Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
70
AFI
65
Air
71
Alice In Chains
77
Amerie
70
Anjulie
85
The Antlers
75
Arctic Monkeys
68
As Tall As Lions
82
Atlas Sound
75
The Avett Brothers
67
Backstreet Boys
56
Bad Lieutenant
68
Devendra Banhart
72
Lou Barlow
88
Baroness
69
Basement Jaxx
81
David Bazan
72
Brendan Benson
72
The Big Pink
96
Big Star
46
Billy Talent
75
The Black Crowes
51
Black Mold
59
Amanda Blank
68
Blitzen Trapper
75
BLK JKS
77
A.A. Bondy
73
The Bottle Rockets
63
Box Elders
65
Boys Like Girls
76
Brand New
73
Tyondai Braxton
87
Brother Ali
70
Ian Brown
75
Michael Buble
78
Built To Spill
61
Colbie Caillat
79
Califone
68
Mariah Carey
84
Brandi Carlile
73
Julian Casablancas
83
Rosanne Cash
69
Castanets
65
The Cave Singers
84
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
79
Vic Chesnutt
75
Choir Of Young Believers
81
Circulatory System
68
The Clean
84
The Clientele
71
Cobra Starship
85
Converge
71
Eric Copeland
80
Cymbals Eat Guitars
71
Datarock
59
Dead By Sunrise
76
Dead Man's Bones
64
Desolation Wilderness
88
Destroyer
63
The Dodos
77
Drive-By Truckers
74
The Duke & The King
66
Bob Dylan
44
The Entrance Band
67
Esser
69
Fanfarlo
63
Felix Da Housecat
68
Fink
78
The Flaming Lips
66
Flight Of The Conchords
79
Florence And The Machine
67
John Fogerty
77
Fruit Bats
83
Fuck Buttons
71
Nelly Furtado
47
Gary Go
68
Ghostface Killah
79
Girls
59
Gloriana
69
Gossip
62
David Gray
66
David Guetta
79
Richard Hawley
74
Mayer Hawthorne
66
Headlights
79
HEALTH
77
Joe Henry
66
Hockey
69
Whitney Houston
68
Imogen Heap
59
Jack Ingram
79
Islands
73
Jessie James
74
Jamie T
83
Japandroids
65
Jay-Z
51
Jet
69
Daniel Johnston
76
Karen O And The Kids
72
Toby Keith
69
Kid Cudi
65
Kings Of Convenience
62
Sean Kingston
64
KISS
76
Kris Kristofferson
68
KRS-One & Buckshot
76
La Roux
84
Miranda Lambert
72
Ledisi
75
Sondre Lerche
56
Juliette Lewis
82
Lightning Bolt
76
Lightning Dust
73
Little Dragon
44
Pixie Lott
73
Lyle Lovett
66
Lovvers
75
Baaba Maal
77
Madness
84
Madonna
85
Manic Street Preachers
62
Maps
55
Massive Attack
57
Matisyahu
67
Reba McEntire
66
Tim McGraw
65
Brian McKnight
79
Mew
77
Malcolm Middleton
77
Mika
68
Amy Millan
76
Mission Of Burma
73
Modest Mouse
76
Molina And Johnson
80
Monsters Of Folk
62
Morrissey
85
Mount Eerie
78
The Mountain Goats
62
Múm
72
Muse
66
Willie Nelson
78
Nirvana
97
Nirvana
72
Nisennenmondai
80
No Age
71
Noah And The Whale
75
Noisettes
79
Nudge
68
Nurses
47
Dolores O'Riordan
74
Os Mutantes
73
Osso
81
Owen
76
Paramore
76
Pastels And Tenniscoats
51
Sean Paul
80
Pearl Jam
66
Jemina Pearl
72
Jack Penate
65
Phish
82
Pissed Jeans
61
Pitbull
79
A Place To Bury Strangers
63
Julian Plenti
66
Robert Pollard
79
Polvo
72
Porcupine Tree
80
Q-Tip
80
R.E.M.
89
Raekwon
69
Rain Machine
70
Ramona Falls
75
Dizzee Rascal
75
The Raveonettes
76
Jay Reatard
82
Reigning Sound
81
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
79
Russian Circles
69
Buffy Sainte-Marie
73
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
61
Sally Shapiro
78
Shudder To Think
75
Sian Alice Group
70
Simian Mobile Disco
58
Simple Minds
72
Six Organs Of Admittance
69
Slaughterhouse
80
Slayer
61
The Slits
62
Mindy Smith
83
Solillaquists Of Sound
78
Soulsavers
77
Speech Debelle
58
Spiral Stairs
58
Squarepusher
55
Steel Panther
73
Sufjan Stevens
52
Rod Stewart
65
Joss Stone
75
George Strait
83
Barbra Streisand
76
A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74
Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
78
The Swell Season
76
David Sylvian
83
Taken By Trees
78
Tegan And Sara
68
The Temper Trap
72
Themselves
82
They Might Be Giants
67
Third Eye Blind
68
Throw Me The Statue
66
J Tillman
69
Times New Viking
57
Tokio Hotel
67
Trey Songz
71
The Twilight Sad
58
Carrie Underwood
56
The Used
68
Various Artists
70
Various Artists
74
Various Artists
77
The Very Best
71
Kurt Vile
67
Vivian Girls
71
Volcano Choir
76
Rufus Wainwright
59
Weezer
80
White Denim
76
Why?
83
Wild Beasts
80
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
59
Andrew W.K.
71
Patrick Wolf
67
Wolfmother
84
The xx
70
YACHT
75
Yim Yames
79
Yo La Tengo
83
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
51
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59
Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Blacklisted
Universal acclaim
Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 19 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Bloodshot
Release Date: 20 August 2002
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
Alt-country singer-songwriter Neko Case returns with her third solo album, after last appearing on the New Pornographers' acclaimed 'Mass Romantic" album. Here, the moody, cinematic music is provided by members of Calexico and Giant Sand.
Also By This Artist: Fox Confessor Brings The Flood Middle Cyclone The Tigers Have Spoken
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Stylus Magazine
While there is lots of good, even great music out there, not much of it even begins to touch Neko’s passion.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
In this trans-American setting, Case emerges as a roots powerhouse. [13 Sep 2002, p.156]
Dusted Magazine
Blacklisted rings with lost voices and strange journeys, and does a better job of balancing hope, innocence, and darkness than just about anything I’ve heard in a while.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
Her albums have matured exponentially with every release, and with Blacklisted, an album that will get your blood pumping and give you goosebumps at the same time, Neko Case emerges as a true original.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
Neko Case has crafted an album whose quiet drift only adds to its power; it's hard to say if hanging out with Nick Cave on tour had much of an influence on her, but this disc sounds a bit like Case's version of The Boatman's Call, a personal exploration of the heart and soul that proves sad and beautiful can often walk hand in hand.
Read Full Review >Village Voice
Blacklisted is soaked to the bone in rueful wit, luxurious miserablism, and morbid cold sweat—c&w virtues too often reduced to self-pity by lesser latter-day sweethearts of the rodeo.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
A rare record from an extraordinary artist, and one of the year's best.
Read Full Review >Splendid
If you take your pleasure from the sheer palpability of the music -- the way it walks icy fingers up and down your spine, and paints pictures in the air, so real you could step into them -- Blacklisted will enjoy a long, happy stay in your CD player.
Read Full Review >Uncut
A candidate for country album of the year. [Nov 2002, p.130]
The Onion (A.V. Club)
The songs are spectral, yearning, and a bit opaque, the kind of music appropriate for a bar in which everyone has had a few and feels no better for it.
Read Full Review >Mojo
She's one of a handful of people who could sing the telephone directory. [Dec 2002, p.115]
Spin
She treats Americana like a wellspring of weirdness, not a retro refuge. [Sep 2002, p.134]
Neumu.net
Blacklisted proves that Case's musicianship has evolved alongside her songwriting skills.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Blacklisted's accompaniment is roundly excellent and evocative, but Case's voice is what really sells the record.
Read Full Review >Nude As The News
Blacklisted is certainly a high-water mark for Case; a statement, if you will.
Read Full Review >Billboard
While much of "Blacklisted" is hyper-stylized, suited for playing against the backdrop of psychedelic sunsets that only exist in novels and movies, the album's heart remains Case's voice, as real and strong as they come.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
Case continues to refine her mix of alternative-country music and film-noir sensibility on Blacklisted.
Read Full Review >Blender
Case's own melodies aren't nearly as indelible as the country classics she's emulating. [#10, p.115]
Q Magazine
There are exquisite moments here, mostly the simpler ones, but not as many as there should be. [Dec 2002, p.100]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 19 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Kellan gave it a10:
Neko Case is out of control. This is the third album I've bought, and I just keep getting drawn further and further in by that voice and those creepy, creepy lyrics. I think I'm working backwards chronologically, which is fine by me, as long as there's still more by her out there to get my hands on.
What gave it a10:
Neko Case possesses the best voice in music today. So powerful and emotional, yet she can be restrained and wistful and still move me. I get chills down my spine everytime I hear her boom "deep red bells" from the song of the same name, and tears in my eyes during the soft ballad "I Wish I Was the Moon." I'm not normally a country fan, but this is what real country should sound like. Not Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, or Big & Rich (puke), but Johnny Cash. Loretta Lynn. Patsy Cline. Old school. If you're looking for what Nashville craps out onto the airwaves nowadays, you won't find it here. Just a helluva singer singing her heart out.
Kate B gave it a 10:
I'm With Jenz F - screw Pam W, I have fallen in love with Neko Case. At first I only liked track 11 on Blacklisted, but now I love the whole album. It goes down as one of my all time favorite albums. #5, #1 and #11 are classics.
Andrew D gave it a 10:
I heard track #7 late at night on NPR while on a 1100 mile trip back home, somewhere on route 85 in North Carolina. It was better than 20 cups of black coffee, and the rest of the CD is right there with it. A fullblown winner. Haunting.
Jenz F gave it an 8:
Good record, moody and consistent. Case's lyrics and vocal style please me. To Pat W., Maybe Nashville won't bite and thank God for that, it sounds like you bite Nashville's ass anyway.
Stephen B gave it a 10:
How could something of such beautiful, lyrical and even nostalgic yearning also seem so pee-in-your pants scary and defiant? This album has left echoes banging around in my head for days now. Holy moses, I think I'm in love with this woman!
pat w gave it a 1:
Oh dear, can't anybody get past her once good looks to actually admit this is boring, derivative and terribly sugar coated. Tell me, if you market yourself as "so authenticly country-Cline" why do you go out of your way to sound so brown-nosedly radio friendly... Nashville ain't gonna bite, not because you are oh so tragically authentic, but because you did your putting out in the old indie-punk rock biz when you were still a cute and fresh drummer.
