Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 35
  2. Negative: 2 out of 35
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  1. May 2, 2013
    89
    Ready to Die finds the quintet on Fat Possum, making them indie artists for the first time, and they give their new label the best produced, loudest, and slickest--without sacrificing any primal grit and drive--Stooges disc yet.
  2. Classic Rock Magazine
    Jun 25, 2013
    80
    Ready To Die suggests Iggy is anything but. [Jun 2013, p.90]
  3. Jun 4, 2013
    80
    While fans can rest assured that rampage is still on the menu, be prepared to well up, too.
  4. Q Magazine
    May 13, 2013
    80
    They've bottled the lightning in an album of satirical wit, edgy intelligence and what fans crave most of all, raw power. [Jun 2013, p.105]
  5. May 8, 2013
    80
    Ready to Die is a weirdly exhilarating gem, thanks to Iggy's fiery eloquence and the Stooges' still-raw power. Apparently rock'n'roll can be an old man's game after all.
  6. Apr 30, 2013
    80
    On Ready to Die, Iggy & the Stooges sound hungry, ready not to expire but to prove something: that rock & roll is not dead and no one does it better.
  7. Apr 29, 2013
    80
    Liberated from the weight of their history, they're just ready to rock while they still can, and that's why Ready to Die is, against all odds, a terrific Stooges album.
  8. 80
    It's impressive that singing about the careless abandon of life seems as natural as ever for him, even as he hurtles towards 70.
  9. The result wears the weight of its history lightly, with the exception of "The Departed", a solemn tribute to lost Stooges.
  10. Apr 22, 2013
    80
    A time-bridging release that stands as an essential and timely reminder of just how rock ‘n’ roll ought to be played.
  11. Apr 29, 2013
    75
    Ready to Die holds up as an unexpectedly sturdy late-career coda.
  12. Under The Radar
    Jun 13, 2013
    70
    Ready To Die is a beast and far outplays Pop's last Stooges reunion album, 2007's The Weirdness. [Jun-Jul 2013, p.93]
  13. 70
    If one doesn't expect the last great Stooges album and sets aside the hype, Ready to Die is actually a pretty good, satisfying proto-punk rock album.
  14. May 2, 2013
    70
    This new album of old ideas hits hardest at its softest, most melancholy moments.
  15. Apr 30, 2013
    70
    The music is patently dirty and rough, but Pop’s subdued moments sound more solo career than Stooge.
  16. Apr 30, 2013
    70
    Ready to Die is the reunion album (Iggy and) the Stooges deserve, washing away the bad taste of The Weirdness.
  17. Apr 30, 2013
    70
    Ready to Die isn't the missing sequel to Raw Power, but it is a masterclass in writing a big, dumb punk album with occasional touches of emotional depth.
  18. Apr 29, 2013
    70
    That fleeting escape aside [“Unfriendly World”], Ready to Die is another torrid tour de force from a band built for speed, not comfort.
  19. Apr 29, 2013
    70
    It ain't no Raw Power. But once you get your head around the fact that it rightfully doesn't even attempt to imitate its antecedent, and really is more a belated sequel to Pop and Williamson's 1977 album Kill City, then this is, in places, a pretty damn good rock & roll record.
  20. Apr 26, 2013
    70
    It is much stronger than their previous disappointing album The Weirdness (2007), and at times even recalls their creative heyday in the late ’60s and early ’70s.
  21. The Wire
    Apr 24, 2013
    70
    Ready To Die, in essence, a solid hard rock album, with all the good and bad that implies. [May 2013, p.59]
  22. Apr 22, 2013
    70
    [A] robust studio resurrection of his alliance with guitarist James Williamson.
User Score
7.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 10
  2. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. May 27, 2013
    8
    A very nice return from this classic and iconic band, legends and architectors of Punk Rock. 40 years since their classic and influential RawA very nice return from this classic and iconic band, legends and architectors of Punk Rock. 40 years since their classic and influential Raw Power and they still got it. I gave it an 8 out of 10 score 'cuz I didn't like the last two tracks, just forgetable ones, fillers. If they would have cut it down to just 8 tracks, it would have been a 9/10 score. Full Review »