Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 13
  2. Negative: 0 out of 13
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  1. Mojo
    Dec 22, 2011
    60
    There's enough to pique interest for newbies. The rest of us will head on back to the master. [Sep 2011, p.99]
  2. Oct 31, 2011
    70
    The missteps are minor, forgivable, and, if nothing else, there are all these fantastic compositions to celebrate.
  3. Oct 31, 2011
    60
    It would have been better to be more sharply focused, and more limited in scope, so a wider audience could discover it and maybe love it as much as Johnny Boy.
  4. Uncut
    Sep 23, 2011
    60
    The sonic darings of his own recordings has clearly fueled the imaginations of The Cure's Robert Smith and Beck, although the likes of Snow Patrol and Beth Orton stay closer to the originals. [Oct 2011, p.102]
  5. 80
    A handful of high profile ringers (Beck, Beth Orton, the Cure's Robert Smith, Phil Collins, Snow Patrol) join less recognizable names interpreting Martyn songs in versions that will hopefully encourage listeners unfamiliar with his work to seek out his bulging catalog of inspired originals.
  6. Aug 23, 2011
    70
    This CD won't replace the originals but it's a tribute with some memorable versions of great songs.
  7. Aug 16, 2011
    80
    As tributes go, this one rates high marks.
  8. Aug 16, 2011
    60
    Like most tribute albums, Johnny Boy Would Love This is mixed, with a few misfires, like Snow Patrol's overblown "May You Never." But Mr. Martyn's pensive, moody spirit comes through, and the tribute should send listeners back to his own 1973 masterpiece, "Solid Air."
  9. None of it is clumsy but, equally, none of it truly escapes the originator's gravitational field.
  10. Aug 16, 2011
    80
    Philip Larkin memorably once noted, "What will survive of us is love". Whilst that's undoubtedly true, in Martyn's case there are also these glorious songs to savour and celebrate.
  11. Aug 16, 2011
    70
    Contributors Vetiver, Phil Collins, Vashti Bunyan, and the Cure's Robert Smith make for odd bedfellows. But Martyn's songbook--"May You Never," "Stormbringer," the Drake tribute "Solid Air"--is the star.
  12. Aug 16, 2011
    60
    It's likely to appeal more to dedicated Martyn fans than newcomers but a fine tribute nonetheless.
  13. Aug 16, 2011
    75
    Martyn's early-'70s blend of romantic blues and eerie valentines remains potent, and on this double-disc tribute, 30 participants give him a smooch of respect, trying to update the hazy passion he brought to his best work.

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