In The Maybe World
by Lisa Germano
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14

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  1. andrewc
    Aug 30, 2006
    9
    Best thing she's done since Excerpts...
  2. chrisc
    Jul 22, 2006
    10
    stunning.
  3. bobl
    Jul 20, 2006
    9
    Lovely and engaging.
  4. VickiR
    Aug 22, 2006
    9
    Very clever and amusing. I enjoyed it very much.
  5. steoc
    Sep 28, 2006
    9
    her intimate album, her eating album. emotional music, inspired lyrics. unforgettable.
  6. AriB
    Oct 23, 2006
    10
    This is a gorgeous album, and am shocked by some of the reviews. Lisa's breathy voice and her somber tunes attract me very much, and those two elements are here, so as a result, the album is great. The songs mostly have strong melodies, and if not, they're really nice even if not memorable.
  7. C.Shiira
    Apr 26, 2007
    9
    Even before I had read that Lisa Germano was a surfer who frequently visits the North Shore, I was already a huge fan. I couldn't believe that John Mellencamp's fiddle player was the same woman who recorded "Trouble Me"(from "Geek the Girl"). And I couldn't believe that this singer-songwriter was a visitor of Hawaii. Germano is a genius. She has an extraodinary knack for Even before I had read that Lisa Germano was a surfer who frequently visits the North Shore, I was already a huge fan. I couldn't believe that John Mellencamp's fiddle player was the same woman who recorded "Trouble Me"(from "Geek the Girl"). And I couldn't believe that this singer-songwriter was a visitor of Hawaii. Germano is a genius. She has an extraodinary knack for making self-deprecation sound brave, so songs like "Victoria's Secret"(from her masterpiece "Excerpts from the Love Circus"; she recorded her cats, too) and "If I Think of Love"(from "Slide"), two of the greatest-songs-of-all-time, by the way, sound hopeful in spite of its suicidal trappings. I love Germano's songs because you get the impression that her music is a salve, a preventive measure against self-inflicted harm. I think she's a very brave artist. "In the Maybe World" actually sounds cheerful in comparison to her last four albums. There's no toe-tappers like "You Make me Want to Wear Dresses" or her re-working of "These Boots are Made for Walkin'", but the music is less claustrophobic; more pretty than scary. The stand-out is "Too Much Space"(with its brilliant reference to the cult-classic "Freaks") and "Red Thread"(with its hillarious frankness aimed at, I assume, an ex-lover). I'm just glad that Germano is still making music. I heard that she was retired after being booed off the stage during a Smashing Pumpkins tour in which she was the opening act(Billy Corgan meant well, I'm sure, but what was he thinking?). Luckily, she's back from that professional quagmire, because "In the Maybe World" is a stunning addition to the Germano canon. She is the best female singer-songwriter of the past twenty-five years.… Expand
  8. allier
    Sep 12, 2006
    10
    great record.
  9. AlanL
    Jan 25, 2007
    9
    Given that Pop Matters gushed (& rightfully so) over Lisa Germano's 2003 masterpiece Lullaby For Liquid Pig, I'm stunned by their review of In The Maybe World: "The problem is, it's easy to lose the lyrics when the music gives us no reason to listen to them." I can't help but wonder what collective "us" the reviewer is referring to. In The Maybe World is yet another Given that Pop Matters gushed (& rightfully so) over Lisa Germano's 2003 masterpiece Lullaby For Liquid Pig, I'm stunned by their review of In The Maybe World: "The problem is, it's easy to lose the lyrics when the music gives us no reason to listen to them." I can't help but wonder what collective "us" the reviewer is referring to. In The Maybe World is yet another beautiful, heartrending work awash in fragile lyrics AND gorgouus melodies from a truly unique and gifted artist who has no peers. The excerpt from Under The Radar's review is dead on: "You will want to play this album all over again as soon as it finishes." I have---over & over & over. I only hope Lisa knows how many people her music continues to touch, help, and heal.… Collapse

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. AllMusic
    70
    There's less of the wry humor Germano usually allows to shine through once in a while... This is also her least gauzy-sounding album since Slide... Despite these differences, In the Maybe World is still a strong addition to her body of work.
    Read full review
  2. PopMatters
    30
    The problem is, it’s easy to lose the lyrics when the music gives us no reason to listen to them.
    Read full review
  3. Slant Magazine
    70
    In The Maybe World is an accessible, if lyrically opaque, work that should please fans of avant-pop that doesn't sound remotely like any of the other cerebral chanteuses out there.
    Read full review
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