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Primrose Green
by
Primrose Green Image
Metascore
83

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

User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 16 Ratings

  • Summary: This is the second full-length release for the Chicago singer-songwriter.
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Primrose Green
Head for the Primrose Green Kept me up all night Head for the Primrose Green Made me high And I ran for the hill With a head full of Primrose... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. PopMatters
    Apr 3, 2015
    90
    A headphone trip for the ages, Primrose Green is a diaphanous tapestry that envelopes our collective musical history.
  2. Austin Chronicle
    Mar 18, 2015
    89
    A stellar supporting cast matching his vision, Walker produces one of the year's most exciting releases.
  3. Consequence
    Mar 24, 2015
    83
    For Walker, it’s about breathing life back into ’60s folk until it bursts with springtime charm, and Primrose Green is 2015’s ultimate encompassment of that sound.
  4. The Guardian
    Mar 17, 2015
    80
    Derivative as it is, there’s beauty here, and something admirable in Walker’s insistence on so closely cleaving to his chosen path.
  5. The Line of Best Fit
    Mar 23, 2015
    80
    Had Primrose Green been recorded in the era it's influenced by, it could well be among the records Ryley Walker would now be drawing inspiration from; high praise indeed.
  6. Q Magazine
    Mar 17, 2015
    80
    Combining jazzy looseness, rustic picking and an undertow of drugular mind expansion, this is one head cocktail that leaves no pain after it hits. [Apr 2015, p.113]
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  7. Record Collector
    Apr 3, 2015
    60
    Like its precursor, this sophomore release is deeply rooted in the musical traditions of the late 60s, but while it would be hard to accuse him of pushing too many boundaries, the influences are both tastefully chosen and utilised with consummate skill.

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User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. petebee
    Apr 18, 2015
    9
    A wonderful, well-executed, mellifluous blend of folky jazz-rock, with deft and virtuoso guitar (and other instruments) play throughout, and aA wonderful, well-executed, mellifluous blend of folky jazz-rock, with deft and virtuoso guitar (and other instruments) play throughout, and a voice that bypasses the ears and heads straight for the soul.

    Scintillating echoes of Tim Buckley, Jon Martyn and Nick Drake; a potent combination indeed. And to say Walker's an equal to each and any of them is no overstatement. This man has got some serious talent, and combined with the lo-fi, pin-sharp production, it an album that grabs you deep straightaway. You’ll stick it on and be halfway through the third replay before you realise two hours have whirled by in a dreamy, 60s haze

    Really glorious stuff.

    9/10    … Expand
  2. finners_99
    May 10, 2015
    8
    From the album's cover homage to Astral Weeks, to the Nick Drake style delivery and echoes of Buckley and John Martyn, this is throwback;From the album's cover homage to Astral Weeks, to the Nick Drake style delivery and echoes of Buckley and John Martyn, this is throwback; derivation; and a thrilling contemporary update on the genre. I keep coming back to its live-like organic feel.… Expand
  4. Custom_Concerns
    May 3, 2015
    7
    Though Primrose Green is more successful in its production, aesthetic, and instrumentation than it is in its songwriting, the record provesThough Primrose Green is more successful in its production, aesthetic, and instrumentation than it is in its songwriting, the record proves itself a must listen for 2015 and cements Ryley Walker as an artist we should all keep our eye on.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

73
#73 Best Album of 2015

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