Sunny Border Blue
by Kristin Hersh
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Spin Cycle
    100
    Teetering between darkness and light, Hersh's somersaults have never been more compelling.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    As usual, the results are exquisitely unsettling... [3/9/2001, p.82]
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  3. Magnet
    90
    Some of the lyrics are so biting they practically melt through the speakers... [#50, p.90]
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  5. Sonicnet
    80
    It contains some of the most affecting work she's ever created, exploring the power of songs stripped to their essence, and the juxtaposition of delicate melodies with the explosive emotions conveyed by her lyrics.
  6. Pitchfork
    80
    Diminutive, but mom-tough, Hersh casually cusses her way through a baker's dozen songs that are as personal as ever, and far less cryptic than in the past. Her voice remains creaky and pregnant with emotion, matched against her signature bright-toned Collings guitars.
  7. The Wire
    80
    Sunny Border Blue marks a return to a less considered, rawer style, and to lyrics which are nakedly confessional, mercilessly exposing her own and other people's weaknesses. [#206, p.67]
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  8. Billboard
    80
    Beautifully strange and richly tuneful...
  9. Drawer B
    80
    Sunny Border Blue will go down as her finest album outside of the Throwing Muses because it’s her finest batch of songs.
  10. Alternative Press
    80
    Understated but never anemic, Sunny Border Blue's tales of love, family and growth succeed largely due to Hersh's masterful acoustic guitar. [#154, p.81]
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  11. AllMusic
    80
    A few too many songs share tempos, melodies, and moods to make this a great Kristin Hersh album, but it's still a very good one that her longtime fans will appreciate.
  12. HOB.com
    80
    This is more of simply Hersh and an acoustic guitar than her last effort (1999's Sky Motel), but that just gives the appearance of other instruments greater effect. The emotional weight of her often unorthodox sentiments comes from subtle mastery of dynamics.
  13. Rolling Stone
    70
    Astormy soundtrack to one woman's inner life that swings from acoustic guitars to explosions of layered vocals, electric guitars and the occasional lonely horn or piano.
  14. Dot Music
    70
    Largely acoustic, the album showcases a beautifully brutal collection of warped love songs; pristine and jagged, abrasive and tender and always devastatingly honest.
  15. Wall of Sound
    67
    As with all her solo work, Sunny Border Blue practically bleeds with catharsis and introspection, but foraging through its dark interiors yields moments of strange, exquisite beauty.
  16. Q Magazine
    60
    These are skewed, disturbing, beautiful songs...

Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Best Album of 2001

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. beckys
    Nov 3, 2005
    10
    The extremely beautiful and ever so slightly disturbing soundtrack to my my late teens.
  2. BenjaminBunny
    Aug 1, 2004
    8
    Next to "Hips & Makers," her best solo LP.
  3. LeslieD.
    Sep 25, 2001
    10
    Kristin Hersh is a brilliant singer/songwriter! I can't think of anyone else that moves me the way she does! She is one of a kind! Sunny Kristin Hersh is a brilliant singer/songwriter! I can't think of anyone else that moves me the way she does! She is one of a kind! Sunny Border Blue is a great album! Everyone should own a copy! … Full Review »
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