Unfamiliar Faces - Matt Costa
User Score
6.0 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8

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  1. MM.
    Mar 1, 2008
    5
    While I don't think it's quite as subpar as all the critics seem to feel, the album is missing something. Maybe it's Costa's inability to come across as anything but a copy cat songwriter: he's doing nothing original here whatsoever. That's not to say the album is completely devoid of any redeeming qualities: there are some decent pop tunes here. However, I don't feel I'll be coming back to this very often during the remainder of the year.… Expand
  2. KevinB.
    Feb 24, 2008
    8
    This is an album that grew on me. After the first time i listened to it I didn't really like it that much but after seeing him preform live i haven't been able to put it down. It's the type of album that gets better eveytime you listen to it.
  3. AllenM.
    Feb 24, 2008
    6
    Just OK. It sounded a bit like Paul McCartney's newest. ("Memory Almost Full.")
  4. NickD
    Feb 7, 2008
    7
    Not as eclectic or interesting as his debut, this is still a pleasant set of songs with some toe-tapping highlights ("Mr. Pitiful", "Miss Magnolia", "Vienna", and "Never Looking Back" - the last of which sounds a lot like The Decemberists). To me it's a slight step backward but not exactly a misstep.
  5. LaurenceS.
    Feb 7, 2008
    8
    Definite growth from his first album to his second, although he may want to watch out for similarities to other bands...both Filter and Mungo Jerry are represented here quite openly.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
59 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 13
  3. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. Q Magazine
    80
    His second album is braver and more expansive and, in the case of 'Cigarette Eyes,' surprisingly angry. He's getting near to brilliant. [Feb 2008, p.95]
  2. All Music Guide
    70
    Matt Costa's sophomore effort, Unfamiliar Faces, finds the singer/songwriter delving into similar territory to his 2006 debut, "Songs We Sing," crafting hummable, somewhat intricate AM pop-influenced tracks.
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  3. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    With a plucky guitar, harmonica, piano, and sun-burnished vocals, Costa knows how to work gospel's euphoric uplift into secular music, though he follows the blueprints of his idol (a 'Hurdy Gurdy Man'-era Donovan) a tad too closely.
    Read full review
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