That's Why God Made the Radio Image
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

  • Summary: The first new album in over 20 years with all of the Beach Boys' original surviving members is produced by Brian Wilson and Mike Love.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 27
  2. Negative: 1 out of 27
  1. 83
    The recently rebooted 
 pop legends' most engaged, least cripplingly nostalgic album since 1977's Love You.
  2. Jul 19, 2012
    80
    Though no Pet Sound, this album, at its best so wistfully reliving out golden yesterdays, ranks up there with Today! [Aug 2012, p.92]
  3. Jul 11, 2012
    60
    That's Why God Made the Radio is the dad-rock album of the year.
  4. Jun 19, 2012
    20
    No, that's why God made the CD player's "skip" and "program" buttons.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Ale
    10
    After all this years no one expects them to release a beautiful record like this. Brian Wilson write another chapter of his incredible story with the help of some friends like Joe Thomas and Jeff Foskett. Of course the group proves that their harmonies are still the best and their music as catchy as ever. And some incursion of Bon Jovi and Jim Peterick in writing session complete the opera. Great! Expand
  2. Despite a serious mid-album cheese-lull, the album begins and ends very strongly. From There To Back Again is the best track on here, harking back to a Sunflower-like production and reminding me of that album's At My Window. Al Jardine is in especially fine voice throughout. Certainly well worth checking out. Collapse
  3. If you would have told me a year ago that The Beach Boys would be releasing a NEW album in 2012 with Brian Wilson writing and producing (and David Marks rejoining), I wouldn't have believed you. I am very impressed with what the Boys have given us. With 8 out of the 12 songs ranging from good to great, thats a solid percentage if you ask me. The other 4 (Private Life of Bill and Sue, Shelter, Daybreak Over The Ocean and Beaches in Mind) are not even that bad, they are just kind of bland and forgettable. The great ones? "Isn't It Time" is excellent...it's one of those songs that is memorable the FIRST TIME YOU HEAR IT. Aside from some cheeseball lyrics, "Spring Vacation" has excellent twists and turns to it. The single "That's Why God Made the Radio" feels like an old hit at this point since its been out for a couple months and it's just fine. The final 4 songs of the album (Strange World, From There To Back Again, Pacific Coast Highway and Summer's Gone) are a splendid way to close out the album. All of the songs dip deep into that great Brian Wilson world of melancholy and loneliness that he is so fond of. If you are a Beach Boys fan, I highly recommend you pick this up. It's not perfect but seriously...aside from Pet Sounds, EVERY Beach Boys album had some stinkers you had to skip past to get to the great stuff. Go pick it up ASAP! Expand
  4. After the band such as The Beach Boys you can have huge expectations - which unfortunately does not always match with what is presented. Twenty-ninth album is the first release in twenty years whereupon there was contained new material, which is moreover effectively defined by the album's title, because the songs are still works in kept surf rock and pop climates - perfectly suitable as a radio, fplaying in the background compositions. In the long run however, this patent has stopped working - even in the case of The Beach Boys. Expand

See all 11 User Reviews