New Lyfe's Top 5 Favorite Albums - The Music that Changed my Life

Before everyone loses their shit, please remember that these are just MY favorite albums. If you have a different opinion, I would love to hear what your favorite albums are in the comments. :)

Music means so much to me. I honestly can't imagine my life without music. It has gotten me through so many hard times and it helps me celebrate the good times. Music brings back nostalgia and makes me hopeful for the future.

If you don't like music, there is something wrong with you. 

Anyway's here are the New Lyfe Top 5 Favorite Albums.

5 - Kings Of Leon. Only By The Night

Just an all around brilliant album. The reason it is number 5 and not number 1 is because the album isn't necessarily a musical masterpiece. The songs are all very simple and relatively similar. However, the sound they create mixed with the perfect screechy belting voice of Caleb Followill is musical bliss for me. If I could sing like any one person (mind you I am a terrible singer) it would be like Caleb Followill.

It's the perfect album to listen to on a subway ride or traveling to a new place. It just makes you feel good!

4 - Sublime. Sublime

There is just no reason not to like Sublime. Their west coast reggae/punk rock sound is so unique and can't be replicated.

The tragic death of Bradley may have played a role in making this album iconic, but even if he hadn't died, this would still be on my top 5 list. The entire album always brings me back to my days as a kid where I would skateboard for hours and hang out with friends.

Jailhouse is easily one of my favorite songs. As soon as I hear the opening of the song where Bradley yells "GO!" it puts me in the zone. Windows open, music blasting driving down the A1A or Pacific Coast Highway.

3 - J Cole. Born Sinner

Okay... I get that this album may not be an "iconic" hip hop album. In comparison to albums like Illmatic, Ready to Die, It's Dark and Hell is Hot or All Eyez On Me; it's understandable why this album shouldn't be considered an all time great.

However, for me this album was all about timing. With hip hop so polluted with bullshit and autotune and nonsense, this album was the first time in years that someone came to the plate with some real thought provoking rhymes were he used his music as a true form of self-expression.

I listen to this album front to back and have done so hundreds of times.

2 - The Used. Self Titled

God I love this album. This album is the best of The Used. I will always be a fan, but I don't think they have since touched on the brilliance displayed in this album. 

The screams that Burt McCracken belted out in these songs are so intense that is puts chills down your back. Word is that he let it go so hard on the tour of this album that he did permanent damage to his vocal chords and could never get to that same level.

None the less, this album immortalized The Used for me. One of my greatest life moments was when they played "Box Full Of Sharp Objects" at some tiny club in Lancaster Pennsylvania. I have been to many concerts but this show at that venue was picture perfect. It was all the things you want this kind of show to be. Dark, crowed, dirty, sweaty and someone violent. I walked out of the show with bruises all over me and I enjoyed every second. :)

This album is beautiful and ugly at the same time. I love it so much.

1 - The Roots. Phrenology

The Roots are the best hip-hop group of all time. Black Thought is a top ten MC. Never has anyone came to the scene with such originality and such skill with their instruments while having such a charismatic and talented front man. Black Thought is a master of being himself, which is a hard task in the commercialized world of music and especially Hp Hop where your persona is many times more important then the quality of your music. He can transition to sensual lyrics and hard punch lines, all the while maintaining his trademark raspy voice and clarity of sound!

This album makes me want to fight, makes me melancholy, makes me smile and just forces me to sit back in awe. This album is everything that music should be.

If there is 1 person in this world I wish to meet, it would be Black Thought. I have seen them in concert like 15 times and I've always wished there was a way that I could let them know how much I appreciate their music and what it has done for me in my life.

"I'll tell ya one lesson's I learned. If you wanna be somethin' in life. You ain't gonna get it unless. You give a little bit of sacrifice."

HONORABLE MENTIONS 

1 - Billy Joel - The Stranger

2 - Eminem - Marshal Matthers LP

3 - Notorious B.I.G - Ready to Die

4 - Nas - Illmatic

5 - Chevelle - Sci-Fi Crimes