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Bedlam Ballroom - Squirrel Nut Zippers
Metascore
71 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
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  1. All Music Guide
    80
    Funky is the surprising quality of this work, which is why the album stands out among the group's past efforts.
  2. Rolling Stone
    70
    Bedlam Ballroom is one hell of a hot musical night out on the town.... the sort of jazzy, bluesy stew that made the Zippers so cutting in the first place -- untrendy roots music that somehow got trendy again at the end of the 20th century.
  3. CDNow
    70
    With Bedlam Ballroom, the Squirrel Nut Zippers sound rejuvenated. The musty '20s and '30s influences that made their previous endeavors sound occasionally laughable now crackle with ornery energy.
  4. Wall of Sound
    66
    This disc is all over the map, in terms of style, energy, and overall execution.... the band sounds fine but too often lapses into cuteness with songs that don't hold up beyond novelty appeal.
  5. Sonicnet
    60
    On their fourth album, Bedlam Ballroom, the Zippers have concocted another stew of lively dance music. Problem is, with so many people having jumped on the swing revival bandwagon, the group's new material sounds dated. And not in a good way, either -- it merely recalls a fad, rather than evoking the bevy of twentieth-century American music styles the Zippers have long been in love with.
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User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. AndyC.
    7
    It's a decent album, and if I hadn't heard what they're capable of in their middle two albums "Hot" and "Perennial Favorites", I may have rated it a bit higher. As it is, it's a bit of a disappointing return to a style similar to their first album rather than a furthering of the other two. As it stands, their best album is Perennial Favorites.… Full Review »