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This record seems to outweigh the previous album in terms of quality and depth.
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The appeal of Life for Rent is what makes Dido appealing -- she's unassuming and gentle, but her songs are so melodic and atmospheric they easily work their way into the subconscious, and the records are well-crafted enough to be engaging on repeated plays.
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BlenderThe emotional terrain is much more treacherous here, and more rewarding for it. [Oct 2003, p.114]
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That's not to say that it's bad--it's just that the radio-friendly chanteuse's lightweight fusion of beats and folk songs is sleepy and barely discernable from one track to the next.
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Entertainment WeeklyDido's sharp lyrical point of view gives her otherwise routine chill-out music focus. [3 Oct 2003, p.72]
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MojoEasy listening with just enough unease to tease. [Nov 2003, p.125]
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Life for Rent isn't groundbreaking, but it has its own kind of integrity.
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Its best moments suggest that Armstrong is unfairly maligned.... At worst, it's twee and bland, aural wallpaper that only someone who didn't really like music could care about. Either way, it isn't going to change anyone's mind about Dido.
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Life For Rent breaks no new ground, and while the publicity machine proffers a failed Dido romance as its inspiration, the album retains her debut's style yet without its wonderfully miserable substance.
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Lacking its predecessor's edgy tone, Life For Rent offers up one bland, polite tune after another.
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Q MagazineIn its own vapid, curiously sexless way, Life For Rent is actually fascinating stuff, so set against the usual rules of successful music that it starts to look oddly revolutionary. [Oct 2003, p.99]
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Her bland-o-meter appears to be well and truly busted.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 64 out of 77
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Mixed: 3 out of 77
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Negative: 10 out of 77
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johnbFeb 14, 2004
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raVenDec 7, 2003Enjoyable. Title track is really good. But since it in many ways resembles her first, don't expect any newness.
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MichaelHOct 4, 2003