Stereo - Paul Westerberg
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 18
  2. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Thankfully, our hero hasn't lost his knack for breaking your heart with a turn of phrase or a gauzy guitar motif. [26 Apr 2002, p.148]
  2. [Stereo] is brimming with expressive, beautifully articulated songs that speak to both sides of his personality.
  3. 80
    A record that grows on you slowly but surely. [May 2002, p.104]
  4. Stereo is the first Westerberg solo disc that captures the elusive feel and emotional resonance of his best Replacements tunes.
  5. 80
    The most honest-sounding collection of songs Westerberg has penned in years.
  6. These two albums are the strongest contribution to Westerberg's canon since The Replacements' days.
  7. The reason to get excited about this release, the reason to wake the kids and call the neighbors, is the second disc, Mono.
  8. Stereo/Mono is less polished than Westerberg's other solo efforts, but the song quality is consistent.
  9. The off-the-cuff approach results in some daft lyrics and dud moments, but when Westerberg finds his feet in this mode, he has few rivals in summoning up the sound of loneliness.
  10. A strong batch of Dylanesque songs.
  11. Mono and Stereo would be fine records from any musician-- that Westerberg himself is the source makes it all the sweeter.
  12. With a voice that aches like a hangover, Westerberg has long sounded like he's had an album of post-punk saloon ballads in him. Stereo is that album, and it's his best collection of songs since the Eighties.
  13. Just as the busking, basement-tapes balladry of Stereo feels wan and undercooked, the rough-and-ready rock of Mono brims with the thoughtfulness and soulful energy of Westerberg's 1993 solo debut, 14 Songs, and his ever-influential Replacements catalog.
  14. Two CDs that brim with primitive optimism, as the music shuffles between naked, moody pop (Stereo) to gritty indie rock (Mono) -- like the Replacements, but with half the noise on hold.
  15. A disheveled collection.... Westerberg's muse seems to switch on and off, from inspired to bored. [Jun 2002, p.90]
  16. 60
    Westerberg delivers a hook, an idea and a subtle emotion on nearly every track. [Jun/Jul 2002, p.116]
  17. This is aching ramshackle folk rock. [June 2002, p.124]
  18. 50
    These songs move so languidly they seem self-pitying. [July 2002, p.104]
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 24 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. KK
    9
    Excellent CD - not a huge Westerberg fan until I heard this. Fantastic throughout. AAA is an amazing tune. Demo quality = yes, better than most of the tripe out there = hell yes. Full Review »
  2. jj
    10
    I forgot i had this great piece of art in my collection
  3. MatthewH.
    10
    This is the best album I've picked up in a long time, who cares if its demo quality, when did recording quality make a song good or bad....huh?