Gold Medal - The Donnas
User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16

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  1. BlancoA.
    Nov 6, 2004
    4
    Coming from a huge Donnas fan, I'm disappointed by the over-produced, formulaic sound of this album. None of the riot grlll spirit of the first few albums, and none of the creativity of their last couple. I suppose it's the natural progression of hard rock bands. Sad, really.
  2. SpankyHamm
    Dec 18, 2004
    10
    The Donnas absolutely rock! Little AC/DC here, a little Cheap trick there, it's all good. I'm glad Brett Anderson feels comfortable with her voice and that the producer didn't feel it needed to be ProTooled like so many others (y'know, Britney, Avril, etc.). Maya's bass has been cranked up after a few too many albums being a Michael Anthony impersonator, and her bass lines crank. Torry still does a great job playing drums and Allison's guitar just shakes the foundations. A welcome follow-up to Spend The Night. Awesome!… Expand
  3. RobertA
    Dec 6, 2004
    10
    I am not getting tired of most of the CD. As I become more familiar, the more I admire the songs and respect all of their abilities. Brett's vocals are improving and Allison is on a very high plane; especially admirable if you play guitar yourself. NEVER STOP!
  4. LaurenceH
    Oct 31, 2004
    6
    Girl power! Yeah, right... "Fall Behind Me" is the only extraordinary song in here. Just try something new, girls!
  5. JudithB
    Oct 31, 2004
    7
    Let the rock begin with a great number of cute girls! I think they're damn worse than "Spend a night", but not horrible at all!
  6. ClaudiusM
    Feb 12, 2005
    9
    This is a great rock album, one of my favorites since Urge Overkill's Saturation. They've def grown up a bit and this one reflects that
  7. KaseyB
    Feb 14, 2005
    10
    this is a great album and these girls rock, they are in your face and honest i love them!
  8. samr
    Apr 16, 2005
    10
    Loved it!
  9. MarkH
    Apr 4, 2005
    9
    This album flat-out rocks! Every song is awesome on this C.D. I listen to "Gold Medal" every day and never get tired of listening to it. This is definatly one of the best rock C.D.'s I have ever listened to!
  10. rodneym
    Nov 1, 2004
    3
    Oh dear ac/dc with tits.
  11. VilmaK
    Nov 11, 2004
    10
    i love these girls
  12. StevenT
    Nov 26, 2004
    8
    The Donnas are what they are. The Donnas are not for those prone to serious posturing or extensive analysis. The Donnas present the female side of what male bands have been writing about forever. No wonder they scare people.
  13. Matt
    Nov 8, 2004
    9
    I'm listening to a completely different album than the naysayers. The guitar work on this album lets them show off their ability. While the other albums were also very good, Gold Medal is less one-dimensional. Their fun lyrics were very rock and roll, but you can't stick with those lyrics forever. The lyrics here are intense.
  14. Amanda
    Sep 19, 2006
    9
    I get so much new music allthe time, it's hard for something to break through the clutter, but something keeps pulling me back to this album - I just love it! Really rocks, really fun! Yes, it's more produced, but in a good way.
  15. jimc
    Nov 17, 2004
    10
    Fantastic! Flawless old school 70's rock tunes. Loved this album. The Donnas have improved so much over the years. The guitar riffs are awesome on this album.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 22
  3. Negative: 1 out of 22
  1. New Musical Express (NME)
    40
    Pleasantly tuneful pop-punk. [23 Oct 2004, p.51]
  2. PopMatters
    90
    The most striking aspect of Gold Medal is the band's remarkable maturation process over the past two years.
    Read full review
  3. Alternative Press
    80
    We're skipping past Gold Medal's soggy, pub-folk title track toward an otherwise flawless album of glossy, commercial punk. [Dec 2004, p.142]
See all critic reviews »