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Rain On The City
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 11 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 4 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Bar None
Release Date: 12 January 2010
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Country, Alternative
Summary
The first album of new studio material in nine years for the singer-songwriter was produced by Richard McLaurin.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
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...
Los Angeles Times
Johnston's best songs remind us that every mirror, like every voice, is always in danger of cracking. But that doesn't take anything away from the beauty of our illusions.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
Your gratitude for his economical writing may overcome your wonderment over why something so modest took so long.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
Rain on the City lacks the consistency of Johnston's masterpiece, "Can You Fly," or its follow-up, "This Perfect World," but unlike the albums that followed, this collection is a beautiful example of Johnston playing to his strengths and reminding us why he's one of the best and most singular American songwriters at work today.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe
Freedy Johnston last released an album of new music in 2001 (he put out an engaging covers collection in 2008), but the years since have yielded a gorgeous pop record.
Read Full Review >Spin
As he has for two decades, singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston plays the unreliable narrator in this exquisitely unsettling folk-rock collection.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Rain is a fetching guitar-pop wonder, a melodic feastm blending vintage Marshall Crenshaw-like hooks with elegant, acoustic scenes-in-miniature. [Mar 2010, p.89]
Billboard.com
Johnston delivers another album of nuanced and evocative tunes laced with vivid imagery and emotional depth.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
Here's a welcome return, as the underrated singer/songwriter went eight years between releases of original material. That's far too long for someone of Johnston's skill, but Rain On The City nearly makes up for the gap. [Holiday 2009, p.83]
PopMatters
Overall, Rain on the City splits a workable difference between Johnston’s instinct to slow things down and a toe-tapper now and then.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
It's pretty good. That much anyone aware of Johnston's past highpoints probably could have predicted.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
There’s nothing really wrong with a single one of them. The problem is that fans of Johnston’s music have been here before.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Brian G. gave it a9:
Very solid, enjoyable listen.
Rick V. gave it an8:
I've missed Freedy's songs during the long hiatus between this CD and 2001's "Right Between the Promises." Anyone who thought the delay might mean a shift in style will be disappointed, but they shouldn't be. This one has some tunes that will grab you right away, but most of them need a little time to work their magic. In this respect, the CD is not unlike 1999's "Blue Days Black Nights." Johnston remains a first-rate songwriter and this CD is fine testimony to his enduring strengths. Let's hope the next one comes out in six months.
Brent G. gave it an8:
Freedy is back, sounding very much like Freedy. And we've missed ya.
