American Songwriter's Scores
- Music
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: | Rockstar | |
---|---|---|
Lowest review score: | Dancing Backward in High Heels |
Score distribution:
-
Positive: 1,458 out of 1814
-
Mixed: 352 out of 1814
-
Negative: 4 out of 1814
1814
music
reviews
-
- Critic Score
Jennings' songwriting is at its best in Minnesota when reflecting this troubling sense of uncertainty and contradiction.- American Songwriter
- Posted Sep 21, 2011
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Pixies’ full acceptance of the shifts in their schema only further solidify their inimitable identity. The exultant result: Head Carrier, a new classic.- American Songwriter
- Posted Sep 26, 2016
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
The Gleam III is sparsely arranged, amplified only by earnest emotion, simple sincerity and undiminished sentiment.- American Songwriter
- Posted Aug 31, 2020
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Once you accept that Lana knows exactly what she's doing--that she, not Interscope Records or any of her co-producers, is the architect behind this R-rated retro-pop fantasy--then maybe you'll start loving her, too.- American Songwriter
- Posted Nov 20, 2012
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
The 11 songs on Rockpango show the brothers are not only masters of their art but have a comfort level in their maturing sound that allows them to expand it without losing its essence.- American Songwriter
- Posted Apr 21, 2011
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Headphones enhance the experience as they help immerse the listener in Robertson’s edgy, creative and literate world.- American Songwriter
- Posted Sep 18, 2019
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Now in her early 70s, Wilson’s distinctive, powerful pipes haven’t lost any of their soulful command on this eleven-track program mixing intriguing covers with Wilson co-penned originals.- American Songwriter
- Posted May 18, 2022
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Matthews’ ageless voice remains warm and inviting as he winds his way through this hour long set, creating a wistful yet never regretful mood.- American Songwriter
- Posted Jan 31, 2014
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
With 10 songs running just over 40 minutes, the disc is compact and taut. That helps makes this a moderately successful return for a veteran singer and occasional songwriter who always seems one hit away from the mainstream audience that threatens to constantly elude her.- American Songwriter
- Posted Oct 10, 2014
- Read full review
-
- American Songwriter
- Posted Sep 20, 2012
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Grace Potter's voice is the perfect compliment to the band's newly designed dual-guitar blitz.- American Songwriter
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Nothing here hasn’t been done many times before, and much better, by either the original artists (do we need a shockingly feeble-voiced Willie Nelson dueting with Lauper on his “Night Life”?) or others closer to the country aesthetic.- American Songwriter
- Posted May 6, 2016
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Combining their soft and sensual harmonies and energetic, pop song craft into a set of lovely songs, Beauty Queen Sister confirms The Indigo Girls are still making invigorating and emotional music, have plenty left to say and show no signs of slowing down or easing into nostalgia.- American Songwriter
- Posted Oct 10, 2011
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
The Chili Peppers try to strike that same balance on their latest, I'm With You, which may turn out to be a minor installment in their canon but still accomplishes the impossible.- American Songwriter
- Posted Sep 13, 2011
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Perhaps the greatest strength holding The Olms debut together is it’s total lack of pretense: it is what it is... just because. And on that level, it works just fine.- American Songwriter
- Posted Aug 2, 2013
- Read full review
-
- American Songwriter
- Posted Jul 25, 2012
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
As the track [Untitled] fades out and Eminem thanks the listener for coming out to the show, it's clear that if this effort is just the recovery, then the countdown to full rehabilitation begins now.- American Songwriter
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
It's all as heavy and convoluted as it sounds, but the playing and production is top notch and those looking for an adventurous, unpredictable ride will appreciate Cursive's sheer depth of vision.- American Songwriter
- Posted Feb 23, 2012
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Even though its origins are a bit unique, And I’ll Scratch Yours is still your garden-variety tribute album, subject to all of the perks and limitations that such projects tend to contain.- American Songwriter
- Posted Jan 6, 2014
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
2017’s Flicker fermented a folkier, more organic sensibility, and despite Heartbreak Weather’s soaring ambition, he roots himself to lyrics that sprout from similar emotional earth.- American Songwriter
- Posted Mar 13, 2020
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
The mood is enriched by an ambitious approach to what seems on the surface to be modest pop songs, which reveal themselves to be far more elaborate, challenging and unusual.- American Songwriter
- Posted Apr 1, 2013
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Over production is a constant issue with these tunes, as Stewart (who co-produced) layers guitars, horns, backing vocals and too much of everything on melodies that, by and large, are strong enough to stand on their own in more stripped down arrangements.- American Songwriter
- Posted May 8, 2013
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
The twosome generates real sparks throughout and the natural camaraderie bursts through the speakers. You can almost see, and surely feel, their beaming faces on many selections. But even at its best, it’s hard not to wish this was a bigger showcase for Mahal than Mo’, with the latter’s notoriously slicker approach dialed down to allow the former’s gutsy soul to take the spotlight.- American Songwriter
- Posted Jun 23, 2017
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
The outfit gets points for releasing an album comprising new compositions (minus Petty’s tune), which helps establish them as more than another ABB cover act, albeit one with undeniably valid credentials.- American Songwriter
- Posted Jun 27, 2019
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
The Great Gatsby Soundtrack is a fine example of what a film’s musical-mate can and should be; it mirrors many aesthetic elements of the film, augments the general storyline and adds depth and personality to the characters and dialogue on the screen.- American Songwriter
- Posted May 15, 2013
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
As an album for those who have followed Skaggs through the years and think he can do no wrong, Country Hits Bluegrass Style definitely hits the mark.- American Songwriter
- Posted Sep 8, 2011
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
The arrangements are both agile and emphatic, by turns jaunty, gyrating, and exuberant.- American Songwriter
- Posted May 10, 2023
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Red River Blue, alongside recent efforts by Blake's summer tour-mate Brad Paisley and wife Miranda Lambert, pretty much defines mainstream country these days – high-quality songs, great singing and musicianship, big production, and the same time-honored, predictable six or seven themes that we've all heard before.- American Songwriter
- Posted Jul 8, 2011
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
The verbal intensity and reaching for the back rows attitude seldom pauses long enough for the listener to catch their breath.- American Songwriter
- Posted Aug 13, 2014
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
It's warmly, immaculately recorded, featuring a wealth of tasty cocktail pop atmosphere perfect for sipping wine on the couch late at night or reclining with a book in a bay window on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It's fine, it's dandy, and it's completely inessential.- American Songwriter
- Posted Feb 13, 2012
- Read full review