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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Graduation
by Kanye West
| LABEL: |
Roc-A-Fella |
| RELEASE DATE: |
11 September 2007 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Rap |
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
Stylus Magazine
Musically, at least, it’s the most accomplished thing he’s ever done.
91
MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)
Every single track offers up its momentary pleasures--choruses that make you say yeah on songs you've already found wanting, confessional details and emotional aperçus on an album that still reduces to quality product when they're over.
91
Lost At Sea
Weighed and measured, Graduation is easily the best rap album this year.
90
Hot Press
West crosses genres with wilful and speedy abandon, taking the listener on an epic quest where the journey is just as enjoyable and unpredictable as the destination.
90
Rolling Stone
On Graduation, West tries hard to address the problems on his first two albums, and succeeds: The new disc is tighter than "Late Registration" (fifty-one minutes long), with no skits (thank heavens) and less ornate production.
89
Austin Chronicle
Chicagoan West innovatively samples Elton John ('Good Morning'), imports Coldplay's Chris Martin for the 'Homecoming' hook, and plays to Young Jeezy's ad-libbing ability on 'Can't Tell Me Nothing.' Lyrically, West sticks to his "I'm so self-conscious" tip, but unlike 50, he knows his rhyme schemes.
88
Los Angeles Times
The bliss that does surface on Graduation is all in the grooves, which range further than West has ever gone before.
87
Pitchfork
While it might not be as substantial a record as we're used to hearing from him, it is his greatest leap forward, and further proof that few are as skilled at tracing out the complicated contours of pride, success and ambition as he is.
85
Prefix Magazine
West's writing and delivery has improved since "The College Dropout," though they're still marked by both a cleverness and a clumsiness.
83
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Fascinatingly flawed, Graduation finds an imperfect man seeking, and occasionally finding, perfection in his music.
80
The Guardian
Still, the music is never timid or conventional. Only as a lyricist does West sometimes disappoint.
80
NOW Magazine
West delivers another failsafe collection of sharp, soulful songs, exposing his new affinity for synths and electronic drums while adding new lyrical ground to that campus-sized ego.
80
PopMatters
He sounds less like he’s pushing to create something epic, and at that he succeeds--as good as Graduation is, it doesn’t have the larger-than-life presence of "Late Registration." It’s more manageable, more everyday.
80
All Music Guide
Graduation is neither as bold nor as scattered as "The College Dropout," and it's neither as extroverted nor as sonically rich as "Late Registration." Kanye still makes up for his shortcomings as an MC and lyricist by remaining charmingly clumsy, frequently dealing nonsense through suspect rhyme schemes.
80
Billboard
An impressively creative hip-hop album that will hopefully inspire West's peers to try new sonic avenues.
80
Observer Music Monthly
The best track on this typically polished but ultimately quite disturbing album (the back-to-basics self-examination of 'Everything I Am') is a brave attempt to confront such uncertainties head on.
80
Spin
West's third album is memerizing and alienating, like all the purest forms of pop culture. [Nov 2007, p.114]
70
New York Magazine
Per Vulture, the Curtis-shaming Graduation "has better songs waiting in the wings. Bonus: No Jamie Foxx!"
70
No Ripcord
While another concise and accomplished release from an immensely talented rapper, it fails to really deliver the one thing Kanye’s always excelled at: beauty.
70
Dot Music
The album lacks the flab of previous efforts and, where he's been guilty of hiding behind guests before, the contributions are (perhaps inadvisably in retrospect) kept to a minimum. Sadly though, the grandstanding and chest beating take their toll on both Graduation's aesthetic and the listener's patience.
70
RapReviews.com
Graduation is neat, tidy, formal, but lacking in personality.
70
Village Voice
Grating bouts of narcissism aside, Graduation contains killer pieces of production: 'Stronger' uses Daft Punk's 'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger' to practically revive Eurodisco, while 'Champion' snarkily snatches its hook from Steely Dan's 'Kid Charlemagne.'
69
cokemachineglow
Thing is, though, that for every failure Graduation puts me through it has many a saving merit that only the nigh witless audacity of Kanye West could afford
67
Entertainment Weekly
West's vocal mediocrity wouldn't be so glaring if the production were more of a diversion. There are no truly tragic compositions on Graduation--though the droning ''Drunk and Hot Girls'' could have been half as irritating at twice the speed--but most of the music just seems uninspired.
60
Slant Magazine
Graduation is worth note in the sense that it offers proof Kanye isn't on the five-year plan (The College Dropout registered in 2004), but I'm sort of looking forward to hearing the next album built around the disillusionment of his first entry-level position.
60
New Musical Express
Despite its five or six great tracks, Graduation feels more and more like the work of a follower, not a leader.
60
Tiny Mix Tapes
Like a good term paper, much of Graduation sounds great in theory but flounders in its execution.
60
Mojo
The album sounds squashed and claustrophobic, but lacks the sense of play that still characterises his clever, incident-packed rhymes. [Oct 2007, p.106]
60
Q Magazine
Graduation is mercifully skit-free, but it still feels insubstantial to West. [Oct 2007, p.95]
40
Sputnikmusic
Graduation is consistent, yes, but it’s consistently boring.
40
Drowned In Sound
At heart, he’s still a producer not a rapper (which explains how badly he hits the mic at times, more on that later). He’s got that hit-making part down pat... it’s just that he can’t make good hits anymore.
The average user rating for this album is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 184 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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