Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Negative: 0 out of 5
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  1. Mojo
    May 13, 2021
    80
    This act of restoration convinces as a good Tony Joe White album that could have been plucked from anywhere during his career. [Jun 2021, p.80]
  2. Uncut
    May 13, 2021
    80
    There's not a moment on this album when the session players intrude on the song or on White's vocal. ... It makes you forget, if only for a few minutes, that he wasn't actually in the studio with them. Instead, they simply let him tell his stories. [Jun 2021, p.26]
  3. May 13, 2021
    70
    This album is a project of love and admiration for Tony Joe White, and Smoke from the Chimney honors his legacy while reminding us that the tunes he left on the shelf are more effective and compelling than the emphasis cuts on most other songwriters' albums.
  4. 70
    Not everything clicks—the lazy Latin shuffle “Del Rio You’re Making Me Cry” edges too close to Jimmy Buffett territory—but there’s enough that works to make this an effective posthumous effort that even perfectionist White would have been proud of.
  5. May 13, 2021
    60
    Like the food from the region, not everyone has a taste for okra, bullfrogs, and crawdads. The ingredients may not sound appealing to the uninitiated and initially may be off-putting for those not from the area. But for those that are, there can be nothing more delicious than Cajun cooking. The same is true for White’s music. What makes it special depends on how open one is to his “haw haw haw” vocals and bubbling guitar sounds.

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