Necessary Evil - Deborah Harry
Necessary Evil Image
Metascore
50 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 11 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: The former Blondie lead singer releases her fifth solo album.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 15
  3. Negative: 3 out of 15
  1. Amazon.com
    80
    Viscerally contemporary, Necessary Evil harnesses youthful exuberance from across the charts, and Harry and her team of producers and songwriting partners do radio-ready rock, pop, and soul-lite with à la mode savvy to spare.
  2. Rolling Stone
    60
    You’ll notice when the guitars escalate on 'You’re Too Hot,' when Harry sotto-voces her sexpot act on 'Dirty and Deep.' But you’ll really notice when a long diminuendo fourteen tracks in proves a bridge to the last three songs.
  3. Mojo
    60
    Unsurprisingly, Necessary Evil falls short of her prime's pop perfection, yet it provides a fair compendium of her career. [Oct 2007, p.90]
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  4. Hartford Courant
    30
    Harry remains a creative force, and it's clear she needs to continue making music, but her new songs lack the cohesive spark needed to make anyone but diehard fans take notice.

See all 15 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. hp
    10
    "Necessary Evil '' best album Debbie does sinds "Plastic Letters"
  2. AnthonyD.
    10
    An amazing and challenging album. It takes risks and the listener is rewarded again and again!
  3. Kevin.
    10
    Love this Album, Deborah's Best Solo album to date!!!
  4. ChristianB
    2
    All the evidence Deborah Harry ever needed to prove she wasn't Blondie. These songs might work with some of the band's cheeky recklessness behind them. As it stands, Harry's previous solo albums show she can do great work without them when she takes a less experimental tack. On Necessary Evil, it's painfully obvious Debbie is trying to be Blondie, without the rest of that powerhouse behind her to bring it to fruition. Bitterly disappointing from a usually inspiring performer.… Expand

See all 6 User Reviews

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