• Record Label: Polydor
  • Release Date: Mar 8, 2011
Metascore
50

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 12
  2. Negative: 2 out of 12
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  1. May 6, 2011
    40
    Because Light After Dark tries so hard to keep up with the tricks of the trade in 2011, it loses any sense of originality that Maguire brings to the table, which, especially in the pop music scene, is the only way to stand out.
  2. May 6, 2011
    40
    The production--by chart-grabbing Fraser T Smith (James Morrison, Taio Cruz, Cee-Lo)--can only bring so much depth or variety to unadventurous songs which are bellowed and wailed with all the subtlety of Florence Welch giving birth to a rhino.
  3. May 6, 2011
    50
    If you can manage to put such quibbles aside--and it will be a struggle--Light After Dark has some redeeming features.
  4. Mojo
    May 6, 2011
    60
    If Kate Bush backed by MGMT appeals, Maguire's your woman. [Apr 2011, p.105]
  5. May 6, 2011
    50
    The rest of the 13 track album sounds like a mix of Latvian Eurovision Song Contest entries and The X-Factor winners' songs; an unmistakable, cringey 'life affirming' theme runs throughout, with the obligatory twinkling electro loops.
  6. May 6, 2011
    40
    Sadly, though, Ain't Nobody's by miles the most interesting four minutes on Light After Dark, which suggests Maguire is another startling talent whose every point of interest has been sandblasted off between being signed and getting her album out.
  7. 40
    It's a cartoon of emotion: even when whispering, there's a stage intimacy about her delivery; and at full blast, she has the emotive subtlety of a foghorn, though that may be to surmount the barrage of thundering tom-toms and pounding pianos with which she's been saddled.
  8. Her Lennox-meets-Tyler, or Welch-meets-Tunstall lungs boom out across a Heart FM-friendly pop-rock sound which sometimes attains a sweeping Stevie Nicks drama but often merely reaches Dido level.
  9. 60
    A flat-out belter of the Adele/Florence school, surrounded variously by daft orchestral sturm-und-drang and flimsy ProTools disco/house. Better may come.
User Score
6.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 14
  2. Negative: 3 out of 14
  1. Sep 29, 2011
    7
    Great debut, but sadly, lacks the emotion and power that it was hyped to show. Lead single 'Ain't Nobody' starts off slow, telling how herGreat debut, but sadly, lacks the emotion and power that it was hyped to show. Lead single 'Ain't Nobody' starts off slow, telling how her heart only has room for one love and she thinks that one love should think the same way, but isn't a great song. Second single 'The Last Dance' is a get-up-and-sing powerhouse of a single. This song truly shows the power in Maguire's voice that most of the other tracks failed to show. The chorus "I save my last dance for you, my friend." may lack lyrical genius, but with the strong drum backing and dancy synth sounds the lyrics don't matter much. Third single 'The Shield and The Sword', with it's string intro and house piano backing welcoming the listener into 3 and a half minutes of pop gold. The track depicts Maguire's overcoming of a somewhat unpleasant break up "You take the shield, I'll take the sword, I no longer love you." shows that Clare is well and truly over and is on the offensive, showing she is a strong woman. Sadly, intro 'Are you Ready? and outro 'This is not the End' seem to be album fillers and nothing more. Ballad 'Bullet' is one of the record's highlights, showing the raw emotion that was promised of the record, a tale of heartbreak it may be, but it is a track that will be on repeat for those in a blue mood. 'The Happiest Pretenders' and 'Break These Chains' depict the fall of a relationship and just wanting to break free from it, feeling that she is imprisoned in a sad situation. Sadly, 'I Surrender', 'You're Electric' and 'Light After Dark' fall flat. Top tracks are 'The Last Dance', 'Bullet', and 'The Shield and the Sword'. Full Review »
  2. May 25, 2011
    7
    Someone needs to take this girl in the right direction. A lot of the songs on here are Barbara Streisand-style blasty **** and to be honest,Someone needs to take this girl in the right direction. A lot of the songs on here are Barbara Streisand-style blasty **** and to be honest, Clare deserves better. Full Review »