- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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[Stereo] is brimming with expressive, beautifully articulated songs that speak to both sides of his personality.
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Entertainment WeeklyThankfully, 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]
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UncutA record that grows on you slowly but surely. [May 2002, p.104]
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The reason to get excited about this release, the reason to wake the kids and call the neighbors, is the second disc, Mono.
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The most honest-sounding collection of songs Westerberg has penned in years.
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These two albums are the strongest contribution to Westerberg's canon since The Replacements' days.
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Stereo/Mono is less polished than Westerberg's other solo efforts, but the song quality is consistent.
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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.
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Stereo is the first Westerberg solo disc that captures the elusive feel and emotional resonance of his best Replacements tunes.
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A strong batch of Dylanesque songs.
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Mono and Stereo would be fine records from any musician-- that Westerberg himself is the source makes it all the sweeter.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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BlenderWesterberg delivers a hook, an idea and a subtle emotion on nearly every track. [Jun/Jul 2002, p.116]
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Alternative PressA disheveled collection.... Westerberg's muse seems to switch on and off, from inspired to bored. [Jun 2002, p.90]
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Q MagazineThis is aching ramshackle folk rock. [June 2002, p.124]
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MojoThese songs move so languidly they seem self-pitying. [July 2002, p.104]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 18 out of 20
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Mixed: 1 out of 20
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Negative: 1 out of 20
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Oct 19, 2021A crowning achievement for Paul Westerberg as an artist, his best stuff all around.
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KKSep 30, 2005
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jjOct 21, 2004I forgot i had this great piece of art in my collection