If I Was
by The Staves
  • Record Label: Nonesuch
  • Release Date: Mar 23, 2015
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
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  1. Ricko
    Nov 15, 2021
    7
    I listened to this after coming across 2021's excellent "Good Woman". Between the sound of that album and the additional fact of Bon Iver's involvement in the production, "If I Was" ended up being far folkier and less contemporary than I expected. The songwriting is pretty solid as is the production. It's a solid album but there isn't that much that stands out or comes across as brave inI listened to this after coming across 2021's excellent "Good Woman". Between the sound of that album and the additional fact of Bon Iver's involvement in the production, "If I Was" ended up being far folkier and less contemporary than I expected. The songwriting is pretty solid as is the production. It's a solid album but there isn't that much that stands out or comes across as brave in terms of the decisions and directions taken. The Staves have a nice sound, lovely melodies, good vocals leading to an all round pleasant listening experience. The deluxe version, which is the one I've listened to, is probably overly padded out.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Magnet
    Jun 4, 2015
    70
    Their combined voices are just so unfathomably, incorrigibly all-devouring. [No. 120, p.61]
  2. PopMatters
    Apr 17, 2015
    70
    This is a very English album, its sonic DNA formed from the moors, fields, and woods of the English countryside and evocative of the great English folk revival of the late 1960s and early ‘70s.
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  3. Consequence
    Apr 1, 2015
    75
    Though these songs are stripped down and subtle, they achieve a heightened emotional state.
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