Mental Illness
by Aimee Mann
  • Record Label: Superego
  • Release Date: Mar 31, 2017
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Consequence
    Mar 21, 2017
    91
    For 44 minutes, Mann slips into the skin of someone walking an emotional tightrope, and it’s an act she pulls of with grace and conviction.
  2. The New York Times
    Mar 29, 2017
    90
    Mental Illness wallows in its troubles, and it’s an exquisite wallow.
  3. Uncut
    Mar 21, 2017
    90
    Mental Illness is as elegantly dark as a wrought iron gate. [May 2017, p.35]
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  5. Paste Magazine
    Mar 28, 2017
    86
    Mann has earned her reputation as a master songwriter on the coherence of her artistic choices. As in good short stories, every element in her songs works to support a single theme.
  6. No Ripcord
    Apr 20, 2017
    80
    Mental Illness is first and foremost an album about achieving self-sufficiency through trail and blunder. And in doing so, she once again stands tallest, and quietest, in an exceptionally consistent career.
  7. Q Magazine
    Apr 12, 2017
    80
    These are fine story-songs for any age, era or metal disposition. [Jun 2017, p.107]
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  8. Boston Globe
    Apr 3, 2017
    80
    An album rooted in the low end of the emotional spectrum is a risk, but through fastidious instrumental detailing and lyrics that evince sympathy even when they’re at their most cutting, Mann crafts a melancholic atmosphere that is worth repeated listens, whether as a means for catharsis or as a well-crafted cloud to ease the punishing brightness of a too-sunny day.
  9. Record Collector
    Mar 31, 2017
    80
    Like the 1999 film Magnolia that earned Mann an Oscar nomination, Mental Illness would make a similarly engrossing mosaic of stories for the big screen.
  10. AllMusic
    Mar 30, 2017
    80
    These songs are crafted in the best sense of the word, with the lyrics delivering sublime twists that the music matches. As such, Mental Illness becomes something of a balm for troubled times; it's an album that finds reassurance within the darkest corners.
  11. PopMatters
    Mar 28, 2017
    80
    Her lyrics are full of witty puns, comic exaggerations and double-entendres accented by her sense of timing and intonations. The lines drip with bon mots that begin straight and then bend unexpectedly.
  12. Mojo
    Mar 21, 2017
    80
    A compelling consistency of mood makes Metal Illness easy to get lost in. [May 2017, p.94]
  13. Slant Magazine
    Mar 21, 2017
    80
    Mann's best work has always lingered on such private reverie, and Mental Illness is one of her most ravishing and affecting hymns to solitude.
  14. Pitchfork
    Apr 3, 2017
    78
    Juxtaposing elegant chamber folk against the discord of lives out of balance, it’s musically more delicate than even her soft rock models.
  15. Chicago Tribune
    Apr 3, 2017
    75
    This is a solid addition to Mann's estimable discography, the kind of record that sets a mood and sustains it for 39 craftsmanlike minutes.
  16. Classic Rock Magazine
    Mar 27, 2017
    70
    While Mental Illness doesn’t stray too far from the beaten path, it does offer something new for seasoned Mann watchers.
  17. Under The Radar
    Mar 28, 2017
    55
    Mental Illness remains more of the same, never quite hitting any peaks, and never missing a step either.

Awards & Rankings

45
#45 Best Album of 2017

User Reviews

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User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 43
  3. Negative: 5 out of 43
  1. hapi888
    Apr 22, 2017
    10
    Easily one of Aimee Mann's top 3 albums. It's undoubtedly quieter and varied musically compare to her past albums but in a very surprising andEasily one of Aimee Mann's top 3 albums. It's undoubtedly quieter and varied musically compare to her past albums but in a very surprising and positive way. Tunes are catchy and yet the lyrics are deep and meaningful. Patient Zero, Simple Fix & Stuck in the Past are the best of the bunch!… Full Review »
  2. Jack4322
    Apr 5, 2017
    6
    This album may have interesting lyrics, but the music is basically undemanding adult-contemporary. So, even though the songs may be "pretty"This album may have interesting lyrics, but the music is basically undemanding adult-contemporary. So, even though the songs may be "pretty" and "lovely," they're also kind of boring and predictable. After listening to the entire album, I really have no interest in hearing it again. I do like many of her other albums, though. In fact, her last album, Charmer, was quite good.

    Maybe Aimee Mann really *does* need a record company exec breathing down her neck saying, "I don't hear a single!"    … Full Review »
  3. Ricko
    Jul 2, 2020
    7
    This was my first time listening to Aimee Mann. Lyrical this is good stuff, consistently dark. In terms of the songs, they are all carefullyThis was my first time listening to Aimee Mann. Lyrical this is good stuff, consistently dark. In terms of the songs, they are all carefully put together, honed and produced immaculately but I do think they all blend into one sound and it is hard to tell them apart once you've finished listening to it.… Full Review »
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