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
75 Arctic Monkeys
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>
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
82 Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
64 Exene Cervenka
79 Vic Chesnutt
81 Circulatory System
67 The Clean
84 The Clientele
72 Cold Cave
85 Converge
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
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
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
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
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
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
80 Pearl Jam
69 Jemina Pearl
65 Phish
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
75 Dizzee Rascal
74 The Raveonettes
79 Real Estate
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
80 Slayer
61 The Slits
58 Spiral Stairs
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
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.

The Animal Years

EMAILPRINTby Josh Ritter

Josh Ritter reviews
80
9.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 13 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 26 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >

Album Info

Label: V2

Release Date: 11 April 2006

Discs: 1 disc

Genre(s): Indie, Rock, Singer-Songwriter

Summary

Brian Deck (Modest Mouse) produced the Idaho singer-songwriter's fourth album and major-label debut.

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...

91

Entertainment Weekly

He finally has the sumptuous, sweeping arrangements to go along with his ruminative road stories and stream-of-consciousness, Dylanesque folk. [14 Apr 2006, p.86]

91

The Onion (A.V. Club)

An album that sounds simultaneously deeply personal and in tune with confusing times.

Read Full Review >
80

Prefix Magazine

The Animal Years feels effortless.

Read Full Review >
80

All Music Guide

While he retains his literate tongue and expressive voice, there is far less humor on Animal Years than on his previous two outings.

Read Full Review >
80

Mojo

Despite having some of Ritter's least introspective lyrics, there are some of his most emotionally affecting songs. [Apr 2006, p.98]

80

The Guardian

His voice - think Springsteen without the gruffness, or maybe a meat-eating James Taylor - is more intimate than ever.

Read Full Review >
80

Q Magazine

Melodic, understated, yet with much natural warmth too, Ritter's time has surely come. [Apr 2006, p.119]

70

Uncut

There's a tendency to drift rather than fully engage, but... "Wolves" and... "Thin Blue Line"... dazzle with poetic imagery and invention. [Apr 2006, p.102]

70

The New York Times

Through previous albums, his love songs and narratives have grown ever more phantasmagorical, and now he's writing oracular meditations. Love and war, faith and music, restlessness and a longing for home pervade his new songs, which might turn pretentious if they weren't so grounded in folky melody. [10 Apr 2006]

70

Under The Radar

There's something subtly majestic and quitely engaging about the music of Josh Ritter. [#13, p.88]

60

Slant Magazine

Animal Years sounds unsettled: the arrangements are far too bombastic for this record's purposes.

Read Full Review >
58

Stylus Magazine

On the whole, Animal Years seems dashed off. Of course, dashed off by a clever songwriter with a helluva voice makes Animal Years a decent album.

Read Full Review >
52

cokemachineglow

He establishes grand lyrical arches, overworked symbols, and Deep Meaning. Problem is, he forgets any of the emotion, realism, or originality that would make anyone care.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 26 User Votes

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

Patrick gave it a10:
Exceptional! I bought the CD after hearing "Girl In the War" on the radio. The song really caught my ear and I was intrigued with the lyrics. After listening to a few more cuts on I-tunes I decided to buy the CD. I'm extremely glad I did! I love this CD! I am now a Josh Ritter fan and can't wait to hear his next effort.

Trip S gave it a10:
Best CD of 2006, hands down, and Ritter's breakthrough album.

Andrew G gave it a9:
Truly magnificent, surely the top of the pile of the recent surge of american singer-songwriters. Ritter has an increadible melodic and lyrical ability with just enough injection of personality to set him apart from his contemery. Surely this is his time.

Garth E gave it a7:
Strong-yes, different-not so much. Typifies the singer-songwriter but doesn't expand on it. If you buy this Album, which is worth several or more listens, do not buy Jason Collett's debut, as Ritter's could easly fall by the wayside. Like it, not in a love sort of way.

kevin t gave it an8:
A great album. Girl in the War and Thin Blue Line are worth the purchase alone. Saw him live recently and he was excellent. Full of emotion.

Rickard B gave it an8:
A very good record. I really enjoyed the last three albums, and this is surely as good as the others, which means its great!

brian c gave it a10:
great album that i recommend to all my friends. lyrics touch important and timely topics

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