Freedom of Speech
by Speech Debelle
  • Record Label: Big Dada
  • Release Date: Feb 21, 2012
Metascore
62

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 17
  3. Negative: 1 out of 17
  1. Mojo
    Feb 27, 2012
    80
    From the get-go Freedom Of Speech takes no prisoners. [Mar 2012, p.93]
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  2. AllMusic
    Feb 21, 2012
    80
    Her flow is rock-solid but nimble and complex and apparently effortless despite the weird and shifting beats.
  3. musicOMH.com
    Feb 13, 2012
    80
    Her debut promised much; Freedom Of Speech sees Speech Debelle delivering on that promise.
  5. The Fly (UK)
    Feb 13, 2012
    80
    Social commentary ('Blaze Up A Fire'), emotional nudity ('Elephant') and confessional bravery ('Angel Wings') illuminate a warm, honest album.
  6. The Observer (UK)
    Feb 13, 2012
    80
    Debelle is not always easy company and can veer into self-absorption, but the album is refreshingly outspoken and, with help from producer Kwes, musically daring.
  7. Clash Music
    Feb 15, 2012
    70
    Armed with rich, booming backdrops, live analogue beats and rising string flourishes, she works the ever-awkward business of injecting nods to the sensitive and self-referential expertly, her words coming across more contemplative than indulgently pious... A solid return.
  8. DIY Magazine
    Feb 13, 2012
    70
    Freedom of Speech is clearly political, standing up to hardships of the modern world, tackling issues in a very mature way with intelligent and insightful lyrics.
  9. Drowned In Sound
    Feb 13, 2012
    70
    As a work of art, it's sometimes sketchy, always pleasant and gentle, often uplifting, skilled and technically confident. As a statement, it's a bold one.
  10. Q Magazine
    Feb 21, 2012
    60
    [She] sticks to the formula of soft-spoken polemical raps and gritty lo-fi beats. [Mar 2012, p. 97]
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  11. Uncut
    Feb 13, 2012
    60
    The odd gauche moment remains, but her plaudits are not undeserved. [Mar 2012, p.98]
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  12. The Guardian
    Feb 13, 2012
    60
    A pleasantly surprising, if patchy, return.
  13. New Musical Express (NME)
    Feb 13, 2012
    60
    There are moments when her A-Level Debating Club earnestness gets the better of her, but there's still three quarters of a great album here.
  14. The Independent on Sunday (UK)
    Feb 13, 2012
    60
    Smart, thoughtful lyrics about everything from iPods to the Arab Spring.
  15. Under The Radar
    Mar 22, 2012
    50
    Debelle's sound loses a level of what made it so unique [in her debut] by moving from the jazzy, instrumental accompaniment to rapping over more digital beats. [Mar 2012, p.88]
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  16. BBC Music
    Feb 13, 2012
    50
    Freedom of Speech shows that one of Britain's most intriguing hopes still has some serious thinking to do.
  17. The Independent (UK)
    Feb 13, 2012
    40
    Speech Debelle shows some welcome signs of maturity on this follow-up.
  18. PopMatters
    Feb 23, 2012
    30
    Caught up in the importance of her themes, she loses sight of her music's ability to convey them.

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