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MojoSep 8, 2011[Bridges] convincingly inhabits a batch of mostly self-penned story songs that radiate a weary gravitas and wry existentialism. [Oct 2011, p.96]
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Sep 1, 2011It's all tastefully arranged.
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Sep 1, 2011Jeff Bridges might not be the actor's most emotional performance - to see that you need to watch the last five minutes of Fearless - but it is a surprisingly heartfelt piece of work, packed with enough hooks and harmonies to show he's obviously a keen student of the greats.
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Aug 31, 2011Jeff Bridges is all quiet and sepia-toned, dripping like molasses in dollops of hammy pedal steel, placid acoustic guitars, and Bridges' cracked vocal chords.
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Aug 25, 2011If you're a fan of Burnett's sound or just plain curious you'll find this a welcome project that does exactly what it sets out to do.
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Aug 23, 2011The album might be an extension of its namesake's enduring Dude-itude, but this time he's takin' it a little too easy for all us sinners.
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Aug 23, 2011True to form, his major-label debut is a personal, understated and unpredictable collection.
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Aug 22, 2011Bridges' rough baritone talk/sung voice just doesn't connect with songs and production that seem lazy, if somewhat less self-indulgent than other successful actors who try to make their mark as singers.
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Aug 19, 2011The tunes mostly stick to a low-tempo, shuffling formula, though Bridges gets a chance to stretch a bit in a few scattershot moments of idiosyncrasy.
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Aug 19, 2011Bridges' voice and guitar playing are also serviceable, but the lack of variety causes the album to fall short of becoming recommendable.
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Aug 19, 2011The problem with Jeff Bridges is, it sounds like he's trying hard to be cool, and that's all down to T-Bone Burnett, who dampens everything natural about this music with the artificially authentic.
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UncutAug 18, 2011Here, as always, he turns out to be a natural. [Sep 2011, p.81]
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Aug 16, 2011Like many actors who try their hand at music, Bridges may have made this record because he could, and the acclaim for "Crazy Heart'' offered him a prime opportunity. It's so winning, however, because Bridges had something to say.
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Aug 16, 2011Bridges has talented friends and mentors who help bring out the best in him, which is surprisingly good.
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Aug 16, 2011Bridges' frayed charisma fits these songs perfectly. Nostalgic yet out of time, welcoming but secretly brooding, the combination creates an audio correlative to the beloved characters he's played on-screen.
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Aug 16, 2011Sure, this album gains depth from his film history - these laid-back country-rock songs suggest a cleaned-up Bad Blake, or a Dude with ambitions beyond the bowling lanes.
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Aug 15, 2011In general there's the dusky, reverberant sound of the album, which turns Mr. Bridges into a cog in the T Bone Burnett Americana machine.
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Aug 15, 2011In some ways, Bridges is falling short, but it fortunately has nothing to do with a lack of talent. On that note, Bridges succeeds quite well. What he needs to do is clear: More Jeff Bridges, less Bad Blake.
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Aug 15, 2011The ghostly "Slow Boat," which Bridges co-wrote with Burnett and Thomas Cobb, shares its title with a song referenced in Cobb's Crazy Heart, but which was unused in the film adaptation. These underplayed self-referential moments add character to the album and allow Bridges to make it a more definitive personal statement.
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Aug 12, 2011Bridges' country-fried drawl gets wonky (see the shuffling "Blue Car"), but when the pieces come together -- as on laid-back, folksy charmers like "Everything but Love" and "Maybe I Missed the Point" -- the result is as comfortable and unpretentious as the Dude's bathrobe.
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Aug 12, 2011Crazy Heart reminded us that the Oscar-winning actor could sing, so the surprise here isn't Bridges' worn-denim vocals, which producer T Bone Burnett surrounds with his trademark chamber-country atmospherics.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 7 out of 8
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Mixed: 1 out of 8
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Negative: 0 out of 8
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Aug 22, 2011
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Aug 17, 2011