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Show Me Your Tears
by
  • Record Label:
  • Release Date:
Show Me Your Tears Image
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 22 Ratings

  • Summary: He's nothing if not prolific. Black's fourth album in two and a half years features 13 new tracks and appearances from some of his usual cohorts (Stan Ridgway, Joey Santiago).

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 17
  3. Negative: 1 out of 17
  1. Splendid
    90
    This is not a happy album, but it might be a great one, taking the Western swagger of Dog in the Sand into bleak and stunning territory.
  2. Nude As The News
    80
    Not unlike Wilco’s Being There, Show Me Your Tears gives classic rock lovers a new album to celebrate -- an album to drink by while mourning the fact that most aging rock icons rarely supply anything this raucous anymore.
  3. Billboard
    80
    Populated with high, lonesome soundscapes that condense the Americana epics of last year's "Black Letter Days" into concentrated studies of tears-in-the-whiskey depression.
  4. Under The Radar
    70
    Raw, melancholy, hard, and melodic. [#5, p.98]
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  5. Rolling Stone
    70
    Full of rootsy indie fare and a slew of excellently bittersweet country rockers. [16 Oct 2003, p.87]
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  6. Blender
    60
    Important? No. Remarkable? Not really. [Sep 2003, p.118]
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  7. Q Magazine
    30
    Suffers from the same faults as previous efforts: limp tunes, pompous guitar solos and an overhwlming sense of "Will this do?" [Sep 2003, p.98]
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See all 17 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. SvenC
    Sep 18, 2003
    10
    This album is not a grab-your-attention, jump-out-at-you album; you wouldn't play this at the next frat party. But if you can shut down This album is not a grab-your-attention, jump-out-at-you album; you wouldn't play this at the next frat party. But if you can shut down your schizophrenic mind for 45 minutes, you'll be rewarded with an album that will massage your ears with catchy rhythms and in my opinion, Frank Black's best post-Pixies album to date. It's Leonard Cohen meets Tom Petty and it's more relaxing than a serving a quaaludes with a side of kava tea.… Expand
  2. chrisl
    Sep 13, 2003
    10
    amazing album, prolific writer
  4. LeoK
    Sep 17, 2003
    10
    The Catholics never disappoint. Frank is incapable of writing a bad tune.
  5. KrisA
    Sep 13, 2003
    9
    Frank Black betters his work with each album. Lyrically-speaking, SMYT is a departure for Black, a little less cryptic, but somehow more Frank Black betters his work with each album. Lyrically-speaking, SMYT is a departure for Black, a little less cryptic, but somehow more personal and powerful. With this release, Black continues to implement "live to two-track" recording. The result is a fantastic, raw, big rock sound. No over-produced, cookie-cutter band on the radio ever sounded this good. The legacy of the Pixies lives on with the Catholics (despite what some amature critics say).… Expand
  6. AJ
    Jul 10, 2006
    9
    The perfect break-up record. The Stones and Leonard Cohen were clearly influences. Mastif Centrale sounds a bit like a Pixies track. For The perfect break-up record. The Stones and Leonard Cohen were clearly influences. Mastif Centrale sounds a bit like a Pixies track. For fans: Some great stuff but it feels a little more sterile than say "Dog in the Sand" and a bit more forced than "Black Letter Days."… Expand
  7. MichaelM
    Sep 14, 2003
    9
    This album takes a while to get used to, but once you're past the initial impression you'll find that there's a lot going on This album takes a while to get used to, but once you're past the initial impression you'll find that there's a lot going on here and a lot to like. I will say, however, that "Manitoba" is a huge disappointment compared with live versions I've heard.… Expand
  8. jerrys
    Sep 10, 2003
    4
    I tuned into FB with Teenager of the Year...I hadn't even heard any of the Pixies stuff. I've followed his career since then and I tuned into FB with Teenager of the Year...I hadn't even heard any of the Pixies stuff. I've followed his career since then and have warmed to the Pixies. I'm one of the most avid supporters of Mr. Thompson and have nearly all of his work. I was at the store at opening to get this disc, but I'm a bit disappointed. Frank is depressed, and it shows in his music. The tunes are without passion, the songs are nothing new, and at some points the CD is just sloppy. I'm also not real fond of the increased country tinge (I can do without the harmonicas). While I appreciate the effort to go into slightly new directions (with the inclusion of sax's and trumpets), the sound is muffled by Frank's dreariness. He says it best - "for the first time in my life, I just don't care." That about sums up the disc.… Collapse

See all 15 User Reviews

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