Blak and Blu - Gary Clark, Jr.
Blak and Blu Image
Metascore
74 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 8 Ratings

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  • Summary: The full-length major label debut for Texas blues-rock singer was produced by Mike Elizondo.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Oct 24, 2012
    91
    Though Clark can occasionally get self-indulgent (some of the jammier songs here drift past the six-minute mark), his casual charisma is powerful enough to consistently hold together Blak and Blu's eclecticism.
  2. Uncut
    Feb 4, 2013
    80
    The result is a fresh and invigoratingly modern take on black music and as far removed from a musical history lesson as you get. [Mar 2013, p.69]
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  3. The Guardian
    Feb 21, 2013
    80
    His own tunes range all over the place--Travis County is breathless garage-rock, The Life a debonair, Ne-Yo-like homage to idleness--but the quality is uniformly high.
  4. The Observer (UK)
    Feb 25, 2013
    60
    His guitar and voice are at their best on the likes of opening Stax stomper Ain't Messin' 'Round and the heavy soul of When My Train Pulls In, Numb, and the funky Bright Lights--his guitar crunchy and full in a way you only get with good amps and pedals.

See all 24 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. VivaMexico4
    9
    Gary Clark Jr. is amazing at what he does. That solo on "Please Come Home" is filled with so much soul I don't know how else to describe it. "Third Stone from the Sun / If You Love Me Like You Say" is just plain crazy. He has is own signature sound. It's kind of like how you can tell just by listening when Hendrix is playing, or Santana, or Jack White. That little lick he plays on that song (Third Stone form the Sun...) is derived from Hendrix's version but he made it his own. I like it all. There's something missing, though. I was expecting another song like "Numb" but with even more energy. Maybe Gary can create something crazy in his next album. I'd love to hear some Muddy Waters mixed with Jack White and some Hendrix flavor on a track.… Expand
  2. anitquity
    5
    Half the songs are great, half the songs really are terrible. Way too over-produced and absolutely a grab bag of styles from song to song. Some obvious, heavy handed attempts at radio play sandwiched between fantastic blues. Listening to this album all the way through is simply an impossibility.… Expand
  3. MetricStation3
    5
    Good, not great. Some songs have enough power in them to make the album worth listening to worth while, but ultimately most songs are skippable. Such a contrast from song to song does not fair well to a listener looking for consistency from song to song. Ultimately, this album fell short of its potential.… Collapse

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