- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Under The RadarPerhaps Harcourt's strongest asset is in making the hackneyed sound fresh. [#8, p.106]
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Comparisons to Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright certainly make sense, but the consistent personality of Strangers affirms Harcourt's unique talent.
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It's the sound of a man in perfect harmony with himself.
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New Musical Express (NME)Harcourt... has done the unthinkable: fallen in love with a laydee and made his "happy" album. Luckily for us, it's the best of his career. [11 Sep 2004, p.55]
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If relationships were straightforward they’d be no need for albums like this. Thank god they aren’t.
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BlenderThe music is cheery even when the feelings are miserable; it's like rainy-day Smiths driven by pianos instead of guitars. [Mar 2005, p.140]
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A devastatingly accomplished album.
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Entertainment Weekly[A] slap-happy hodgepodge of an album. [4 Feb 2005, p.133]
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The warmest, most life-affirming album of his still-budding career.
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This is probably the record that everyone who bought the Keane album should buy.
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It's a very good effort, but ultimately it lacks the consistency of true greatness.
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There's little rhyme or reason to it, and the whole doesn't equal the sum of its parts. But many of the parts are worth noting.
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UrbClearly he's been listening to much Jeff Buckley... as Strangers throbs with that familiar bluesy bombast. [Mar 2005, p.112]
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Harcourt's piano proficiency separates him artistically from guitarists who tinker with mere chord-banging to accompany lyrics. There are a few misshapen puzzle pieces on this one, though.
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Q MagazineThe intensity of his pain is inescapable in this exhausting explanation of what really becomes of the broken-hearted. [Oct 2004, p.124]
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MojoOften he makes a lot of noise without really connecting. [Oct 2004, p.100]
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Rolling StoneSodden ballads rear their mopey heads in the second half. [10 Feb 2005, p.80]
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MagnetPretty and pleasant without ever being especially compelling. [#67, p.100]
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Suggests that he's finally coming into his own, albeit gradually and grudgingly.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 10
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Mixed: 0 out of 10
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Negative: 1 out of 10
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mattaJul 18, 2005
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DavisWMay 4, 2005
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MusicGuyFeb 11, 2005