Golden Delicious
by Mike Doughty
  • Record Label: ATO
  • Release Date: Feb 19, 2008
Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Billboard
    80
    It may be his poppiest and slickest work to date, but Golden Delicious is more proof that Mike Doughty still knows where to make the melodies twist and turn to find the sweet spot among the ridiculous, the sublime and the sad.
  2. Blender
    70
    Doughty’s fourth and best solo album gives up two keepers: the semi-absurdist 'More Bacon Than the Pan Can Handle,' with Stephanie Bischoff’s guest vocals sexier for sure than any synth weirdness Soul Coughing ever confabulated, and the mournfully understated Iraq opener, 'Fort Hood.'
  3. Paste Magazine
    60
    For fans who’ve followed the singer/songwriter since the demise of Soul Coughing, there’s a lot to recommend on Golden Delicious.
  5. Slant Magazine
    60
    Golden Delicious as a whole, feels like it has the potential to be great but falls short.
  6. PopMatters
    60
    Doughty’s sophomore LP, Golden Delicious, goes heavy on the groove and the hook, but it may go a little too soft on the edges.
  7. Prefix Magazine
    55
    To extend the title’s metaphor, Golden Delicious has the taste, but none of the bite.
  8. cokemachineglow
    51
    Golden Delicious confronts, rejects, and reinterprets his own past, which simply leaves me longing for a return to it.
  9. AllMusic
    50
    There are still some moments that show what Doughty is capable of, where he holds back on the production and instrumentation and lets his acoustic guitar chords and voice take over, like in the darker 'I Got the Drop on You,' which references his Soul Coughing days while still coming across as an original, but this is a rarity among the slick and silly tracks that make up the rest of Golden Delicious.
  10. The A.V. Club
    50
    Golden Delicious rides along on an unchanging, mid-tempo vibe that puts too much weight on Doughty's limited vocal range, stumbling midway through on the cringe-inducingly unfunky 'More Bacon Than The Pan Can Handle.'
  11. Pitchfork
    50
    Eventually Doughty is going to have to do something about his lyrics, because "The moonlight shines like a luminous girl tonight/ Yeah, Jesus Christ like a luminous girl tonight" isn't going to hack it.
  12. NOW Magazine
    40
    The latest release from former Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty isn’t quite as annoying as Matthews’s catalogue, but it comes close.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 18
  3. Negative: 2 out of 18
  1. Andy
    Apr 30, 2008
    8
    There was about a month where I couldn't get enough of this album. Yes, its a bit watered down with pop, but for pop theres enough There was about a month where I couldn't get enough of this album. Yes, its a bit watered down with pop, but for pop theres enough substance to keep things interesting. Maybe its that I'm of a younger generation, but Soul Coughing is too damn smug for me. On this album, Doughty settles down a bit. All this said, "More Bacon than the pan can handle" is one of the worst songs of the year.… Full Review »
  2. DSquared
    Apr 7, 2008
    9
    It's not easy to write megahits like Mike does, too bad the general public is missing out on such great work. He's a genius and It's not easy to write megahits like Mike does, too bad the general public is missing out on such great work. He's a genius and this album small-rocks.… Full Review »
  3. JohnT.
    Apr 2, 2008
    10
    This album is fantastic!!!!! I wrote a song about your car, fort hood, Wednesday. Lots to like here.. great summer jams. Lighten up folks!
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