Stone Rollin' - Raphael Saadiq
User Score
8.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14

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  1. Labarron
    Oct 27, 2011
    10
    Good Album. So far, it's his best album. People need to takes notes and listen to this album. This is a fun, soulful, and amazing album. In my opinion, it's one of the best R&B/Soul album of all time.
  2. BobbyA
    Jun 4, 2011
    10
    Raphael Saadiq's previous album - the Way I See It - was a winning concoction of mid to late sixties Motown, which occasionally teetered on the edge of parody but was redeemed by sheer song quality.

    The new album is something different altogether. Not content with reviving the classic Motown sound, he now takes on the best of late sixties and early seventies soul. And while it should not     work, it does and then some. So 'Stone Rollin' (the song) is a classic southern soul song (think Wilson Pickett at Muscle Shoals); 'Heart Attack' is Sly and the Family Stone at their most uplifting (and for good measure, the hidden track has a go at 'There's a riot going on' era as well). Many of the other tracks feel like you've stumbled upon a lost Temptations or Marvin Gaye album from the early 1970s, mixed with just a touch of Prince at his most psychedelic (lots of mellotron).

    People may complain that it's too retro, but it's soooooooo hard to do it this well. It's all in the basslines and the arrangements... Simply excellent and a classic in the making. Having listened to the album many times over the past two weeks, it's the bass-lines and song quality that stand out.    … Expand
  3. kluvlaw
    May 11, 2011
    9
    Just an incredible album. It's infectious from the first note to the last.

    As a late blooming fan of T.T.T. I knew I recognized Saadiq's voice but that was years ago and I didn't know of his name.

    You can still steam this on NPR for another week or so and I'd highly recommend it.

    I'll be buying this album on my next visit to the music store...fo sho. 2 thumbs way up.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Sputnikmusic
    Nov 21, 2011
    80
    The result is a record that's immediately familiar yet inventive, funky, fun, and always impressive.
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  2. Austin Chronicle
    Jun 23, 2011
    89
    With Stone Rollin', California's vintage soul man is doubling down on the classic R&B while drawing from a deeper well and muddying up the water. Hitsville is still part of the formula, but so now are Howlin' Wolf and Sly Stone.
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  3. Under The Radar
    Jun 8, 2011
    80
    An underlying analog hiss adds warmth to Saadiq's already honeyed tones, confirming Stone Rollin' as timeless "retro Soul." [May 2011, p.81]
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