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  • Release Date:
A New Morning Image
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 27 Ratings

  • Summary: Stephen Street is the producer for the Britpop band's catchy fifth album, their first since singer Brett Anderson's recovery from drug problems. Not surprisingly, it is also happier-sounding than previous Suede efforts.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 8
  2. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Song for song, it's better and more consistent than Head Music... thanks partially to Stephen Street's focused, flattering production, but also due to a sharp set of songs.
  2. At its best, 'A New Morning' sees Suede show off their vulnerable side again. It won't attract any new admirers but old fans will love them more for it.
  3. It's difficult to overcome consistently lame, often meaningless lyrics-- especially with Suede's classic rock focus on singer and melody-- but they cope.
  4. Q Magazine
    60
    The faithful will be overjoyed: despite the optimistic title there's nothing new here, only a distillation of trace elements from previous outings. [Oct 2002, p.106]
  5. Mojo
    60
    Half existential joy'n'emptiness, half just empty. [Oct 2002, p.96]
  6. Though it's not quite the folk-pop album that some post-Head Music interviews with Anderson had foreshadowed, the ballads do outweigh the rockers, which puts the lyrics in the spotlight, for better and for worse.
  7. This hack-job (bish-bash-boshed out by uberproducer Stephen Street) takes all the bland, tawdry, white-bread bits from the past two Suede albums, butters them up with a smear of Bon Jovi balladeering, chews them into gloop with nicotine-stained, plastic dentures and... well, ends up flushing a once-great career straight down the in-at-number-16-out-the-next-week toilet.

See all 8 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 4
  2. Negative: 1 out of 4
  1. SoniaP
    Jun 21, 2005
    10
    Fantastic album.... Suede rules. This is a very different suede album with great tunes. Although all the bad criticism, this album is brilliant,
  2. JayS.
    Oct 16, 2002
    9
    Give it a few spins before it sets in. "Lonely Girls" has a beautiful set of lyrics. "Lost in TV" is the best sing-along song of the year, Give it a few spins before it sets in. "Lonely Girls" has a beautiful set of lyrics. "Lost in TV" is the best sing-along song of the year, and the rest of the album is terribly catchy. Makes up for Head Music, even though that album was better than most of the trash that came out that year anyway. Play in the US, damnit! Expand
  3. JimC.
    Oct 16, 2002
    5
    Suede seriously need a new direction.
  4. StevenS
    Nov 17, 2002
    3
    Very mediocre record. Suede are finished.