- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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It's a little artier than Heathen, but similar in its feel and just as satisfying.
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BlenderLucid, enjoyable and occasionally full-on rockin'. [Oct 2003, p.115]
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It's the sound of a man who's worked out how to be good again, who finally understands his own strengths and limitations.
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The album quickly reveals itself to be a muddled effort of overproduction and drab lyrics.
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Reality is easily one of his most emotionally transparent albums.
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MagnetBy keeping it simple, Bowie has avoided the stupid, said more with less and made the clearest record of his career. [#61, p.88]
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MojoBowie's best album for 20 years. [Oct 2003, p.104]
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This is as close as Bowie has ever come to simply "pretty good" in his storied career.
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So, his best album since 'Scary Monsters' (ARRRRGGGHHHH!!!).
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Q MagazineBowie's best music since Scary Monsters. [Oct 2003, p.101]
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Bowie toughens up his sound, sawing at the edges of Jonathan Richman's "Pablo Picasso" and, on "New Killer Star," reclaiming the insinuating guitar propulsion he'd loaned to Lou Reed when he produced Transformer.
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While it might not push the experimental envelope as forcefully as some critics or fans would like, it nonetheless sounds as vital and vibrant as any pop-rock record released this year.
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SpinA relaxed, even graceful affair. [Dec 2003, p.123]
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Neither a calculated trip to Bowie's past nor a wagon-hitching ride to current pop trends, the album has an energy all its own.
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UncutWhile it's very much a rock album... it kicks in a very 'now' way (this ain't Tin Machine). [Oct 2003, p.112]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 59 out of 63
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Mixed: 2 out of 63
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Negative: 2 out of 63
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May 11, 2016
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Apr 4, 2016
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Apr 4, 2016