Has Been - William Shatner
Metascore
68 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
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  1. PopMatters
    90
    Somehow, it just might be the pop album of the year.
  2. Playlouder
    80
    'Has Been' is just about as far as you could possibly get from your regular solo offering and as such arrives as one of the year's most strangely captivating albums.
  3. All Music Guide
    80
    It may not be an album that's as funny or timeless as The Transformed Man, but Has Been is every bit as bizarre.
  4. Flak Magazine
    80
    This album is stunning.
  5. Pitchfork
    75
    For an album I approached ready to shrug off as sheer novelty, its humor and candor give it a fair amount of staying power.
  6. E! Online
    75
    Shatner oversees some surprisingly tuneful turns.
  7. Under The Radar
    70
    Fun, sad and oddly affecting... [a] highly enjoyable album that will catch you off guard. [#8, p.112]
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  8. The New York Times
    70
    Remarkably, the album coheres.
  9. ShakingThrough.net
    68
    It's that sobering confessional quality that gives the album an unexpected dose of depth and grace.
  10. New Musical Express (NME)
    60
    Listen once, chuckle lightly, rip 'Together,' then run a fucking mile. [9 Oct 2004, p.57]
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  11. Mojo
    60
    Big issues... are chewed over with bittersweet humour and musical sophistication. [Nov 2004, p.110]
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  12. Uncut
    60
    It is definitely deserving of the cult status that it will inevitably earn. [Dec 2004, p.138]
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  13. Q Magazine
    60
    Great non-rap spoken-word albums comprise a list shorter than Wiiliam Shatner's critically acclaimed film roles. Yet [Shatner and Folds] have got closer here than most. [Dec 2004, p.144]
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  14. cokemachineglow
    50
    Despite somber interludes like the Shatner-only confession of his third wife’s death, “What Have You Done?” or the subtly rich “Together,” Has Been does little to rescue the Priceline spokesman from the novelty bin.
  15. The Guardian
    50
    This CD is beyond good or bad. It is from a world where concepts such as "unique" and "indispensible" live happily alongside "hilariously, brain-tearingly wrong".
  16. Village Voice
    50
    On the scale of Singing Shat, Has Been ranks above the Shakespeare rap in Free Enterprise, but below "Mr. Tambourine Man."
  17. Stylus Magazine
    40
    The problem, of course, is that Shatner knows he’s Shatner now. And so does everyone else. It’s the joke that stops being funny after you hear the premise.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
9.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 34 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. Ricko
    7
    I bought this record after hearing his version of Common People with Joe Jackson. Pulp's original version was always one of my favourite songs so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the version on this record. It's a fantastic opening and really is a whole new reintereptation of the track. The rest of the album is surprisingly good. I never imagined I'd enjoy a William Shatner record but the songs are all pretty clever and the collaborations are really good. That's Me Trying (with Ben Folds), Familiar Love and Together (with Lemonjelly) are the other highlights for me. Listen to it with an open mind and you'll find moments to enjoy.… Full Review »
  2. cracka
    10
    I listen to this album at least once a week. It is surprisingly good, and a breath of fresh air. I don't care whether it is cool or not, but I do know that it sounds good, it has great song writing, Ben Folds should be heartily congratulated for his efforts here.… Full Review »
  3. nemo20000
    10
    I'm no Shatner fanboy. Thought Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was ludicrous. Never watched TJ Hooker. Didn't buy his books. Heard this CD by accident. Oh wow. Just ignore the Metacritic score. Pity the professional critics who were so busy laughing at Shatner they forgot to listen to the music or, more importantly, Bills lyrics - for all but three tracks are co-written by the man himself, and they are hauntingly biographical. Ignore those pundits, trust these reviewers. This is a must-have CD, and you will love it. You will put it on auto-repeat (but not shuffle, no no no). You will play it to your friends and probably discover, as I did, that they already have it, but were too ashamed to mention. Well it's Captain Kirk 'innit? As the closing number puts it "though there's part of me in that guy you've seen, up there on that screen, I am so much more". Believe it.… Full Review »
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