• Record Label: Decca
  • Release Date: Nov 19, 2021
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Negative: 0 out of 6
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Mojo
    Nov 22, 2021
    80
    One for the fans delighted he's still here and fascinated by how such classic songs started out. [Jan 2022, p.82]
  2. Nov 22, 2021
    80
    A genuinely enchanting release, At My Piano finds the musical giant comfortably at rest, while still dreaming as vividly as he always has.
  3. Dec 22, 2021
    70
    The main shortcoming of At My Piano is that even though Brian Wilson is playing songs that he wrote, the mellow, elevator music style of these versions doesn't sound any more significantly connected to Wilson than any other session musician or unknown piano player running through familiar tunes as background music at a martini bar would sound. Despite this, it's pleasant to hear these songs in a new form.
  4. Uncut
    Nov 22, 2021
    60
    Many of these songs also feel like polite recital pieces, stripped of high drama, so that Wilson often sounds like a shadow of himself. [Dec 2021, p.35]
  5. 60
    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.
  6. Nov 30, 2021
    50
    What is unexpected is how Wilson sounds almost anonymous here. As he drifts through his greatest hits and personal favorites, he doesn’t invest his playing with much personality, so these smooth sounds are about as memorable as a piano twinkling away in the background of a department store.
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 4 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Dec 17, 2021
    9
    Many of these songs also feel like polite recital pieces, stripped of high drama, so that Wilson often sounds like a shadow of himself
  2. Nov 29, 2021
    7
    The value of this album is knowing Wilson is playing the songs. It reminds us of just how damn beautiful and complex all those melodies are,The value of this album is knowing Wilson is playing the songs. It reminds us of just how damn beautiful and complex all those melodies are, especially the songs off of Pet Sounds. Certainly worth a spin. Full Review »