Entertainment Weekly's Scores

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For 3,519 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 81% higher than the average critic
  • 1% same as the average critic
  • 18% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 5 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 78
Highest review score: 100 The Idler Wheel Is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do
Lowest review score: 0 Playing With Fire
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,085 out of 3519
  2. Mixed: 407 out of 3519
  3. Negative: 27 out of 3519
3519 music reviews
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    • 54 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Play On
    As always, her vocal ability is beyond reproach; a crack in the immaculately polished veneer, however, would be welcome too.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Michael
    The material on Michael is not by any means a deep dive into the Jackson archives; nearly all the songs are culled from the last five years of his life.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Mail On Sunday
    His guests on Sunday bring ferocious beats (like will.i.am on ''In the Ayer'') and infectious hooks (Sean Kingston on ''Roll'').
    • 54 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Are You Passionate?
    He hasn't been this off-the-wall in years. [12 Apr 2002, p.74]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 54 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Godfather Buried Alive
    Shyne's Tupac-esque reflections on honor and mortality are penetrating, and suggest there are greater meditations yet to be unleashed. [20/27 Aug 2004, p.126]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 54 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    I Dreamed A Dream
    For fans of Boyle's original Britain's Got Talent clip, the result might be a bit of a letdown, especially in snoozily competent versions of 'Daydream Believer' and Madonna's 'You'll See,' which offer none of her jarred-lightning charm.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Music For Cougars
    Mark McGrath & Co. are back after six years with Music for Cougars, and still churning out affable pop-rock for various beer-commercial activities (beach volleyball, slo-mo water-balloon fights).
    • 54 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    The Rainbow Children
    The album's light jazz-funk grooves sink under the weight of his sanctimony. [23 Nov 2001, p.82]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 54 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    It's Alive!
    Rundgren's self-conscious imitation of Ocasek's new-wave vocals makes It's Alive! stall.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    The Raven
    While that approach might have worked well on stage, on disc it's deeply unsatisfying.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Boomkatalog One
    Its forays into techno, pop, and--most embarrassingly--hip-hop make it seem like they're just throwing a bunch of styles against a wall to see what sticks. [18 Apr 2003, p.70]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 54 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Under the Mistletoe
    The Biebs' gentle set of gentile carols on Under the Mistletoe isn't coal-lump bad; it's more like a dorky sweater from Nana with a 20 in the pocket.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Unstoppable
    The love-based toe tappers leave you longing for Keith Urban, while the party song 'Summer Nights' actually sends you running to see if it's from "High School Musical 2." Luckily, singer Gary LeVox still hasn't met a mournful power ballad that he couldn't sell.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Full Circle
    The tightly harmonized ballads that once lent them maturity are now garishly produced and lyrically insipid.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Modbilly
    Boxmaster Billy Bob Thornton's recent radio meltdown begged to be heard over and over. The same can't be said of this unmemorable collection.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Music From Another Dimension!
    The effortlessly supple brand of bar-stool blues dances equally well with the soul-drenched hip-shaker ''Out Go the Lights'' and the punked-up juggernaut ''Street Jesus.'
    • 53 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    In The City
    Like Timbaland and the Neptunes before him, though, Rudolf's behind-the-scenes work only whetted his limelight appetite, so here he steps out with a weirdly infectious debut that mixes his rap-track know-how with his love of guitar-god theatrics.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Damita Jo
    For the most part, the songs are stylized set pieces--the furthest thing from steamy R&B--and they evaporate as you listen to them. [9 Apr 2004, p.83]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 53 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    The Chronicles Of Life And Death
    A giant leap forward--in instrumental prowess, and in emotional and melodic scope. [8 Oct 2004, p.113]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 53 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    HitNRun: Phase One
    HITnRUN is an invigorating, eclectic modern pop record that takes a now-familiar (but still no less impressive) formula--equal parts hedonistic arena rock, chugging funk, and art-mutated pop--and tacks on a handful of new sounds and twists that give is a satisfying, visceral edge.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Ocean Eyes
    Young's second set of lush, Postal Service-indebted electronic pop, Ocean Eyes, is so daydream-ready, you might forgive him for admitting out loud that he'd ''rather pick flowers instead of fights.''
    • 53 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Anthem of the Peaceful Army
    Their sound is pure, uncut '70s: big, riffy blues-rock anthems built for screaming arenas and lace-front leather pants. [19/26 Oct 2018, p.96]
    • Entertainment Weekly
      • Posted Oct 19, 2018
    • 53 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Witness
    Chilly melodies meshes well with Perry’s diary of reflection and self-enlightenment. In fact, many of these songs are written in sad-sounding minor keys as opposed to cheery major ones. It’s a smart trick. ... If there were a few more pure pop moments like those songs [[Bon Appétit and Swish Swish], Perry would’ve made something truly worth witnessing.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
    If you're not turned off by earnest expressions of self-righteousness set to comforting folk-tinged R&B, then Testimony just may be your cup of decaffeinated jasmine tea.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Silence Is Easy
    Far from a perfect next step, Silence suffers from some slight songs. [23/30 Jan 2004, p.98]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 53 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Reincarnated
    Reincarnated does have its half-baked moments, though--this is still Snoop, after all. [3 May 2013, p.63]
    • Entertainment Weekly
      • Posted Apr 26, 2013
    • 53 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Nightbird
    Composed of more hits than misses, Nightbird soars. [21 Jan 2005, p.88]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 53 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    We Don't Need To Whisper
    If only DeLonge's nasal vocals were more suited to the Robert Smith romanticism of tracks like "It Hurts." [26 May 2006, p.107]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 53 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    Gold Cobra
    Oft-delayed, petulant, and hook-devoid "comeback." [1 Jul 2011, p.74]
    • Entertainment Weekly
      • Posted Aug 10, 2011
    • 53 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    All The Lost Souls
    Lost improves on the first disc at least five times over, partly because its starker focus might really take you back to...well, certainly not a club, but maybe an AM radio-equipped kid's bedroom circa 1973. [21 Sep 20007, p.80]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 53 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Escapology
    Occasionally, Williams even manages candor without cockiness.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Every Man For Himself
    It's hard to find a track that won't get fists pumping or cigarette lighters waving.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Palookaville
    His party jams... feel half-cocked, like Cook can't quite commit to the moment. [8 Oct 2004, p.114]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 53 Metascore
    • 33 Critic Score
    Love, Shelby
    Embarrassing.... It's hard to tell if [Ballard's] hyper-slick style is to blame, or if Lynne has simply hung herself. [16 Nov 2001, p.172]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 53 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The Papercut Chronicles II
    It works when they jettison their limp rap-rock instincts and plunge into crossover pop.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Horrorscope
    The band's music and lyrics often still sound labored
    • 53 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Present/Future
    Eagle-Eye's sharp and buoyant melodies prevent him from sliding into redundancy. [2 Nov 2001, p.78]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 53 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned
    After such an extended hiatus, one expects more from a Prodigy album than "Firestarter" knockoffs like "Get Up Get Off." [17 Sep 2004, p.76]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 53 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    The DeAndre Way
    DeAndre's repetitive chants and thudding beats are likely to yield more commercial successes for his resume. And while they may not win over the Recording Academy, they can be fun in moderation.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Q: Soul Bossa Nostra
    The all-star collaborations form a fitting tribute to Jones' immaculate pop-soul style, with a few exceptions: We didn't need to hear Amy Winehouse stumble through "It's My Party."
    • 53 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Universal Mind Control
    Universal Mind Control seems to move Common backward instead of forward, which for a lyricist of his caliber is truly disappointing.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    A Man's Thoughts
    A handful of uptempo highlights aside, the rest of the disc turns out to be an unduly generous helping of syrupy bedroom pleas that'll have you wishing Ginuwine had decided to keep some of those Thoughts to himself.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Boomslang
    The album's arrangements are limp and unimaginative. [28 Feb 2003, p.80]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 53 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Just Whitney
    Has a refreshingly old-school vibe.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Taking Chances
    It's cool that Dion can mimic everyone from Shakira to Sam Phillips...but her appalling Janis Joplin impression is a Chance too far. [16 Nov 2007, p.76]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Kris Allen
    Despite scoring writing credits on an impressive nine of these 13 tracks, Allen gets himself stylistically lost somewhere between Fly White Guy Avenue ('Can't Stay Away') and Bleeding Heart Boulevard ('The Truth'), while rarely visiting original territory.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    The Midsummer Station
    The Midsummer Station is loaded with so many platitudes and puns that it quickly descends into sugar shock.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose
    There are moments on Bat Out of Hell III to convince even die-hard minimalists that behemoth is better.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Make Believe
    Weezer's most conventional disc... a cleaner-sounding record heavy on way-earnest power ballads. [13 May 2005, p.85]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Circle
    Between cliches and Jon's strained voice, The Circle just feels tired.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    J. Lo
    Consistently aims for the lowest common denominator...
    • 52 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Seventy Two & Sunny
    Kracker's voice is too banal--and his material too mundane--to cut as deeply as his rural heroes. [9 Jul 2004, p.88]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Back Home
    [An] overblown and underwhelming batch of MOR gruel. [2 Sep 2005, p.81]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    This Is Me... Then
    While no one's likely to confuse anything here with high art, the girl has a way with hooks, even if they're often borrowed.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Soulbook
    There's no doubting the love in that old heart of his, but Soulbook could've cut much deeper.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Client
    [The] duo manipulate synths and beats, rehashing '80s electro as sleaze pop. [22/29 Aug 2003,p.132]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Pop Trash
    There are ephemeral confectionary delights...and a general witlessness-
    • 52 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    SuperHeavy
    If SuperHeavy never quite answers that question [What the f--- is going on?], the group certainly has fun dodging it in bluesy soul-rock jams smeared with reggae grooves and Bollywood strings.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    The Incredible Machine
    When having 15,000 fans wave their cell phones in the air goes from a nifty career aftereffect to the very reason for writing songs, it seems like something is amiss.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Disconnection Notice
    The band's lyrics make Smash Mouth look like Sartre, and its anthemic choruses never quite jell into actual good songs. [18 Feb 2005, p.78]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Brave
    Expensive beats and uplifting material are offset by listless vocals.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Size Matters
    An occasionally catchy but ultimately bland attempt at recapturing past glory. [8 Oct 2004, p.114]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Astronaut
    Mostly unembarrassing and at times shockingly vital. [15 Oct 2004, p.72]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Matthew Morrison
    The Glee star gets help from all the right places on his pop debut, collaborating with sure-shot producers and songwriters responsible for hits by Kelly Clarkson and Panic! at the Disco.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    Unpredictable
    We know that Foxx can actually sing, but this ballad-heavy disc of cliched wordplay and commonplace melodies proves his music career should've ended on screen. [13 Jan 2006, p.78]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    20 Y.O.
    Sharp production can't mask the absence of any standouts likely to be remembered 20 months from now.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    The Declaration
    The Declaration simply doesn't make much of a statement, and its high point isn't enough to unseat the Beyonces and Mary J.'s of the world. [20 June 2008, p.66]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    5.0
    His lyrics are vacuous as ever, but those hooks sure are sticky.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Transmission
    Glam-Bowie reinventions, culminating midway in the pop-rock nuggetry of "Plane Going Down" before crashing to earth. [3 May 2002, p.88]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    In My Mind
    If In My Mind seems divided against itself, rest assured that all of the songs have something in common: They're not remotely catchy.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    City Beach
    Sadly, her lyrics slide into threadbare banalities. [23 Feb 2007, p.98]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    F.A.M.E.
    On its own merits, F.A.M.E. deserves to be heard.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Destiny Fulfilled
    Often moves at a molasses-like pace, weighted down with a preponderance of exquisitely executed but ultimately dull ballads. [26 Nov 2004, p.117]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Teenage Dream
    Beneath the fruity outfits and fart jokes, Perry is clearly serious about the business of hit songcraft; that doesn't make Dream nearly cohesive as an album, but it does provide, intermittently, exactly the kind of high-fructose rush she's aiming for.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    Fake Songs
    Lynch... crams Fake Songs with parodies and toss-offs that make Weird Al seem like James Thurber. [9 May 2003, p.76]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Welcoming Home The Astronauts
    Their reliance on slight lyricism and meandering is painfully evident. [9 Nov 2001, p.110]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 52 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Break Up
    Johansson's throaty vocals fit Break Up's intimate vibe better than they did on her overly ambitious Tom Waits-covers album. Still, aside from the jangle 'n' twang ditty 'Relator' and remake of Chris Bell's classic 'I Am the Cosmos,' the project never really achieves liftoff.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    The Pick Of Destiny OST
    Laugh if you like, but [Black is] as convincing as any of today's straight-faced metal revivalists. [17 Nov 2006, p.127]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 51 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    The Block
    The Block bears no distinguishing marks aside from a compulsion for sex, sex, sex with a lover whose name, apparently, is Girl.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Chapter II
    Chapter II is too mired in tired R&B conventions to achieve true magnificence. [11 Jul 2003, p.77]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 51 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    Invincible
    For all of the energy and money that went into it, ''Invincible'' is curiously lacking in excitement or thrills, cheap or otherwise.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 25 Critic Score
    Street Dreams
    The ideas are thin and the beats thinner. [14 Mar 2003, p.66]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 51 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Rebelution
    If you ignore those gratuitous lyrics, though, you'll find Pitbull's catchiest set yet.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    Simple Plan
    All things considered, this Plan to update their sound winds up being too Simple.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Sticks + Stones
    With her manic lowbrow sass - tiresome at length but lovable on singles like "Want U Back"--she makes these street-laced pop tracks her own
    • 51 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Untitled
    Their best since 1999's "Issues."
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 51 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Alive & Amplified
    Unfortunately, the Mooneys' concept of mass appeal... includes embarrassing homages to the glory of rock (and groupies) and a Bic-lighter ballad that's pure Hootie. [20/27 Aug 2004, p.126]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 51 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Todd Smith
    Too bad LL Cool J feels he needs the extra wattage, because Todd Smith's best moments come when he raps alone, letting his inimitably confident flow shine.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Days Go By
    It's the same old story on the veteran SoCal punk revivalists' ninth album: pogo-and-whine thrash with a faux-funky detour. [6 Jul 2012, p.73]
    • Entertainment Weekly
      • Posted Jun 29, 2012
    • 51 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    See My Friends
    Here he redoes his early hits alongside pals like Bruce Springsteen, Billy Corgan, and Spoon.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    The Sea of Memories
    The Sea adds exactly zero entries to the totally awesome Bush greatest-hits album that doesn't exist yet. [23 Sep 2011, p.79]
    • Entertainment Weekly
      • Posted Oct 6, 2011
    • 51 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Candy Ass
    If you can stand the pain, it's worth it. [21 Oct 2005, p.77]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 51 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Clear as Day
    On Clear as Day, American Idol's latest champ sounds like he's 52, and not just because of the Randy Travis baritone coming from his Opie Taylor mouth.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    I Am Not a Human Being II
    Lil Wayne still has his curveball, but on I Am a Human Being II his MVP status is behind him.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Twisted Angel
    Years as a teen country grinner, though, do not a dancetastic siren (''Trouble With Goodbye''), pop kiss-off queen (''Life Goes On''), or sex kitten (''Tic Toc'') make.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Until The End Of Time
    Too often here, post-mortem producers dilute his power with garish backup singers and pop hooks. [4/20/2001, p.72]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 51 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Here and Now
    Their ambitions may get the best of them on Here and Now, an album that finds frontman Chad Kroeger volunteering to "kick a hole in the sky."
    • 51 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Who You Are
    Jessie's outside-the-box persona gets buried under maximalist production and mainstream themes like bullying ("Who's Laughing Now"), girl power ("Do It Like a Dude"), and materialism (the sunny "Price Tag," a No. 1 single in the U.K.). But hope springs in the gorgeously paranoid ballad "Big White Room."
    • 51 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Tical 0: The Prequel
    Meth's rugged rhymes still flow with effortless finesse, but for the first time, he loses his identity. [14 May 2004, p.68]
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • 51 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Don't Tread On Me
    Intermittently catchy numbers help a bit, but not enough to counter the overwhelming aura of by-the-numbers blandness. [19 Aug 2005, p.143]
    • Entertainment Weekly
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