- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Characterized by production rawness--for better (the immediacy of the performance) and worse (traces of off-key harmonies).
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BlenderThese are among the most rivetingly unconventional vocal performances she's ever offered. [Mar 2004, p.116]
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Educated Guess is an absolutely stunning creation, although it did take a few listens for me to begin to fully appreciate what I was hearing.
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FilterShe dives into a murkier, less-definable world that is part acoustic neo-soul, part spoken word and dreamier than you might imagine. [#9, p.102]
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Los Angeles TimesHere she returns to the stark, acoustic feel of earlier recordings, and the sense of isolation in such numbers as "Swim" is reinforced by her creative approach. [18 Jan 2004]
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Educated Guess explores new musical territory that is challenging enough to engage even the most folk-averse listeners while it maintains a unity of tone which yields a highly listenable work.
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SpinAn album sanded with sad humor and a return to old loves. [Mar 2004, p.96]
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While Educated Guess may not be her best album to date (a near impossible-to-achieve expectation for an artist 21 albums in), it marks yet another transformation of her talents.
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The album benefits from DiFranco's emphasis on spare shimmer, though it also perpetuates her recent tendency to let her songs languidly drift along, for better and for worse.
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It's worth putting up with a few overbearing moments to hear someone so willing to take chances.
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UncutParadoxically, its spare, solo-voice-and-guitar format... comes closer to matching DiFranco's charismatic live performances than prior band-driven efforts. [Mar 2004, p.87]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 15 out of 22
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Mixed: 1 out of 22
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Negative: 6 out of 22
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Nov 21, 2010
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MichelleCFeb 9, 2005
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TonyWJul 1, 2004Loved it.