Benjamin Booker
by Benjamin Booker
  • Record Label: ATO
  • Release Date: Aug 19, 2014
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 19
  3. Negative: 2 out of 19
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. AJawesome07
    Oct 10, 2014
    9
    Refreshing is what comes to mind when listening to Booker's debut album. It makes me happy to listen to this album, because Benjamin Booker has so obviously put nothing but his utmost care and soul into this. The Blues are extremely strong here as well. Booker's vocals may be slightly polarizing, and the quality of the production, being very muddled may turn people away at the outset, butRefreshing is what comes to mind when listening to Booker's debut album. It makes me happy to listen to this album, because Benjamin Booker has so obviously put nothing but his utmost care and soul into this. The Blues are extremely strong here as well. Booker's vocals may be slightly polarizing, and the quality of the production, being very muddled may turn people away at the outset, but don't abandon this album, it's a pleasure to listen to.
    It's fast, and almost punk-ish at times, during the first 20 minutes. "Violent Shiver", the first track, and most popular has a brilliant and energizing riff, and Slow Coming is unusually slow compared to the rest of the first half of the album, but it's a haunting song, with the opening words being: "at the top of the hour/ today in my news/ a little girl is shot down/ while tying her shoes/ honestly I cannot be proud right now." Have You Seen My Son is a visceral, deeply personal number, about his parent's inability to cope with their son's decision to be a musician, and after this is where things start to slow down for good, with "Spoon Out My Eyeballs" and "I Thought I Heard You Screaming" being purely beautiful songs. This is a great album, through and through.    … Collapse

Awards & Rankings

90
#90 Best Album of 2014
74
#74 Most Shared Album of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Classic Rock Magazine
    Dec 16, 2014
    90
    It's a pleasure to report his studio debut catches the spark. [Dec 2014, p.103]
  2. Austin Chronicle
    Oct 30, 2014
    89
    Benjamin Booker might not know where he's going, but he's well on his way.
    Read full review
  3. Q Magazine
    Aug 28, 2014
    80
    While Booker plays with a certain fury on this self-titled debut, he sings with a leisurely cool. [Sep 2014, p.105]
See all critic reviews »