Election Special - Ry Cooder
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Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critics What's this?

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  • Summary: The 15th solo album for the California singer was self-produced and written with his son, Joachim Cooder.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Uncut
    Aug 22, 2012
    90
    In a recording career that stretches back more than four decades, Ry Cooder has never before made an album as immediate as Election Special.
  2. Boston Globe
    Aug 22, 2012
    80
    Cooder is mad as hell, but because he's a virtuoso with a wry sense of humor that balances indignation and despair, the songs stand as songs, not just soapbox speechifying.
  3. The Observer (UK)
    Sep 4, 2012
    80
    [On Election Special] the first world is in dire straits and it's all the fault of Republicans – architects of Guantánamo and unfeeling people who tie their dogs to the roofs of their cars then drive off (Mutt Romney's Blues).
  4. Q Magazine
    Aug 20, 2012
    40
    While his message is clear, the means of conveying it comes up wanting. [Sep 2012, p.98]
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. LeftwingFrankie
    10
    Just as Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball is a tribute to the 99%. the same can be said for Ry Cooder's Election Special with songs such as Mutt Romney Blues, The Wall Street Part of Town, Going to Tampa, Kool-Aid, and The 90 and the 9.… Expand
  2. Musicalsage2
    9
    Ry Cooder goes on the offensive against the Republican Party in a protest album that provides a powerful combination of vehement anti-right lyrics to his typically excellent blues musicianship. Like Neil Young with 'Living with War' it appears that the best protest albums are being made by rock's older generation. More immediate than its esteemed predecessor I would heartily recommend this album to anyone with a love of bluesy R&B and a sneaking suspicion that the USA are once again on the verge of voting in another knucklehead like GWB!

    Being a long-term fan of Ry Cooder I find it interesting that he has found such a powerful lyrical voice so late in his career rather than being an exemplary coverer of other people's tunes. It has certainly been worth the wait.    … Expand
  3. A7sus4
    4
    The man is blinded by party label. He may be right he may be wrong, but he's a man talking with no grounds for believability. He has no idea what the constitution or bill of rights is or what their about save what he's been told second hand. It's a shame, because the pretense of understanding or respecting those documents coupled with his total economic ignorance is just as destructive as the politicians he good heartedly seeks to deride. Critics love it because they're poor or hate their lives and love the idea of government handouts. Kudos to Slant Magazine for calling it.… Expand

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