29
by Ryan Adams
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Uncut
    100
    Nope, this is not easy listening, yet he's never made a more beautiful album. [Jan 2006, p.108]
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  2. cokemachineglow
    90
    Taken all together, 29 is a staggering piece.
  3. Dot Music
    90
    At last Ryan Adams has made a record every bit as good as his heroes.
  5. Q Magazine
    90
    This is Adams at his most concise and focused. [Jan 2006, p.122]
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  6. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    Adams has stripped most of '29''s tracks down to spare, brittle bones.
  7. Los Angeles Times
    75
    It's hard to tell through this supremely dark group of songs whether you're listening to a work of art or a cry for help. [20 Dec 2005]
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  8. The A.V. Club
    75
    His music takes some sifting, but the gold always glitters.
  9. Amazon.com
    70
    He continues to take chances and not all of them pay off.
  10. The New York Times
    70
    Cohesive in its fragility. [19 Dec 2005]
  11. Pitchfork
    68
    Self-serious and wildly inconsistent (in both ingenuity and style), 29 is hard to swallow without acknowledging and appreciating the record's overarching storyline: getting through your twenties is way hard.
  12. Entertainment Weekly
    67
    The net effect is something close to that produced by Bob Dylan's '75 depresso classic Blood on the Tracks (although even the best stuff here isn't quite in that league). [23 Dec 2005, p.79]
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  13. E! Online
    67
    He fails to come up with an album that keeps up the standard set here by a couple of standout tracks such as "Strawberry Wine" and "Nightbirds."
  14. Stylus Magazine
    67
    This is probably the least fun of all his albums, but also among his most rewarding.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 58 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 58
  3. Negative: 2 out of 58
  1. chrisa
    May 12, 2007
    10
    You can judge this album in many ways, but go lie on your bed, at 2.30 in the morning, turn off your light, and just listen. you will then You can judge this album in many ways, but go lie on your bed, at 2.30 in the morning, turn off your light, and just listen. you will then hear the brilliance… Full Review »
  2. js
    Apr 18, 2007
    10
    lyrically amazing. brilliant.
  3. TheDaveHimself
    Aug 6, 2011
    9
    This is where he may have peaked. Great selection of songs, all blending well with one another. Complete record from head to toe. Moody,This is where he may have peaked. Great selection of songs, all blending well with one another. Complete record from head to toe. Moody, atmospheric, it almost reminds me of a Neil Young album. Say, After the Gold Rush. I don't know. I love both.… Full Review »
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