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Scandalous Image
Metascore
83

Universal acclaim - based on 10 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 5 Ratings

  • Summary: The retro-soul rock quartet, featuring an eight-piece horn section, offers up a funky blend of R&B and blues reminiscent of early J. Geils Band, James Brown, and Otis Redding.
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  • Record Label: Lost Highway
  • Genre(s): R&B, Soul, Funk, Pop/Rock, Modern Electric Blues, Retro-Soul, Retro-Rock, Southern Soul
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Mar 18, 2011
    100
    Scandalous, though a natural progression, takes some surprising turns that attest to a tightened-up band still figuring out just how much dy-no-mite they're capable of exploding.
  2. Mar 18, 2011
    83
    This is a party record, wholly unconcerned with painstakingly recreating the past (à la Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings) or pushing the genre into the future (à la Cee Lo or Janelle Monae).
  3. Mar 17, 2011
    80
    In a word, Scandalous most certainly is; it's a party record that bleeds Saturday night into Sunday morning and beyond.
  4. Apr 8, 2011
    80
    Scandalous is the soundtrack to your next party. In fact, after giving it a spin or two, you might just throw a party in its honor. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, no doubt, would approve.
  5. Mar 18, 2011
    79
    Scandalous isn't a throwback, it's a throw forward.
  6. 70
    The thoroughly engaging Scandalous certainly satisfying one's hunger for some stick-to-your-ribs rock 'n' soul music. The band, however, seems approaching a crossroads. They definitely demonstrate their skills at successfully reviving these retro sounds but they are still striving to find their own special voice.
  7. Mar 17, 2011
    67
    Scandalous doesn't venture far from its home turf, but that's because Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears' brand of Southern soul is a breath of nightclub air just how you need it.

See all 10 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Apr 15, 2011
    9
    Black Joe Lewis's Scandalous is a fun, raw, soulful and blusey album. And it is immediately good...no listens are necessary for the album toBlack Joe Lewis's Scandalous is a fun, raw, soulful and blusey album. And it is immediately good...no listens are necessary for the album to warm up to you. BJL's energy on the album gives you a good idea of how great their live performances will be. Collapse

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