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Anak Ko
by
Anak Ko Image
Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 19 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 29 Ratings

  • Summary: The third full-length release for Melina Duterte as Jay Som was written after her move to Los Angeles.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. The Quietus
    Aug 23, 2019
    90
    The project is stunning and displays a wonderfully acute understanding of what it should do. Duterte knows exactly where this album should stand within her own discography and that of the wider world. Its song-writing is calculated without betraying itself to rigidity and its honesty is telling without falling into a trap of timidity. Anak Ko owes a lot to Duterte’s awareness of how simplicity can breed beauty. Its greatest trick is the delicate fittings of nuance amongst deceptively uncomplicated compositions.
  2. Variety
    Aug 23, 2019
    88
    At nine tracks and 35 minutes, it doesn’t outstay its welcome, or stay in one place for very long. Duterte’s low-key delivery can obscure just how much is going on beneath the surface — “Anak Ko” is both a triumph of understatement and an understated triumph.
  3. Consequence
    Aug 23, 2019
    83
    The record and its seamless transitions from one heavily enticing, tender, and softly delivered track to the next paints a captivating and enthralling self-portrait.
  4. New Musical Express (NME)
    Aug 21, 2019
    80
    By removing the safety net of her debut and baring herself both musically and lyrically on album two, Jay Som has not only become a better songwriter, but now feels like an important one too. The messages on ‘Anak Ko’ are worth lending a close ear to.
  5. AllMusic
    Aug 23, 2019
    80
    Despite these variations, discernable influences, and the involvement of collaborators, the comforting Anak Ko is more unified in tone than prior releases and benefits from its marriage of immersive sound design with consistently engaging songs.
  6. The Line of Best Fit
    Aug 21, 2019
    80
    Its confident coating signals the beginning of an exciting new path for Jay Som.
  7. Slant Magazine
    Aug 21, 2019
    70
    While it might lack a rave-up pop number like Everybody Works’s infectious “1 Billion Dogs,” Anak Ko offers plenty of reasons to follow Duterte down whatever road may lay ahead.

See all 19 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. jkalmeidas
    Sep 11, 2019
    10
    It's Taylor's best album by far. She keeps positively surpreending me. I'm always amazed to see not only the great singer she is, but also anIt's Taylor's best album by far. She keeps positively surpreending me. I'm always amazed to see not only the great singer she is, but also an incredibly talented songwriter. Best songs: False God, Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince and Daylight. But the whole album is amazing!… Expand
  2. nesspeyt
    Aug 29, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Cornelia Street Death By A Thousand Cuts
    Daylight Lover
    Afterglow That's it.    … Expand
  4. MusicGuyMack
    Sep 13, 2019
    8
    Admirably well-balanced between two warring personalities - one that of sparse, ethereal psychedelia and the other more peppy, jangly softAdmirably well-balanced between two warring personalities - one that of sparse, ethereal psychedelia and the other more peppy, jangly soft rock - and nearly airtight regarding the listening experience its creator is trying to craft. However, this is an album still likely to be a one-and-done for many, as a lot of the tracks (particularly in the first half) don't lend themselves well to casual consumption outside of lonesome nights at home or a late-night drive.

    Choice Cuts: "Nighttime Drive", "Tenderness", "Crown"    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

96
#96 Best Album of 2019

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