- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Before the Poison is poetic and unnerving; it stands alone in her catalog in the same way that Broken English did -- but this time, on the other side of the mirror.
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This may not be a perfect album, but it is affecting and haunting.
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UncutProbably the most potent album she's made since Broken English. [Nov 2004, p.102]
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It is simply a stunning accomplishment.
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MojoA classic work...together [her collaborators] have created a near perfect, and wonderfully paced, stage for the singer. [Oct 2004, p.112]
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Q MagazineThe worthiest addition yet to her legendary status. [Nov 2004, p.119]
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New Musical Express (NME)Skip ["Last Song" and "Desperanto"], and you've something very much like a classic. [9 Oct 2004, p.57]
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The combination often proves too bleak.
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Faithfull's most stylistically cohesive album for some time.
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She keeps good company these days, and it spills over into her music in the best way possible.
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SpinThe grimy, blues-black nuggets [PJ Harvey] pounds into armor for Faithfull are song-for-song stronger than Harvey's own 2004 album, Uh Huh Her.... But Cave's songs are a little too pitch-perfect. [Jan 2005, p.96]
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Entertainment Weekly[Harvey's] raw, blues-tinged tracks greedily indulge Faithfull's exquisitely tattered voice. [28 Jan 2005, p.84]
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The WireThe five tracks penned and played on by PJ Harvey... reverberate with all the dark, elastic abrasion of PJ's best work. [#248, p.66]
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Most of the songs are elegiac, and Ms. Faithfull infuses them with desolate memories. [31 Jan 2005]
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Though Poison is uneven, with all the warmth of a winter night, Faithfull's rasp and limited vocal range are stylish enough to carry her through.
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BlenderFaithfull could use more stories to work with: she's a better singer of narratives than exotic phrases. [Mar 2005, p.140]
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FilterHer tragic musings finally receive the perfect accompaniment. [#14, p.105]
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She etches out a style that is as feeble as it is vicious. And she owns it, her voice only an assurance of just how cool she really is.
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This winning collaborative combination makes "Before the Poison" even stronger than its 2002 predecessor, "Kissin' Time," but with production and arrangements that are minimalist, dark and desolate.
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Los Angeles TimesHarvey generally toils in the realm of cathartic release, but Faithfull mingles in her cabaret/chanteuse qualities to create a subdued tension. [23 Jan 2005]
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Before The Poison isn’t flashy, and it’s likely to get overlooked, but it may just be the single best album Marianne Faithfull has ever put her name to.
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If anything this year's model raises the stakes on its predecessor.
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Before the Poison is a wonderful disc, the sound of a well-established artist continuing to grow and explore.
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Unless you dig Nick's poetry, grab the Polly songs and run.
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When the songs work – it's some of the best material Faithfull has ever produced. But when they don't – you're left... falling asleep in the car.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 12 out of 15
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Mixed: 2 out of 15
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Negative: 1 out of 15
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MackFeb 23, 2006Songs where her voice is "bleeding" are magnificent. The rest is just OK.
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TimQSep 1, 2005This is the best album she has done since "Broken English". Both of course are excellent !!
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VeikkoEJul 6, 2005