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The Crying Light - Antony and the Johnsons
User Score
7.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 36
  3. Negative: 6 out of 36

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  1. SP
    Feb 20, 2009
    10
    An album of complex, haunting, and lyrical compilations. It's difficult to categorize Antony and his music, but it ignites a symphony of emotions, from exhilaration to anguish. Particular standouts on this album are Aeon, Her Eyes are Underneath the Ground, and Another World.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. Vincent
    Jan 27, 2009
    9
    What is wrong with people? This is a blossoming work of beauty, of maturity, of wonder and depth. Antony truly one of a kind is a master of what yhe does. The songs grow and unfurl in a way few other artists music ever has. He is a gift to a true lover of music and though less commercial than its predecessor I do feel that it is the equal. It doesn't need the celebrities. listen to that voice, uncomfortable and haunting, golden and challenging, he truly is a star in the REAL sense. God bless that man!… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. DylanM
    Feb 6, 2009
    9
    This is a beautiful, beautiful album and his voice is spectacular. To call it anything else would be insanity. I didn't know what to expect from this (I hadn't heard any of his other work) and I was completely floored.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. Janice
    Mar 4, 2009
    1
    Hard as I tried, I couldn't find one good thing about this album. It's full of tedious, boring, uninspired tripe with some of the most annoying male vocals I've heard in years. That awful endless vibrato is just...ugh! Unbelievably overrated.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. FlemmingF
    Mar 5, 2009
    4
    why this when you have two sublime and far superior albums before this. it really is rather dull.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. ArmenS
    Jan 21, 2009
    10
    This is a sensational album, one that deserves to be listened to by everyone and anyone who has ever uttered the words I like music.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. lewisb.
    Jan 21, 2009
    3
    Hs voice is more than just and acquired taste... it ruins anything that might have been good about this album.
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  8. FabioD.
    Jan 21, 2009
    10
    Simply wonderful.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. DirkN
    Mar 5, 2009
    6
    The voice is an acquired taste because the "he" was formerly a "she" (transsexual)--that is why it make take a bit of getting used to...
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. FabioD
    Mar 6, 2009
    10
    Simply magic, wonderful.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. JeremyF
    Jan 20, 2009
    8
    The first album by them I actually am getting into. Her Eyes Are Underneath The Ground is one of the most beautiful songs I've heard in the past year.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  12. JorgeB
    Mar 13, 2009
    8
    beautiful album from one of the best singers right now. Every song is an experimental trial in his own dramatic style.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. Kipnosky
    Jul 16, 2011
    9
    Not as overtly emotional as I Am a Bird Now on first few listens but the nuanced beauty of the arrangements make up for it. As usual. Antony's wondrous voice carries each song and even manages to convey deep emotions to rather elemental topics like mother earth and nature. An amazing listen.
  14. Ricko
    Oct 19, 2011
    7
    Not as powerful as it's predecessor I Am a Bird Now but this is still a strong collection of beautifully arranged songs from the band. Musically and lyrically the band are in flying form for the majority of this record. Kiss my Name and Epilepsy is Dancing were the highlights for me.
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Hartford Courant
    80
    Hegarty wrote and helped to arrange all the songs on The Crying Light, and his writing bears the same pensive sensitivity as his singing on what amounts to a spellbinding album.
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  2. Rolling Stone
    60
    Antony Hegarty's tremulous warble is a strange and marvelous instrument--and for many, an acquired taste. The Crying Light, this diva-dude's third album, spotlights his haunting vocals with few distractions, using piano and low-key orchestral arrangements as foils for him to swoop and shiver over.
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  3. Spin
    70
    Antony and the Johnsons' third full-length wisely focuses on the frontman's enormous talent, with Nico Muhly's classical arrangements plinking and waltzing but never overpowering.
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