American Songwriter's Scores

  • Music
Select another publication »
For 1,814 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 50% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 45% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.8 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 74
Highest review score: 100 Rockstar
Lowest review score: 20 Dancing Backward in High Heels
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,458 out of 1814
  2. Mixed: 352 out of 1814
  3. Negative: 4 out of 1814
1814 music reviews
view
per page
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    50 Years of De-Evolution 1973-2023
    This is not to say that this golden anniversary collection doesn’t do a perfectly respectable job. .... But with only one album of original material since the compilation in 2000, and a startling lack of liner notes in the 23-page booklet (the previous one boasted a book twice as long and far more comprehensive), there is little reason for this to exist other than to rake in some bucks by repackaging content any fan already has or for whoever doesn’t already own this material.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Blockbusta
    Rather than sticking to his bread and butter, Busta had his sights set on bold instrumental choices that he didn’t mesh well with, trendy samples that came across as tacky, and far too few awe-inspiring or substantive performances. And because of that, Blockbusta fell short of what it claimed to be.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    A Song for Leon: A Tribute to Leon Russell
    None of these improve on Russell’s superlative, often raw and profound recordings. Perhaps if fans of these artists are inspired to dig into his albums, that’s a worthwhile outcome for this well-intentioned, yet frustratingly inconsistent collection.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Careful of Your Keepers
    This Is The Kit are content to dwell in more solitary spaces, but given the ethereal arrangements and Rhy’s carefully considered input, Careful Of Your Keepers emerges as an affecting effort, with layer after layer of melody and mystique. Not surprisingly, This Is The Kit ensures all the pieces fit together fine.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Mountains
    Other piano-based narratives like the closing “Angel Blues” are delicate, pretty, and charming, but edge dangerously close to schlocky and don’t play to Lofgren’s tougher talents. Thankfully there’s enough solid material here displaying Lofgren’s impressive vocal, instrumental, and songwriting qualities to punch another notch on his belt of good but not great albums.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Melodies on Hiatus
    The percolating pop of “Home Again,” “Caught By Night,” “818,” “One Chance,” and “Libertude” are but a few of the examples of the catchy and quirky nature of Hammond Jr’s individual offerings.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    High Flyin'
    High Flyin’ offers an interesting insight into one of Young’s many outside ventures and a good representation of a brief chapter in his ever-changing trajectory that hasn’t been shared to any great extent before. On the other hand, it doesn’t represent any dramatic change in his template, as the replay of his aforementioned classics confirms so convincingly.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Somewhere Under the Rainbow 1973
    The sound is of bootleg quality, with audience comments and an occasional cough evident in the mix. Nevertheless, given the set list that’s spread out over the two discs, it does make for a worthy archival addition.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    All Roads Lead Home
    Taken in tandem, All Roads Home makes for an enjoyable outing, one that gives each musician an opportunity to take center stage while demonstrating a small sampling of their individual wares.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Big Talk
    Nothing breaks four minutes with each selection displaying not just catchy, crisp hooks but production (by him) that captures these songs with a sneaky sheen and rather slick polish. He is most convincing though when the music shifts towards a tougher gospel/swamp vibe as on the self-referential “Take a Long Hard Look.”
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Shook
    Consider Shook an example of auditory excess plied with aural intrigue.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    All the Eye Can See
    Listening in one sitting can get tedious since few tempos rise above a muted whisper. Individually the songs play like scenes from that indie movie. Curious, stimulating, and worthy of pondering … if you’re in the mood.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Cazimi
    There are enough moments when everything clicks to make this a pleasant, intermittently compelling listen. But it’s hard to shake the nagging feeling that it could have been much better with a starker instrumental edge and less processing.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    At the Royal Albert Hall, April 14, 1970
    A sturdy but far from a revelatory example of Creedence rolling through a dozen hits and album tracks without much fuss and virtually no connection with the audience for a meager 42 minutes.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Invisible Light: Spells
    Not surprisingly, these Orwellian soundscapes don’t make for a particularly easy listen. ... It’s that collusion between sonics and strife that makes The Invisible Light radiate so remarkably.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    18
    The ambition is admirable, but a schizophrenic quality pervades the effort overall. The dramatic shift in sound makes it hard to get a handle in terms of either consistency or feel. Perhaps the two are merely feeling each other out and taking advantage of their options. Whatever the case, 18 still seems like an odd assortment of numbers at best.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Sage Motel
    Without stronger, more diverse material, the whole frustratingly becomes less than the sum of its parts. Notwithstanding its good intentions, Sage Motel doesn’t resonate as forcefully as it should, especially in light of the amount of work clearly instilled into its creation.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Songs My Friends Wrote
    It maintains an unblemished feel overall, one that stays true to Lund’s traditional template.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    All Souls Hill
    It’s all interesting, at least once, and there is plenty to chew on in these nine tracks. How often anyone other than Scott fans will want to hear some of these again is unclear.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Second Nature
    Ultimately, Second Nature finds Lucious at a precipitous point in their combined career, a reckoning of sorts that calls for reconciliation and resolve. Then again, if they can keep grooving on propulsive momentum, there’s a good chance they’ll succeed through sheer willpower alone.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Songs of the Recollection
    Those in tune with Cowboy Junkies’ storied circumspect will likely find Songs of the Recollection an interesting outgrowth of the band’s desire to expand their parameters and offer homage to their influences. In that regard at least, these Cowboys appear to have corralled another winner.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    For the Sake of Bethel Woods
    It takes a few spins for the tunes to register as some seem more like provocative set pieces than songs. But once they do, the thoughtful lyrics and sometimes diffuse sonics kick in.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars
    There aren’t any catchy melodies, the song structures are loose, often amorphous with a stream of consciousness flow, and the muted ambiance of the 32 minute, live in the studio set isn’t for everyone. ... Lindeman and her band play music as if no one is around and the tapes aren’t running. That’s a difficult task, but one this album accomplishes with class and style and an honest intimacy impossible to dismiss.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Fever Dreams, Pts. 1-4
    Arched and anthemic, it’s pumped and primed with drama, mood, mystery, and intrigue. It’s a sound that’s strikingly similar to his old ‘80s contemporaries—Echo and the Bunnymen, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, and the like.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Strictly a One-Eyed Jack
    The album’s first five songs are dire and depressing—somber, sobering, dark, and downcast. ... It remains to be seen if his audiences will want to sing along in order to maintain Mellencamp’s misery.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Light Saw Me
    The Light Saw Me provides an intriguing proposition and may in fact end up as the album that eventually gets Boland and the boys the attention they so decidedly deserve.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    In Plain Sight
    Neal Francis’ balancing act of meshing a retro mindset with a modern sensibility doesn’t always work, but when it does, his music reflects a fresh, if not always compelling, perspective.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    At My Piano
    Whether one considers it an intimate experience, an organic encounter, an essential additive, or simply a cash-grab, it’s ultimately up to the listener to decide its worth.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live
    Only rabid Dan/Fagen fans need apply. Everyone else should hang onto their money and spin the still timeless and definitive original recordings.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Tears of Hercules
    A few moments almost save this from moving into the “better luck next time” pile.
prev
Page: