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
Best of the Decade
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
75
2562
54
30 Seconds to Mars
62
50 Cent
71
AC/DC
67
The Album Leaf
52
Kris Allen
68
Tori Amos
66
Animal Collective
84
Animal Collective![]()
77
Annie
57
Apse
63
Asobi Seksu
59
Bad Lieutenant
83
Julianna Barwick![]()
82
Beach House![]()
72
Beak>
72
Bibio
65
Justin Bieber
76
Biffy Clyro
74
Blakroc
75
Mary J. Blige
78
Blockhead
52
Bon Jovi
54
Susan Boyle
57
The Bravery
39
Chris Brown
64
V.V. Brown
70
Basia Bulat
79
Chew Lips
74
Citay
65
Clipse
66
Cold War Kids
75
The Cribs
58
Dashboard Confessional
81
Dave Rawlings Machine![]()
70
Delphic
78
The Doors
58
Echo & The Bunnymen
73
Edan
59
Editors
69
Eels
80
Felt
74
First Aid Kit
69
Flyleaf
83
Four Tet![]()
82
Ben Frost![]()
82
Fucked Up![]()
83
Charlotte Gainsbourg![]()
63
The Gilded Palace Of Sin
68
Githead
65
Joe Goddard
58
Good Shoes
72
Gucci Mane
75
Holopaw
82
Jesca Hoop![]()
79
Hot Chip
72
The Hot Rats
88
Ray Wylie Hubbard![]()
54
Hurricane Chris
66
Allison Iraheta
59
Jay Sean
82
Freedy Johnston![]()
57
Nick Jonas And The Administration
73
Norah Jones
49
Juvenile
58
Ke$ha
62
R. Kelly
66
Alicia Keys
68
Kid Sister
81
King Midas Sound![]()
63
Lady Antebellum
76
Lady GaGa
71
Adam Lambert
78
Lawrence Arabia
61
Leona Lewis
70
Lightspeed Champion
36
Lil Wayne
82
Lindstrom & Christabelle![]()
77
Lissie
78
Los Campesinos!
70
Lostprophets
73
Magnetic Fields
73
Massive Attack
64
John Mayer
71
Paul McCartney
58
Katherine McPhee
86
Memory Tapes![]()
74
Midlake
88
Motion City Soundtrack![]()
63
Mr. Hudson
53
Mudvayne
75
Oh No Ono
70
OK Go
72
Ola Podrida
61
OneRepublic
80
Owen Pallett
90
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers![]()
60
Pit Er Pat
63
Priestess
70
Radian
79
Corinne Bailey Rae
54
Rakim
79
Real Estate
77
Retribution Gospel Choir
76
Rihanna
64
Rjd2
65
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
80
Sade
77
Gil Scott-Heron
72
Shakira
82
Shining![]()
61
Snoop Dogg
62
Snow Patrol
71
The Soft Pack
80
Spoon
64
Ringo Starr
59
Stereophonics
76
Angie Stone
79
Surfer Blood
74
Switchfoot
75
Them Crooked Vultures
74
Robin Thicke
50
Timbaland
79
tUnE-YaRDs
80
Vampire Weekend
79
Laura Veirs
79
Tom Waits
78
Wale
66
Kanye West
76
The Whitefield Brothers
64
Robbie Williams
80
Yeasayer
62
Young Money
75
Neil Young
61
Rob Zombie
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Amazing Grace

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 28 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 17 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Sanctuary / Spaceman
Release Date: 09 September 2003
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Alternative, Rock
Summary
A quick follow-up by Spiritualized standards, 'Amazing Grace' finds Jason Pierce with a new record label (his own Spaceman Records imprint) and a more immediate, less orchestral sound than on 2001's 'Let It Come Down.'
Also By This Artist: Let It Come Down Songs in A&E
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...
Spin
Amazing Grace is at peak moments an amazingly graceful representation of MC5/Stooges skid marks on a psychedelic superhighway. [Oct 2003, p.112]
Uncut
Another Spiritualized album. Another great Spiritualized album. [Oct 2003, p.120]
Splendid
Indolent, perturbed and volatile, Amazing Grace finds Pierce checking his wide-screen Spectorian visions at the studio door; he has opted, instead, for a coarse mix of electrified Southern gospel and somnabulent balladeering that has produced the most urgent Spiritualized album since Electric Mainline.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
Review 1: He may well be repeating himself... but Spiritualized are still a force. Review 2: With Amazing Grace, Pierce has achieved a perfect balance between his traditional blues-rock leanings and his appetite for studio excess. [Score is an average of both reviews: 79 and 90]
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
[Pierce is] not averse to thrash; songs like "Never Going Back" find him crawling around in broken glass like Iggy, a supplicant for love. [12 Sep 2003, p.153]
Urb
Amazing Grace holds its place in the ever-evolving sound of one of the most momentous bands of the past decade. [Oct 2003, p.86]
Alternative Press
Pierce's organic approach on Grace makes the album feel exquisitely intimate, personable and warm. [Oct 2003, p.138]
Nude As The News
While the songs aren't that different from "classic" Spiritualized, the method in which they were recorded presents a whole new set of sonic possibilities.
Read Full Review >Outburn
The sound is taut and tough, with a much more spontaneous sound than previous efforts. [#23, p. 101]
Playlouder
More difficult when played initially, you will find yourself becoming immersed in it, a generous reward for your initial endeavours.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
Amazing Grace is loud, dirty, sloppy, and crude. But it rocks hard. [#5, p.103]
Mojo
For every song that reacts against the last album, another chimes perfectly with its mood of epic redemption. [Sep 2003, p.101]
PopMatters
It is a Spiritualized album in every sense of the word: bombastic, beautiful, energized, dynamic, and for some damn reason, just a little emotionless.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Even in its most inspired moments, Amazing Grace lacks the fiery intensity of any of Pierce's previous outings.
Read Full Review >Amazon.com
It may still sound beautiful, but too often Amazing Grace comes off as mere formula.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
Amazing Grace is far from a bad album, but it's not an especially compelling one, either.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
At its best, Amazing Grace® finds Pierce and his many supporting players piecing their disparate moods and sounds into moments of catharsis only Spiritualized could create. But too often, those ingredients are doled out separately, as the album jerks through jarringly integrated fragments that should have run together seamlessly.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
Much of 'Amazing Grace' is the tired evidence of a man rehashing the same ideas - rather than sounds and movements - like a robotic, assembly line Andy Warhol.
Read Full Review >Launch.com
The elements of free-jazz, mopey techno, and hypnotic riff rock find familiar combinations as Pierce's peace, love, and drugs philosophy takes on a perfunctory turn.
Read Full Review >Neumu.net
Pierce seems to have lost the magic that he once seemed in total command of.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
An orgy of harmonica, squalling guitar, plodding ballads and ill-fitting minimalist trousers. What on earth is going on? [Oct 2003, p.113]
Rolling Stone
The Bible talk and the vintage-guitar distortion sound so rote it's hard to imagine Pierce is baring his soul rather than just plumbing the depths of his record collection.
Read Full Review >Blender
The mood is too inconsistent to connect. [Oct 2003, p.127]
The Wire
This is drivel inflated to whole new levels of bombast. [#235, p.72]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 6.8 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Willie L gave it an8:
Whats wrong with you people? WHATS WRONG?! This is another wonderful album from Pierce. Sure, its no Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, but what is? Take to mind that illness disrupted this recording and the songs like Hold On, Oh Baby and Lord Let It Rain on me really have effect. A great album. If not their best. Plus a Spiritualized parody for you - "Lord, Im On Heroin". I thought it was funny...
wayne gave it a10:
i think it's one amazing,warm,meaningful film
Jon gave it a 7:
At first i didn't like the album as well, but over some time it's grown on me, still far from perfect, but it's got a handful of tracks to make it worth going back to
Paul T. gave it a 0:
dreadfully bad, boring and forgetable, this should of been just some free bonus disc of b-sides attached to one of their better discs, they shoulda shelved it, i'm sorry but this was a major disappointment.
Todd B. gave it a 0:
Dreadfully bad, it's only 43 minutes but it felt like forever.
Jon H gave it a 4:
I hate Rolling Stone Magazine, but i have to agree with them here, this album was a major let down, i found it to be dull, there's only a couple of good songs, that's it.
paul M gave it a 10:
Amazing
