for around $5. Like any critical rating of art, ymmv, famously Led Zeppelin. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/117198.The_New_Rolling_Stone_Album_Guide https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/117198.The_New_Rollin... For current artists I usually turn to Pitchfork for news and criticism, RS tends to have a strong boomer bias. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/ https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/