Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
by Devendra Banhart
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 33 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 33
  3. Negative: 3 out of 33

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  1. MattP.
    Sep 27, 2007
    9
    Not as obvious as Cripple Crow, but just as alluring! There is no one like Devendra around at the moment, and by the looks of it, if there was they'd have a hell of a time trying to match albums like this!
  2. jolab.
    Oct 11, 2007
    10
    By far the best album he's put out.
  3. LoucasP.
    Oct 13, 2007
    10
    Definitely one of the best albums of the year, "I remember"...
  4. KennethC.
    Oct 14, 2007
    7
    Some surprises are gone. Some of the melody's seem to be lifted from other places. A couple tracks have cringe worthy lyrics. But for the most part Devendra still makes me happy when I listen to him. And I believe that Is the main point of what he is actually trying to accomplish.
  5. ross
    Oct 21, 2007
    7
    A very fun album, I believe, when there is a smugness to it-- the sincerity in this album stinks of pretension, the smugness stinks of cold beer and joints on a hot night in july!
  6. PeterW.
    Sep 27, 2007
    7
    Great album but, sadly, not as good as his previous albums.
  7. Georgeb.
    Sep 29, 2007
    10
    it's an fantastic album...devendra is amazing, all of his albums are masterpieces.
  8. PaulA.
    Sep 27, 2007
    10
    To give this album anything less than a 9 is nothing more than a pure lack of musical insight. Banhart continues to expand and redifine his already totally unique sound. If other artists had one tenth of his creative ability perhaps todays musical scene wouldn't be the wasteland it is.
  9. Gus
    Dec 12, 2007
    9
    Amazing.
  10. MusicxxAddicted
    Apr 14, 2013
    7
    After "Cripple Crow", Devendra takes the inevitable turn into psychedelic rock and it certainly is a hard turn. For those who endure, however, the satisfaction is the greatest. All in all, a fine album that bridges the change from "Rejoicing In The Hands" (which was kinda trippy already) to "What Will We Be".

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 34
  3. Negative: 2 out of 34
  1. AllMusic
    80
    Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon is many things--perhaps too many things, but its successes outnumber its failures, and it essentially solves the problems inherent in confining a freeform singer to time signatures and arrangements and rhythms imposed by outsiders.
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  2. BBC collective
    90
    it's great to hear Banhart playing outside of type, and the swagger and muscle occasionally at work suit him surprisingly well.
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  3. Drowned In Sound
    60
    On fifth album Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon the cast expands again to include erstwhile Strokes guitarists and movie stars, and at points you’re left pining for the eccentric acoustic phrasings of yore.
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