Playland
by Johnny Marr
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Mojo
    Nov 6, 2014
    60
    He may not be a born singer, or particularly vocally charismatic, but he sounds like he means it, and that's more than enough. [Nov 2014, p.94]
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  2. Exclaim
    Oct 3, 2014
    60
    In 2014 this just seems like the kind of better-than-average album that befalls way too many British musicians past their prime.
  3. musicOMH.com
    Oct 2, 2014
    60
    If a handful of tracks from the first album had been replaced with the best tracks here then Marr would have produced one of the best guitar albums of the last decade, but taken on their own individual merits, neither quite achieve greatness.
  5. Rolling Stone
    Oct 15, 2014
    50
    Marr’s singing is nice enough (check ''The Trap''). His most compelling voice, inevitably, remains his guitar.
  6. Drowned In Sound
    Oct 8, 2014
    50
    What’s clear is how badly Marr needs a foil, a counterpart, a collaborator, because on his own his ideas only seem to stretch so far, and so, sadly, does our good will.
  7. Under The Radar
    Oct 2, 2014
    50
    Playland breaks no new ground. [Sep/Oct 2014, p.77]
  8. Pitchfork
    Oct 7, 2014
    46
    It’s been fussed over so much that any spark that may have spurred it has been smothered.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 2 out of 15
  1. StevenX
    Dec 27, 2017
    9
    A worthy successor to his amazing album "The Messenger", Marr shows here that there's no fluke at play, as if his decades of stellar guitarA worthy successor to his amazing album "The Messenger", Marr shows here that there's no fluke at play, as if his decades of stellar guitar work with others didn't prove that already. While some songs have obvious precedents on the previous record - "Candidate" could easily have come from the same session as "New Town Velocity" from "The Messenger", and so on - the writing is right-on, and the cinematic production gives clear ear to every instrument, not least of which is Marr's voice, obviously happy to speak for himself for a change. As adept at joyful pop-rock like "Dynamo" as he is at the atmospherics of the aforementioned "Candidate" and the brilliant "The Trap", Marr's palette is broad enough to keep the greats coming within a pop framework he's working now. Looking forward to the next installment.… Full Review »
  2. Spoonman3068
    Oct 24, 2014
    9
    "altecsole - I stumbled upon this on Spotify and decided the give it a go. What can I say? I love this album! The guitar sound is brilliant"altecsole - I stumbled upon this on Spotify and decided the give it a go. What can I say? I love this album! The guitar sound is brilliant and who knew Johnny could sing so well?" It's scary how close my experience of this album is to yours. Totally agree. Additive, great fun, **** brilliant!… Full Review »
  3. FIF
    Oct 7, 2014
    8
    Very solid solo effort from one of the greatest guitarists on planet Earth! His previous album, The Messenger was good too. He seems to beVery solid solo effort from one of the greatest guitarists on planet Earth! His previous album, The Messenger was good too. He seems to be very much alive and kicking!… Full Review »
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