Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 17
  2. Negative: 0 out of 17
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Apr 17, 2013
    60
    An atmospheric and intimate experience that may not contain any true killer moments, but never slips off either and remains a beautiful and pleasant thing to sink into at night throughout its length.
  2. 70
    It would be a fully-formed debut for artists of any age. So it’s all the more impressive that Yellen is only 23 years old.
  3. Under The Radar
    Mar 22, 2013
    60
    Though beautiful throughout, it never quite delivers a punch to the gut before it quietly goes down. [Mar-Apr 2013, p.101]
  4. Feb 22, 2013
    78
    Winston Yellen’s debut Country Sleep builds an intangible place you’re immediately delivered to upon first listen.
  5. 80
    Country Sleep is a convincing opening from a songwriter worth paying attention to.
  6. Feb 14, 2013
    60
    Night Beds offer a fine experience to listeners who are looking to hear saccharine pop with limited twang.
  7. 90
    The emotive finesse of ‘Cherry Blossoms’ might further the calls for a shoulder to blub on, but chugging full-band showstopper ‘Ramona’ shows Yellen’s songwriting to be as rich as his voice.
  8. Feb 11, 2013
    70
    This record might not quite affiliate the soundtrack to your stereotypical image of a hoedown, but it’d more than cater for the boozy walk home under starry skies.
  9. In spite of the self-conscious effort to create something "beautiful", the songs slowly reveal themselves to be things of real beauty.
  10. Q Magazine
    Feb 8, 2013
    80
    The 23-year-old Nashville resident's keening voice can drag you in with either the acoustic intimacy of 22, which resembles the stark folk of Father John Misty, or the electrified rock of Ramona. [Mar 2013, p.95]
  11. Mojo
    Feb 6, 2013
    80
    Think more of pastoral My Morning Jacket or Irish superstar-in-waiting James Vincent McMorrow and their keening, introspective-yet-expansive songs. [Mar 2013, p.96]
  12. Uncut
    Feb 6, 2013
    80
    Country Sleep will never get a party swinging, but if you're in the mood to have your heart ripped out, it does the job beautifully. [Mar 2013, p.75]
  13. Feb 6, 2013
    70
    It is dreamy and languid, warm and inviting in turn; a soulful work by a talented young singer-songwriter that hints at a bright and beautiful future.
  14. Feb 6, 2013
    77
    In a lot of ways, Country Sleep delivers while still making you feel like it's playing on your vulnerability.
  15. Regardless of the reason, Country Sleep is more immediately accessible and rewarding than most of the records from the artists listed above, a stunning surprise debut that will be sitting somewhere in my annual top ten come December.
  16. Feb 6, 2013
    70
    Yellen employs a set of pipes that are as deft as a swallow's, allowing the arrangements the space they need to set the tone, and then swooping in to seal the deal.
  17. Feb 6, 2013
    80
    A gorgeously warm, fuzzy album by a man wise--and sad--beyond his tender years.

There are no user reviews yet.