Dead & Born & Grown
by The Staves
  • Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: Mar 19, 2013
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
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  1. AllMusic
    Jan 7, 2013
    80
    A relatively calm, collected, and breezy set of 21st century folk songs that prefers subtlety over novelty.
  2. DIY Magazine
    Nov 19, 2012
    70
    Dead & Born & Grown is a record perfect for those long dark winter nights, an emotionally rich collection of songs that deserves to put Watford firmly on the musical map.
  3. Mojo
    Nov 19, 2012
    80
    Prim they may appear at times, but their offer of comfort in sound is impossible to refuse. [Nov 2012, p.90]
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  5. Q Magazine
    Nov 19, 2012
    80
    Comparisons to Marling may linger, but The Staves should soar above them. [Nov 2012, p.105]
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  6. Uncut
    Nov 19, 2012
    80
    The real ace up their sleeves is their exquisite harmonies. [Dec 2012, p.77]
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  7. BBC Music
    Nov 19, 2012
    70
    These are personal tales told using a well-established and communal language, and coated with close harmonies as delicious as a homemade carrot cake from a craft stall.
  8. The Independent (UK)
    Nov 19, 2012
    100
    The Staves are like a distillation of all that's best about the folk heritages of England and America.
  9. musicOMH.com
    Nov 19, 2012
    80
    Emily, Jessica and Camilla have put a new spin on an old formula by reducing their sound to its simplest form--and for the most part it is a success.
  10. The Independent on Sunday (UK)
    Nov 19, 2012
    80
    D&B&G is delicate and unaffected but clever and soulful--a balm and an inquisition.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. louistn2010
    May 28, 2013
    8
    In a landscape of faux Estuary-English nu-Folk cretins, it is a sight for sore eyes to finally see the Staves, three sisters from WatfordIn a landscape of faux Estuary-English nu-Folk cretins, it is a sight for sore eyes to finally see the Staves, three sisters from Watford working with proper country/folk music.

    Their greatest asset is their natural harmony they sing as one intertwined siren; a sound so mellifluous it's like having organic melted marshmallow poured over you. Or like being battered with a silk pillow, as downy as the first snow of winter or the first feathers of a dove chick… I'm getting all folksy and rambling but their voices mix with the music perfectly and they judge the tone stunningly staying far from saccharine ukuleles and wispy, girly lyrics that make you want to pour a tub of Bovril down your throat.

    This is an album that is most definitely a debut. When you first hear I Speak Because I Can by Laura Marling, you imagine her first album to sound like this (if that makes sense). The three sisters blend harmony with wintry melody and create a pure and charismatic sound that resinates through every song. Lyrically they're pretty awesome too their sense of rhyme and metaphor stands out particularly in Snow as they sing "You are but a guest in my heart/ But soon you must depart;/ You're a catherine wheel/ spinning its last" and later "In the trappings of the silent snow/ That fell over night/ And won't let me go." Poetic S***

    The title track, Dead & Born & Grown, is a simple and haunting tune a sound that runs through the core of this album like a vein of glittering quartz; nothing overly pretentious but beautiful nonetheless. Winter Trees offers a cold tale of regret, the heart-twisting lyrics "But you didn't understand/ That my heart was in your hands/ You were so blind" Nothing spectacular, but sung with enough passion to make a Dorset farmer weep.    … Full Review »
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