An All-4-One Christmas (Atlantic, 1995) by All-4-One

These guys can actually sing quite well.  However, them singing Christmas standards is just another example of how the group sings other people's material.  "I Swear" and "I Could Love You Like That" were both country songs originally and then All-4-One redid them and took them to the pop and R&B charts where they saw success.

Cocktails (Jive, 1995) by Too $hort

This is standard Too $hort fare.  Dirty raps over funky tracks.  "Cocktales" is a great updated version of "Freaky Tales."  The other stand out track is "We Do This" with 2Pac, MC Breed, and Father Dom.  The album also ends on a high note with "Sample the Funk" where Short Dog pays homage to funk legends like George Clinton, James Brown, and the Ohio Players.

4, 5, 6 (Cold Chillin', 1995) by Kool G. Rap

Lyrically and rap-wise, this album is incredible.  Kool G. Rap is one of the best rappers ever period.  His multi-syllablic rhymes allow him to fit an incredible amount of words into every bar without rapping too fast beyond comprehension.  As far as production, Dr. Butcher produces a lot of the album's material.  However, his beats aren't quite on par with what G. Rap has rhymed over in the past.  The album's highlight is the Buckwild-produced "Fast Life" which features Nas and makes better use of the Surface sample than R. Kelly would three years later on "Only the Loot Can Make Me Happy."

One Hot Minute (Warner Bros., 1995) by Red Hot Chili Peppers

This is a mediocre album at best.  Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro replaced John Frusciante after he quit the band in 1992.  And Navarro is a great guitar player, but his sound is more rooted in metal than funk and rhythm like the Chili Peppers.  The stylistic differences are very apparent on this recording.  Lyrically, the album seems like a step down from Blood Sugar Sex Magik.  And the album's best cut, "My Friends," is ballad that was made solely for the "Under the Bridge" crowd.  Overall, this album is a forced commercial attempt by a group of very talented musicians.

Liquid Swords (Geffen, 1995) by GZA

"TOMMY ain't my motherfuckin' BOY/When he fake moves on a nigga you employ/Well I'll EMIRGE off ya set, now ya know God damn/I show LIVIN LARGE niggaz how to flip a DEF JAM/And RUFF up the motherfuckin' HOUSE/Cause I smother you COLD CHILLIN' mother fuckers are still WARNER BROTHERS/I'm RUTHLESS my clan don't have to act wild/That shit is JIVE, an old SLEEPING BAG/PROFILE/This soft comedian rap shit ain't the rough witty/On the reel to reel it wasn't from a TUFF CITY/Niggas be game, thinking that they lyrical surgeons/They know their mics are formed at VIRGIN/And if you ain't boned a mic you couldn't hurt a bee/That's like going to Venus driving a MERCURY/The CAPITOL of this rugged slang, is WU-TANG/Witty Unpredictable Talent And Natural Game/I DEATH ROW an MC with mic cables/The EPIC is at a RUSH ASSOCIATED LABELS/From EASTWEST to ATCO, I bring it to a NEXT PLATEAU/But I keep it phat though/Yo, I'm hittin' batters up with the WILD PITCH style/I even show an UPTOWN/MCA style/Who thought he saw me on 4TH & BROADWAY/But I was out on the ISLAND, bombing MC's all day/My PRIORITY is that I'm FIRST PRIORITY/I bone the secret out a bitch in a sorority/So look out for A&M, the abbot and the master breakin' down your PENDULUM/As I fiend MC's out with a blow that'll numb the/a-ppendix, I'm holdin more more weight than COLUMBIA/Index INTERSCOPE, we RCA. clan/That's comin' with a plan to free a/slave of a mental death MC don't panic/Throw that A&R nigga off the boat in the ATLANTIC/Now who's the BAD BOY character, not from ARISTA/But firin' weapons released on GEFFEN/So duck as I struck with the soul of MOTOWN/While CENTRAL BROADCASTING SYSTEMS are slowed down/You're Dirty, like that Bastard/It's gettin drastic"

-GZA, "Labels"

Me Against the World (Jive, 1995) by 2Pac

"When I was young, me and my mama had beef/Seventeen years old,kicked out on the streets/Though back at the time, I never thought I'd see her face/Ain't a woman alive that could take my mama's place/Suspended from school; and scared to go home, I was a fool/with the big boys, breakin' all the rules/I shed tears with my baby sister/Over the years we was poorer than the other little kids/And even though we had different daddy's, the same drama/When things went wrong, we'd blame mama/I reminisce on the stress I caused, it was Hell/Huggin' on my mama from a jail cell/And who'd think in elementary?/Heeey! I see the penitentiary, one day/And runnin' from the police, that's right/Mama catch me, put a whoopin' to my backside/And even as a crack fiend, mama/You always was a black queen, mama/I finally understand, for a woman it ain't easy tryin' to raise a man/You always was committed/A poor single mother on welfare, tell me how ya did it/There's no way I can pay you back/But the plan is to show you that I understand/You are appreciated"

-2Pac, "Dear Mama"

The Infamous (Loud, 1995) by Mobb Deep

This is my favorite Mobb Deep album.  No disrespect to Murda Muzik ("The Realest" and the "Quiet Storm" records are great), but The Infamous is incredible.  "Shook Ones Pt. II" is one of the best hip-hop records ever.  The track with Nas and Raekwon is dope ("Eye For an Eye [Your Beef is Mine])" and Q-Tip's contributions only add to Havoc's already stellar board work.  This album is on par with Illmatic, Ready to Die, and Reasonable Doubt; not only are all four albums classic from a musical standpoint, but, culturally, they made sure east coast hip-hop still mattered at a time when Left Coast rap was dominating the entire hip hop scene.

Games Rednecks Play (Warner Bros., 1995) by Jeff Foxworthy

Foxworthy's sophomore album is my favorite release from him.  You Might Be a Redneck If… is a classic too, but he perfected his every-man persona that he introduced on his debut with Games.  His best material is not his straight-forward jokes, but his stories.  "Clampetts Go to Maui"  is hilarious and his projection of southern stereotypes combined with the upcoming Olympics the following year [Atlanta '96] is brilliant.  I've seen quite a few comedians live, and to date, Jeff is the best one that I have seen.  I saw him about three years ago and he performed material from this set and that is a wonderful testament to how well this stuff has held up over the years.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (Loud, 1995) by Raekwon

"Yo, first of all son, peep the arson/Many brothers I be sparkin' and bustin mad light inside the dark/Call me dough snatcher, just the brother for the rapture/I handglide, holdin' on strong, hard to capture/Extravagant, RZA bake the track and it's militant/Then I react, like a convict, and start killin' shit/It's manifested, the Gods work like appliances/Dealin' in my cypher I revolve around sciences/The 9th chamber, leave you trapped inside my hallway/You try to flee but you got smoked up by the doorway (blaow! blaow! blaow!)/No question, I send your ass back, right to the essence/Your whole frame is smothered in dirt, now how you restin'/While I'll be trapped by sounds, locked behind loops/Throwin' niggaz off airplanes cause +Cash Rules/Everything Around Me+ black, as you can see/Swallow this murder one verse like God Degree/Then analyze my soundtrack for satisfaction/You adapt like a flashback chain reaction" 

- Ghostface Killah, "Criminology"

A Boy Named Goo (Warner Bros., 1995) by Goo Goo Dolls

John Rzeznik is a great songwriter.  He puts a lot of emotion into his writing, but doesn't come across as whiney or bitchy.  It is just soft-spoken introspection.  "Name" is a brilliant song and one of my favorites from the 90s.  ("Naked" is also a great song.)  Even though "Iris" shot them to superstardom a few years later, I don't think that would've been possible without  A Boy Named Goo because it skillfully combined their punk-rock beginnings with more mature writing which resulted an awesome "crossover over" album. Thus, proving the group had what it took to soon conquer mainstream without compromising what made them a unique band in the first place.  In other words, if Dizzy Up the Girl is Pulp Fiction, A Boy Named Goo is Reservoir Dogs.

Gangsta's Paradise (Tommy Boy, 1995) by Coolio

This is the album that got me interested in hip-hop.  "Gangsta's Paradise" is of course a big song, but it has a lot of sentimental value as well.  I'll never forget roller-skating parties in third-grade and the way everyone would react when that song came on.  But there are other strong points on this album as well, "Geto Highlites" is phenomenal with the Eazy-E and Magic Johnson references.  "Kinda High, Kinda Drunk" is a great party song, and "Bright As the Sun" is a solid song about the ghetto birds.  Even though he didn't say it as blatantly as N.W.A, don't get it twisted Coolio represented Compton too.  But he was able to have  fun as well, instead of just providing a soundtrack to chaos.

Dreaming of You (EMI, 1995) by Selena

I saw the movie Selena for the first time last night and was blown away (Jennifer Lopez is mesmerizing).  I was familiar with Selena's music to the extent of "I Could Fall in Love" and aware of her murder, but knew nothing beyond that.  Her story is inspiring and yet all too familiar: a young artist whose potential is tragically cut short.  But the music on this album is magic.  As manufactured as some may say it is, I respectfully disagree.  Selena's voice and spirit is a celebration of life.  Every time I hear "Dreaming of You", I get a little misty-eyed.  Not only do I think of the sad end of Selena, but imagine how special it must be to share with the world how much you love someone.