Michael Erlewine

Show me a better one. Pandora.com is a music recommendation service, not an encyclopedia, fool. And it's only available in the US. The only bad things I can say about Allmusic is that its coverage of non-Anglo artists can have weird gaps, and that the way they push those "moods" is kind of ridiculous. David Bowie is "Brooding
Clinical
Eccentric
Eerie
Stylish
Bravado
Cerebral
Complex
Detached
Dramatic
Elegant
Enigmatic
Exciting
Literate
Lush
Nocturnal
Playful
Provocative
Quirky
Rebellious"

And Leonard Cohen is show more "Literate
Reflective
Cerebral
Intimate
Poignant
Sensual
Wistful
Austere
Autumnal
Bittersweet
Complex
Gloomy
Melancholy
Romantic
Sardonic
Somber
Weary
Wry
Sad"

Michael Bolton is "Romantic
Sensual
Sentimental
Theatrical
Amiable/Good-Natured
Earnest
Passionate
Bittersweet
Confident
Dramatic
Gutsy
Intimate
Melancholy
Plaintive
Reflective
Rousing
Sophisticated
Uplifting
Laid-Back/Mellow
Poignant" and Diamanda Galas is "Spooky
Angst-Ridden
Confrontational
Intense
Provocative
Dramatic
Difficult
Harsh
Menacing
Ominous
Visceral
Theatrical". Actually, "moods" are kinda great. Oh! but there's the thing where they only rate artists against themselves and you want some canonicity. show less

The first and best of these guides. Though the number of albums listed can be annoyingly few for some artists, the reviews tend to be a lot better than in later editions--partially because this was written before AMG reviews were conceived primarily as enticements to buy; partially because the reviewers and licensed reviews were just plain better than they've become. Reviewer favorite albums in the front is a good feature they should have stuck with.

Though the editors leave out bands, here and there, and give skimpy reviews for groups they don't care for (like ELO), they are a continuing source of help when I'm trying to find unfamiliar bands to check out. Their analysis of genres is thorough.

It's got some errors and it's more than a little out-dated now, but my dog-eared copy has sent me down more than one musical rabbit-hole over the years.