Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

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

sort by namesort by score

62 50 Cent
70 AFI
65 Air
70 Alice In Chains
53 Kris Allen
78 Amerie
79 Annie
76 Anti-Pop Consortium
86 The Antlers
75 Arctic Monkeys
68 As Tall As Lions
82 Atlas Sound
77 The Avett Brothers
67 Backstreet Boys
59 Bad Lieutenant
68 Devendra Banhart
71 Lou Barlow
88 Baroness
69 Basement Jaxx
81 David Bazan
72 Beak>
72 Brendan Benson
84 Biffy Clyro
72 The Big Pink
95 Big Star
46 Billy Talent
75 The Black Crowes
72 The Black Heart Procession
68 Blitzen Trapper
75 BLK JKS
53 Bon Jovi
76 A.A. Bondy
65 Boys Like Girls
76 Brand New
73 Tyondai Braxton
83 Brother Ali
72 Ian Brown
75 Michael Buble
77 Built To Spill
61 Colbie Caillat
78 Califone
69 Mariah Carey
81 Brandi Carlile
72 Julian Casablancas
83 Rosanne Cash
71 Castanets
65 The Cave Singers
82 Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
64 Exene Cervenka
79 Vic Chesnutt
75 Choir Of Young Believers
81 Circulatory System
67 The Clean
84 The Clientele
72 Cold Cave
85 Converge
71 Eric Copeland
76 The Cribs
79 Cymbals Eat Guitars
62 Dashboard Confessional
71 Datarock
59 Dead By Sunrise
76 Dead Man's Bones
77 Del The Funky Homosapien & Tame One
88 Destroyer
73 Do Make Say Think
63 The Dodos
77 Drive-By Truckers
67 Bob Dylan
58 Echo & The Bunnymen
61 Electric Six
44 The Entrance Band
69 Fanfarlo
71 Jay Farrar And Benjamin Gibbard
63 Felix Da Housecat
68 Fink
66 Orenda Fink
79 The Flaming Lips
66 Flight Of The Conchords
79 Florence And The Machine
67 John Fogerty
83 Fuck Buttons
71 Nelly Furtado
47 Gary Go
68 Ghostface Killah
79 Girls
69 Gossip
62 David Gray
66 David Guetta
65 Calvin Harris
79 Richard Hawley
74 Mayer Hawthorne
66 Headlights
79 HEALTH
77 Joe Henry
67 Hockey
67 Whitney Houston
80 Hudson Mohawke
68 Imogen Heap
59 Jack Ingram
79 Islands
74 Jamie T
65 Jay-Z
51 Jet
68 Daniel Johnston
76 Norah Jones
77 Karen O And The Kids
72 Toby Keith
69 Kid Cudi
75 Kid Sister
66 Kings Of Convenience
62 Sean Kingston
64 KISS
63 Mark Knopfler
73 Kris Kristofferson
68 KRS-One & Buckshot
76 La Roux
85 Miranda Lambert
72 Ledisi
71 Sondre Lerche
56 Juliette Lewis
62 Leona Lewis
82 Lightning Bolt
74 Little Dragon
44 Pixie Lott
83 Patty Loveless
73 Lyle Lovett
79 Lucero
75 Baaba Maal
77 Madness
84 Madonna
85 Manic Street Preachers
61 Maps
73 Mario
55 Massive Attack
57 Matisyahu
62 John Mayer
67 Reba McEntire
66 Tim McGraw
65 Brian McKnight
79 Mew
75 Mika
68 Amy Millan
76 Mission Of Burma
75 Molina And Johnson
80 Monsters Of Folk
66 Morrissey
85 Mount Eerie
76 The Mountain Goats
62 Múm
72 Muse
66 Willie Nelson
82 Nirvana
96 Nirvana
80 No Age
71 Noah And The Whale
75 Noisettes
79 Nudge
64 OneRepublic
47 Dolores O'Riordan
74 Os Mutantes
78 Osso
67 Alec Ounsworth
81 Owen
73 Paramore
78 Pastels And Tenniscoats
54 Sean Paul
80 Pearl Jam
69 Jemina Pearl
72 Jack Penate
65 Phish
82 Pissed Jeans
61 Pitbull
79 A Place To Bury Strangers
79 Polvo
72 Porcupine Tree
72 Port O'Brien
79 Q-Tip
79 R.E.M.
88 Raekwon
69 Rain Machine
70 Ramona Falls
75 Dizzee Rascal
74 The Raveonettes
79 Real Estate
76 Jay Reatard
81 Rodrigo Y Gabriela
66 Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
78 Russian Circles
69 Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
78 Say Anything
61 Sally Shapiro
78 Shudder To Think
70 Simian Mobile Disco
58 Simple Minds
72 Six Organs Of Admittance
80 Slayer
61 The Slits
78 Soulsavers
77 Speech Debelle
58 Spiral Stairs
58 Squarepusher
55 Steel Panther
75 Sufjan Stevens
52 Rod Stewart
68 Joss Stone
83 Barbra Streisand
77 A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74 Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
79 The Swell Season
80 David Sylvian
83 Taken By Trees
80 Tegan And Sara
68 The Temper Trap
78 The Dutchess & The Duke
71 The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
74 Them Crooked Vultures
72 Themselves
82 They Might Be Giants
67 Third Eye Blind
66 J Tillman
69 Times New Viking
57 Tokio Hotel
67 Trey Songz
73 Frank Turner
71 The Twilight Sad
60 Carrie Underwood
56 The Used
68 Various Artists
69 Various Artists
77 The Very Best
70 Kurt Vile
65 Vivian Girls
71 Volcano Choir
73 Rufus Wainwright
78 Wale
57 Weezer
81 White Denim
76 Why?
83 Wild Beasts
80 Wildbirds & Peacedrums
69 Robbie Williams
59 Andrew W.K.
65 Wolfmother
84 The xx
79 Yo La Tengo
83 Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
52 Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59 Zero 7

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Fishscale

EMAILPRINTby Ghostface Killah

Ghostface Killah reviews
88
8.7 User Score:

Album Info

Label: Def Jam

Release Date: 28 March 2006

Discs: 1 disc

Genre(s): Rap

Summary

MF Doom, Madlib and Pete Rock lend their production talents to the Wu-Tang member's fifth solo outing, which includes a collaboration with Ne-Yo.

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...

100

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Sure, Fishscale has its share of pointless skits. But that's what the fast-forward button is for, just as the play button seems to have been designed specifically to let people listen to Fishscale over and over again.

Read Full Review >
100

NOW Magazine

This is Ghostface's best album.

Read Full Review >
100

Village Voice (Consumer Guide)

The stories are as vivid, brutal, and thought-out as any noir.

Read Full Review >
91

Spin

Toning down his oddball style and ramping up his storytelling, he drops a pusher’s odyssey as developed and cinematic as any Scorsese joint.

Read Full Review >
91

Entertainment Weekly

He may not be reinventing himself, but as a must-hear street storyteller, he's still at the top of his game. [31 Mar 2006, p.64]

91

Stylus Magazine

Fishscale intermingles skewed narratives, expert guest choices, exquisitely conflicting production, and a concept and focus—the drug trade is the near exclusive subject mater—that, while somewhat reductive in scope, sharpens the album into an immense, furious, and focused album.

Read Full Review >
90

Pitchfork

Fishscale reiterates with cinematic verve that the most vital current Wu Tang Clan member's storytelling can match Biggie's in both excitement and humor. Yet Ghost's songs are unrelenting in their slavishness to density and credibility, and that can turn off casual listeners even as it intoxicates hip-hop purists.

Read Full Review >
90

All Music Guide

The scenarios he recounts are as detailed and off-the-wall as ever, elaborate screenplays laid out with a vocal style that's ceaselessly fluid and never abrasive.

Read Full Review >
90

Billboard

Overall, "Fishscale" is strong, with archetypal beats creating the definitive Ghost. [1 Apr 2006]

90

Dusted Magazine

I'd be surprised if anybody, in any field, drops something this potent in the next nine months.

Read Full Review >
90

Dot Music

"Fishscale" is a purist's delight, an album seemingly crafted solely for those who've been chasing his maverick tail for the past decade.

Read Full Review >
90

Village Voice

Ghost's Fishscale is the most creative album to come out of New York hiphop since his own 2000 Supreme Clientele.

Read Full Review >
90

Delusions of Adequacy

Ghost is at the top of his game, both in terms of flow and lyrical luminosity.

Read Full Review >
90

Lost At Sea

This will most likely be the best hip-hop album of the year as well as a contender for best overall album of the year.

Read Full Review >
90

Q Magazine

He remains rap's finest storyteller. [Jun 2006, p.115]

88

Los Angeles Times

Will certainly stand as one of the best rap albums of the year. [26 Mar 2006]

85

RapReviews.com

Ghost continues his tradition of being the Wu's most consistant soloist.

Read Full Review >
83

cokemachineglow

It isn’t the street rap of Ironman, it isn’t an exercise in abstract lyricism akin to Supreme Clientele, or the partially-focused and repeatedly disappointing Bulletproof Wallets. Regardless of that, the album captures exactly that Ghostface Killah is and has been over his past four records.

Read Full Review >
80

Vibe

The sample-heavy results are cohesive yet diverse, a proper canvas for Ghost's finest effort since Supreme Clientele. [Apr 2006, p.151]

80

Amazon.com

This is his best since [Supreme Clientele].

Read Full Review >
80

ShakingThrough.net

On balance, Fishscale earns its street-cred stripes and adds another worthy release to the Great Wu-Tang Best Solo Effort debate.

Read Full Review >
80

Prefix Magazine

Another great release from the most important emcee in hip-hop.

Read Full Review >
80

The New York Times

This album doesn't match the weird, woozy brilliance of "Supreme Clientele," from 2000, and there are a few too many guest verses from rappers who don't come close to upstaging their host. Still, this might surpass his 2004 CD, "The Pretty Toney Album," though it's too early to tell: when you get a new Ghostface Killah album, the only reasonable reaction is to get lost in it. [27 Mar 2006]

80

Rolling Stone

Ghostface's emotionally charged stream-of-consciousness flow is as off-the-wall and amazing as it's ever been.

Read Full Review >
80

Blender

Strange, spooky and brilliant. [Apr 2006, p.114]

80

PopMatters

Fishscale owes a large part of its success to Ghostface’s vivid storytelling.

Read Full Review >
80

Uncut

A couple of missteps aside, this is Ghost's best since that '96 debut, Ironman. [Jun 2006, p.102]

80

Mojo

Delivers a top-grade high. [Jun 2006, p.104]

80

Urb

Frankly, this record makes me wish I could snort bass lines through my ear holes. [Apr 2006, p.84]

70

Observer Music Monthly

Ghostface is in typically brutal form.

Read Full Review >
60

Tiny Mix Tapes

Fishscale is a confusing journey: far from a disappointment, it breathes new life into the legacy of Ghostface without blowing too hard, and for that we should be thankful. But to champion his latest as equal or, god forbid, superior to past albums in any way, shape, or form is laughable, as years-removed and repeated listens will bear out.

Read Full Review >
40

Austin Chronicle

Fishscale's tail-end reeks ("Jellyfish," "Big Girl," "Momma"), but then first cuts are always the deepest.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 66 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Miguel A gave it a9:
Not the best rap album of the year. I still have trouble choosing between this and Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury. But, man.... This is a good album. The beats are dope and Ghost just does his thing like usual. There are NO weak songs on the whole album, but the skits suck (Ghost never was good at skits). So, out of al the good songs (there are no bad ones) of course there are the classics. You'll have to listen and find them yourself. It's your opinion.

David gave it a10:
Earns its spot with the all-time greats. Chock-full of brilliant songs, all fully fleshed out, memorable and emotionally affecting. Sure it has a few skits but they're short as hell. There's just too many quality cuts here to count. Ghostface is a legend.

Aaron gave it a9:
The Austin Chronicle gets this one very wrong. 2 of the 3 songs called out as weak are some of the best on the album and best of that year. This is what hip hop is all about.

Krish B. gave it a10:
Best album since his debut Ironman. Production is top notch with producers like J Dilla, Pete Rock, MF Doom and Just Blaze who provide an amazing drop in which Ghostface comes of extremely hard with striking, sharp lyrics. Features guest apperances with Raekwon, Cappadonna, Trife, Ne-Yo etc. Best cut on the album is definitely R.A.G.U.

Mike C gave it a10:
Only the most skilled in the business could pull off an album like this. It blows away every other hip-hop album released in 06.

lazy assed criminal milkweed gave it a10:
ill ass shit hate these niggas who think they know what hip-hop is its not music its a lifestyle man dont diss what u dont understand. I FUCKIN MISS WU-TANG CLAN AND THE FACT THEY HELPED HIM OUT MAN FUCKERS ARE AWESOME DAM. but anyway peace out. WU-TANG CLAN AINT NOTHIN TO FUCK WIT

CASTRO R gave it a10:
Ghost was the very 1st person to rhyme on the Wu's 1st album. At that point in time he really didn't grab me. Method was baskin in the lite back then. I was on the westside hiway w/ my cousin when Supreme Clientele dropped, and I first heard in my car. It was live, but I really didn't pay much attention to it. My cousin was more up on Ghost back then, than myself. It must have been around 2002 I purchased Supreme Clientele(One of the best albums in music of all time!). I payed attention to Ghost, and it was sick! Every album he has put out is fly. I have them all, plus his mixed tapes. Ghost's skill as a rapper is off the scales. I 1st heard Kilo on the underground. I was glad to hear him again, and not shocked about how fly the song was/is. I couldn't wait for his album to drop. The entire Fishscale is Fly. It captures the essence of rap music. I can tell he was raised on the same radio rap shows that I would listen to when I was 12- til today. I always admire his flavor. None of his music is for wack. Shame the masses don't buy his albums, as they do for other rappers of a lesser calibur. His albums are like jewels that are yet to have been appreciated by the mainstream mass. This album was surely one of the top 5 albums of 2006.

Read more user comments >

Popular on CBS sites: SEC Football | NFL | Video Game Cheats | iPhone | Video Game Reviews | Notebooks | Antivirus Software

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use