Good Things - Aloe Blacc
Good Things Image
Metascore
82 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.9 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 9 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • Summary: The second full-length album for the California-born singer E. Nathaniel Dawkins goes for retro R&B and soul style.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. The A.V. Club
    Dec 21, 2010
    91
    Blacc's charismatic blend of gravitas and ease is what humanizes and vivifies Shine Through's ageless appeal.
  2. Mojo
    80
    Blacc's wise-beyond-his-years tenor, sounding eerily alike a young Bill Withers, perfectly fits I Need A Dollar's dignified mourn. Elsewhere, he skillfully evades mawkishness or trite sentiment on the moving Momma Hold My Hand. [Sep 2010, p.106]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    Much of this album, with its gritty street-level reportage of booze-alleviated dereliction and crooked politicians, feel so perfect for right now.
  4. BBC Music
    80
    Good Things is sufficiently accomplished, in fact, to at least temporarily banish the clouds of financial doom and gloom to the horizon.

See all 13 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. PD1769
    9
    Even though he's apparently been around for the past 4-5 years, I had not heard of Aloe Blacc...until I caught the theme to HBO's "How To Make It In America". Being a fan of old 70's soul, I thought that "I Need A Dollar" was unearthed from some lost Bill Withers tapes circa 1972. It was stripped bare, burned with desperation, yet chugged along with so much simplicity....characteristics unheard of with today's R&B. Then I came across his soul cover of the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" and was blown away at how Blacc had grasped the essence of Philly soul and Gil-Scott Heron style protest anthems. Hey, today's tough economic times call for it, making these songs even more welcome. All of "Good Things" simmers with both a retro vibe and a fresh sound that is nearly unmatched. I am hoping that he continues to move in this same direction as he creates more of his own brand of modern soul.… Expand

Current Music Releases

Full List »
  1. The Complete Columbia Album Collection - Johnny Cash
    Metascore: 99
  2. Rumours [35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition] - Fleetwood Mac
    Metascore: 99
  3. Blue Lines: 2012 Mix/Master - Massive Attack
    Metascore: 98
  4. Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 2 - Miles Davis Quintet
    Metascore: 92
  5. Jama Ko - Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
    Metascore: 91
  6. Like a Rose - Ashley Monroe
    Metascore: 89
  7. Same Trailer Different Park - Kacey Musgraves
    Metascore: 89
  8. Your Turn - Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog
    Metascore: 88
  9. Minute by Minute - The James Hunter Six
    Metascore: 88
  10. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness [Deluxe Edition] - Smashing Pumpkins
    Metascore: 88
  11. Music For the Quiet Hour/The Drawbar Organ EPs - Shackleton
    Metascore: 87
  12. M B V - My Bloody Valentine
    Metascore: 87
  13. Beautiful Africa - Rokia Traoré
    Metascore: 87
  14. LSXX [Last Splash: 20th Anniversary Edition] - The Breeders
    Metascore: 87
  15. Annie Up - Pistol Annies
    Metascore: 87
  16. Rage Against the Machine XX [20th Anniversary Edition] - Rage Against the Machine
    Metascore: 87
  17. Without a Net - Wayne Shorter
    Metascore: 86
  18. MCII - Mikal Cronin
    Metascore: 86
  19. In Time - The Mavericks
    Metascore: 86
All Current Music »