Hard Candy
by Counting Crows
  • Record Label: Geffen
  • Release Date: Jul 9, 2002
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 28 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 28
  3. Negative: 3 out of 28

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  1. PaulD.
    Aug 24, 2002
    9
    I simply can't believe the average reviews Hard Candy is getting. A masterful collection of finely crafted pop/rock, still with Adam's incredible talent for expressing straight from the heart. Arguably their best release.
  2. PeterJ.
    Aug 6, 2002
    5
    Very disappointing. I find listening to this album a very tiring experience. This kind of radio rock is a far cry from their magnificent debut album.
  3. raVen
    Dec 7, 2003
    8
    I was somewhat surprised by how much the next song was like the last. It would be kind of annoying if they were crummy songs. But they aren't, because it's Counting Crows. A bit crumbly, but never crummy. Great lyrics as usual.
  4. JoshL
    Feb 28, 2005
    10
    This is an amazing cd! Must own for fans of theirs, and the genre.
  5. ErwinK
    Oct 10, 2002
    9
    I recently purchased both Hard Candy and Desert Life at the same time. Overall the 15 or so tracks on Hard Candy I enjoyed much more. Desert Life just sounded too washed out. Hard Candy has much of the beauty and soul of August and some gorgeous songs like Holiday in Spain and Carriage. Real sob-sob break up music.
  6. TimJ.
    Aug 27, 2002
    3
    I consider myself a big fan, but this effort is very disappointing in my opinion.
  7. Crowsfeet
    Sep 8, 2002
    2
    Im a die hard Crows fan.. but this was a poor effort.. they seem to have fallen into that all too common trap of producing a couple of good albums and then sticking to the system... leading to the contrived sound that I hear everytime I put on the album. Their rhythm and bass lines sounds like they pushed the "rhythm 1" button on their Casio Jr. Musicians keyboard. You can definitly hear Im a die hard Crows fan.. but this was a poor effort.. they seem to have fallen into that all too common trap of producing a couple of good albums and then sticking to the system... leading to the contrived sound that I hear everytime I put on the album. Their rhythm and bass lines sounds like they pushed the "rhythm 1" button on their Casio Jr. Musicians keyboard. You can definitly hear the machine behind the man in this album. "prefabricated" describes it precisely.… Expand
  8. daven
    Sep 22, 2006
    8
    Their best release since August and Everything After.
  9. Chris
    Jul 22, 2002
    8
    I agree with everything Ryan says this is a fine CD and easily their best since "August and Everything After". My only complaint is they don't push themselfs harder here to create a more diverse expereince. Oh yeah and "New Frontiers" is thier worst song ever!
  10. TravisC.
    Sep 11, 2002
    10
    Duritz really hti it big this time! With the superior vocals and outreach into different sounds with insturments is just more than words can explain. Counting Crows went even further with the vocals of Sheryl Crow and Ryan Adams. This is definitely very close to August and Everything After which is far by, as everyone agrees, the best Counting Crows CD! A Big 10 for Duritz and Company!
  11. Ryan13
    Oct 24, 2003
    3
    their worst record. plain and simple...no emotion whatsoever. This Desert Life was a thousand times better.
  12. noname
    Jan 28, 2004
    7
    pretty good, but neither this album nor "this desert life" compare to "august..." and "...satellites"
  13. CraigA
    Mar 27, 2006
    9
    If you ignore the treacley sap that is 'Butterfly in Reverse', this is their best album since 'August...' I firmly believe that 'Up All Night' may be the greatest single never released.
  14. RasmusMarkP
    Dec 28, 2002
    8
    Fantastic album. The only thing I would like to have they should do is to loosen up just a bit more like when they're live or like previosly in Rain King and Hanging Around...
  15. bhartman36
    Sep 9, 2014
    4
    This is my least favorite Counting Crows album. Here, the band sinks into a pop morass, and they only rarely come up for air.

    First, the good: "Holiday In Spain" has become one of the band's classics in concert. It's a beautiful, well-written song. Similarly, "Up All Night" is the kind of song the band should be writing. Just beautiful. Even "Hard Candy" is a solid song. But    This is my least favorite Counting Crows album. Here, the band sinks into a pop morass, and they only rarely come up for air.

    First, the good:

    "Holiday In Spain" has become one of the band's classics in concert. It's a beautiful, well-written song. Similarly, "Up All Night" is the kind of song the band should be writing. Just beautiful. Even "Hard Candy" is a solid song.

    But then you have the rest of the album.

    "American Girls" is a peppy little song, but it's mostly a paint-by-numbers affair. And the title strikes of an odd pandering to patriotism (for Americans, obviously). Not a bad song, necessarily, but not their best.

    The rest of the album is forgettable. Except for "New Frontier", an exercise in electronica that is absolutely execrable. I try my best to forget that Counting Crows ever produced that song.

    Buy "Up All Night" and "Holiday in Spain" separately, and don't swallow this Hard Candy.    … Expand
  16. TR3YWAY
    Nov 23, 2019
    10
    Great album, I totally recommend listening to hard candy by counting crows!!!!

Awards & Rankings

61
#61 Most Discussed Album of 2002

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. CDNow
    80
    Few bands can both rock and pine as well as Duritz and company.
    Read full review
  2. Splendid
    50
    Mid-tempo rocker follows mid-tempo rocker without any change of pace to keep things interesting.
    Read full review
  3. Launch.com
    70
    Duritz isn't the soul singer he'd like to be.
    Read full review
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