Reveal - R.E.M.
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
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  1. Q Magazine
    100
    It's a landmark album for REM and the fans who stayed faithful, a shot in the arm for music in 2001 and - unless they're too foolish to accept it - a long-awaited treat for all the listeners who bailed out after Monster.
  2. Revolver
    90
    As sonically beautiful an album as R.E.M. has made. [May/June 2001, p.114]
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  3. Playlouder
    90
    Whilst this comes closer to 'Out Of Time' than anything else they've done, it never once sounds dated.
  4. Dot Music
    90
    'Reveal' sees REM exhale, relax and ease into a new confidence with a collection of songs to fill your heart. Every track here sifts with a live energy that was previously polished out of 'Up', and they sound all the better for it.
  5. PopMatters
    90
    The rock energy that drove much of their early career has given way to a perfect sense for texture and sound. Reveal is a lush, dreamy pop mood-piece that hovers in the realm of rumination and introspection.
  6. The A.V. Club
    90
    For all its daring, Reveal still ranks among the group's most instantly winning albums, the kind whose poppiest pleasures, like "All The Way To Reno (You're Going To Be A Star)" and the single "Imitation Of Life," eventually fade into the album's overall beauty.
  7. Wall of Sound
    89
    On Reveal, the sounds vary, but the songs cohere well. For a band into its third decade, making a record with no apparent weak link is an accomplishment.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.6 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 40 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. IbanL
    7
    "Reveal" is a very interesting record, likely the best album since Berry left the band. R.E.M. caught very well the summer feeling in this record. Some of the songs are brilliant, like the first single "Imitation Of Life", which is an R.E.M. classic now. The Automatic-days were gone and this record doesn't get close to the best albums of the band, but it shows that R.E.M. still had life after the departure of Bill.… Full Review »
  2. ricco94
    8
    There are many excellent tracks (Imitation Of Life, All The Way To Reno, I'll Take The Rain, She Just Wants To Be) but there's also something not really exciting (Saturn Return). Reveal is a good album but there is much better in R.E.M.'s career. And I like it less than Up.… Full Review »
  3. thatbeatleskid
    8
    After the mixed reaction to 1998's "Up," R.E.M. decided to return to a more organic sound while still retaining some of the synthesizers heard on the previous album. The result is an album that tries very hard to appeal to both old and new fans. Some songs such as "She Just Wants To Be," "Chorus and The Ring," and "I'll Take The Rain" have a similar sound to the "Out Of Time" and "Automatic" eras. Other songs like "The Lifting," "All The Way To Reno," and "Saturn Return" all are of the same style as "Up." In the end, you will like this album if you can appreciate R.E.M. trying to combine the styles of "Automatic" and "Up." However, this album is weaker than both of those.… Full Review »
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