Colors
by Beck
  • Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Oct 13, 2017
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 34
  3. Negative: 1 out of 34
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  1. Paste Magazine
    Oct 13, 2017
    87
    As both a quintessential entry into his catalog and a striking entry into mainstream popular culture, Colors once again cements Beck as a clever, ever-dynamic and enduring artist.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Oct 6, 2017
    83
    The glossy production here sometimes neuters Beck's wilder inclinations. ... Still, as his first upbeat album in nearly a decade, Colors proves that Beck is still one of rock's most intrepid inventors. [13 Oct 2017, p.58]
  3. Magnet
    Nov 21, 2017
    80
    Save for the grooving, frizzy "Dreams," the ambient alterna-pop/R&B of Colors is sleek, clean and clear. [No. 148, p.53]
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  5. Los Angeles Times
    Oct 16, 2017
    80
    Featuring synthy dance beats, electronic flourish and propellant energy, the record sits alongside similarly infectious endeavors from his impressive discography such as “Odelay,” “Midnight Vultures” and “The Information.”
  6. Rolling Stone
    Oct 13, 2017
    80
    The result is his most straight-ahead fun album since the Nineties.
  7. Spin
    Oct 13, 2017
    80
    It’s largely a plainspoken, cohesive work, closer in spirit to single-minded efforts like Morning Phases, Modern Guilt, or even Sea Change. And really, that’s fine.
  8. DIY Magazine
    Oct 13, 2017
    80
    Colors is Beck at his most exuberant, concocting weird, wonderful dancefloor fillers like a mad disco scientist. Good things come to those who wait.
  9. Boston Globe
    Oct 13, 2017
    80
    If Beck is Generation X’s answer to David Bowie, then “Colors” is his “Let’s Dance”: an intentionally lightweight, enjoyable mid-career effort with one eye on the dance floor and one on radio playlists. Whether it returns him to his former hitmaker status remains to be seen, but “Colors” definitely succeeds in putting the spring back in Beck’s step.
  10. New Musical Express (NME)
    Oct 11, 2017
    80
    As a collection of songs, however, Colors is by far Beck’s most upbeat and enjoyable record from front to back since the ’90s. Repeated listens will no doubt be rewarded.
  11. Q Magazine
    Oct 6, 2017
    80
    His best uptempo record since Odelay. [Nov 2017, p.109]
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  12. Uncut
    Oct 6, 2017
    80
    Colors may be less anarchic than his most famous albums from the 1990s, but he emerges as a studio tinkerer who has grown more disciplined but no less eccentric. [Nov 2017, p.24]
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  13. Sputnikmusic
    Oct 16, 2017
    76
    Colors is a varied and blissful pop album that finds joy in our times, and Beck expectedly makes it interesting and vibrant to experience. He has decided to make something optimistic in the midst of so much unrest, and it succeeds in bringing a celebratory presence to a world that need it
  14. Under The Radar
    Oct 13, 2017
    75
    He's at his most vibrant when he allows himself to cherry-pick and combine elements from his diverse range of influences. If you've missed Beck the musical collage artist, Colors is the one that should bring you back.
  15. The A.V. Club
    Oct 11, 2017
    75
    Colors is solid--Beck doesn’t make bad records, whatever mode he’s in--and it flirts with greatness, but he’s at his best when he decides to either get loose or get serious, less so when he drives straight down the
  16. PopMatters
    Oct 17, 2017
    70
    This is an album that is more than anything about the joy of making music. It’s not perfect, but it is a joyful, engaging listen, a perfect first step in the “I no longer have anything to prove” phase of Beck’s illustrious career.
  17. Exclaim
    Oct 12, 2017
    70
    Colors is a breezy, tightly composed party-starter of a record that doesn't demand much of the listener, but gives back generously.
  18. AllMusic
    Oct 12, 2017
    70
    While that might mean Colors doesn't offer the depth and intrigue of most Beck albums, it does mean it's a fun confection. It's a record that's designed to be nothing but a good time, and that indeed is all that it is.
  19. Consequence
    Oct 11, 2017
    67
    You can still hear marginal residue of the man who managed to be compared to both Dylan and Prince within the same five-year period. You just won’t find those comparisons so much lately.
  20. Pitchfork
    Oct 17, 2017
    63
    Beck has been working on Colors since 2013, and by the sounds of a recent interview, spent a lot of time trying to get the balance of “not retro and not modern” just so. He more or less nailed that bit, but what’s lacking from his Big Happy Pop Record is some kind of strong emotion that could elevate these songs above the “well crafted but innocuous” camp--something more than an idea.

Awards & Rankings

49
#49 Most Discussed Album of 2017
74
#74 Most Shared Album of 2017

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 151 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 125 out of 151
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 151
  3. Negative: 7 out of 151
  1. BeckFan
    Oct 29, 2017
    10
    Colors is a fantastic album. I am a massive Beck fan, loving everything he has done. Among the very best rank Odelay, Sea Change, Guero,Colors is a fantastic album. I am a massive Beck fan, loving everything he has done. Among the very best rank Odelay, Sea Change, Guero, Morning Phase, and Mutations, but all of his albums are great in their own way. As a Beck fan, I recognize that every album he records is a vast departure from the last. Really only two are even similar, in Sea Change and Morning Phase, and they were recorded more than a decade apart. So I dont understand the people saying he's lost his touch, or not the same. Thats the point. He is never the same, something that makes him great, and vastly unique in today's music.
    Colors is one great song after another, until its over. It might be his most "complete" work to date. The opening title track kicks things into gear, and songs like Seventh Heaven, I'm So Free, Dear Life, No Distraction are intant classics in my book. Dreams is great, and like every other song, extremely upbeat and catchy. Eminently listenable, this is the first album in years where I never want to skip a song looking for a better one. The songs and his vocals, are melodic, fast, and fun. It puts a smile on your face to listen. For the first time in a while, it sounds as though Beck is truely happy in his music. I am too. This may be my new favorite Beck album.    … Full Review »
  2. DavidWasHere
    Oct 14, 2017
    7
    As a Beck fan, I like this album, but I will admit that it is one of his weaker albums and I'm not sure if I like this change of pace. It'sAs a Beck fan, I like this album, but I will admit that it is one of his weaker albums and I'm not sure if I like this change of pace. It's not egregious, but much like Morning Phase it is Beck playing it super safe and not trying to push boundaries. It's basically Beck trying to cash in on all the alternative dance songs that make it onto the alternative radio stations, acts like Foster the People or Portugal. the Man or even Passion Pit (the album closer Fix Me definitely sounds like a song that could slip into Gossamer). If you like those type of bands, you might like this album. But if you are looking for the man who made boundary pushing albums like Odelay or Midnight Vultures, you'll be left hanging. I mean say what you will about Morning Phase, when looking at his Grammy-winning last album it made sense considering it is a companion piece to his masterpiece Sea Change, Colors is just an attempt at Beck cashing in on different trends without really doing anything all that innovative. That's not saying that the album is bad. For a dance album, it's plenty of fun! The production is colorful at times, the grooves are solid, and the lyrics can be clever a lot of the times. But unfortunately it can't save how safe, generic, and at times stiff this album can be.

    Like I said before, I'm a fan of Beck and I will admit I do enjoy this album overall, but it does not come as close as Mellow Gold or Odelay or Mutations or Sea Change or even Morning Phase. The album is well produced as a dance album and it has it's moments, but for die hard Beck fans, I wouldn't really recommend it honestly. And as a Beck fan, if this is the type of music he'll be making in the 2010s and onward, I don't think I'll like it. Just saying.    … Full Review »
  3. fredphoesh
    Oct 14, 2017
    4
    This album is dull and just lacks the sparkle or substance you get from many other Beck albums. There are some good bits, but the bits thatThis album is dull and just lacks the sparkle or substance you get from many other Beck albums. There are some good bits, but the bits that are good are really just sections of songs, or sounds used, which are interesting for a few seconds, but then somehow they do not click into a shape that has power.… Full Review »
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