Metascore
85 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 28 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 28
  2. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. An astonishing collection... that should leave Case's peers eating a cloud of Nashville dust. [Apr 2006, p.204]
  2. Moving futher away from her early alt-country sound has sharpened Case's songwriting instincts. [10 Mar 2006, p.68]
  3. There's a confidence here that carried over from Case's remarkable 2004 live album The Tigers Have Spoken.
  4. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood is a rich, mature and deeply satisfying piece of music that deserves and demands attention -- if this isn't Album of the Year material, it's hard to say what is.
  5. Case's genius as a writer, evident from track to track, stems from her ability to write lyrics that conjure up amazingly clear images but that still leave the songs as a whole up to interpretation.
  6. The 12 most ambitious, dense songs she's yet committed to record.
  7. Case has never sounded as vital as she does on "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood."
  8. Her uncanny, often eccentric lyrics have always been delivered with an inherent passion behind the impulse, but rarely have they approached the boldness of these dozen.
  9. Neko Case has made tremendous progress here as a lyricist.
  10. 83
    [Fox Confessor] shows that for all her versatility, she has a singular vision when it comes to her own music. And Lordy, it is dark. [Mar 2006, p.92]
  11. A mesmerising album. [11 Mar 2006, p.41]
  12. Twelve of the most lyrically and musically ambitious songs of her career. [#12, p.90]
  13. On 'Fox Confessor Brings The Flood' Neko's voice and sheer poetry of her song-writing make hyped also-rans like Jenny Lewis look like hot-pant wearing desperados, proving to her rivals and beyond that style and substance aren't mutually exclusive.
  14. 80
    Feels as old as a cracked-leather Bible that's lasted generations and witnessed many secrets. [Apr 2006, p.98]
  15. 80
    With Fox Confessor, she has defiantly come into her own. [Apr 2006, p.106]
  16. The singing gives you goosebumps.
  17. Case's overzealous self-production means there are layers upon layers to every track, which sometimes works to her detriment.
  18. Fox Confessor is often striking, intermittently dazzling and occasionally puzzling.
  19. 80
    Musically, Fox fulfills the wish list of fans who've waitied for new material since 2002's Blacklisted. [#71, p.89]
  20. The numerous hired hands provide a sumptuous, varied backdrop for Case's vocals, making for her most musically rich album to date.
  21. What once again prevents Case from delivering a front-to-back classic is a perfectionist streak that accounts for Flood's mannered meticulousness.
  22. 70
    On this sublime set, Case's own sweeping, backwoods melodies and bloodstained Southern Gothic lyrics finally match the drama of her wails. [Apr 2006, p.111]
  23. Exhibits a grace and richness that is sometimes absent from Case's self-regarding live shows. [Apr 2006, p.112]
  24. At first, the songs can seem remote and arty, but gradually they start to add up; they're filled with a sense of loss and a hope for transformation. [6 Mar 2006]
  25. From her luscious, aching croon, and her ensemble's solemn high-mesa twang and groove..., you'd never guess she wasn't covering Patsy Cline standards.
  26. Case... still approximates a Northwestern Patsy Cline with a graduate degree, and while the stories she tells are mournful, her delivery remains buoyant. [Apr/May 2006, p.101]
  27. Unsurprisingly, everything on Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is sublimated beneath Case's vocals: music, momentum, the need for tunes.
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 55 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 34
  2. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. "Star Witness" is top shelf, along with "John Saw that Number". There isn't a bad song on this record. I would say it's probably her best, but I know most wouldn't agree. Different from Blacklisted and sort of points in the direction of Middle Cyclone. Worth it. Full Review »
  2. GernickK
    10
    played the record again this weekend after not having listened to it for a while, was again struck by the sheer gorgeousness of this album. possibly the best album of 2006 (though i struggle to think of an album that could match this in 2006) Catch her live if you can, it will be magic. Full Review »
  3. DesmondB
    10
    Fox Confessor is a modern classic. The songs that don't hit you at first will reveal, after repeated listens, the genius of Neko's songwriting. Full Review »