Stonechild
by Jesca Hoop
Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. The Line of Best Fit
    Jul 10, 2019
    90
    Stonechild isn’t as much a revelation as it is an affirmation of the truth – a truth which the singer bears out across the album in fragments, inviting her listeners to construct a full picture for themselves.
  2. No Ripcord
    Aug 16, 2019
    80
    The duality of hopefulness and dissolution she presents is intoxicating (with droning, ethereal soundscapes that are chilling in their stillness, to boot).
  3. DIY Magazine
    Jul 11, 2019
    80
    Stonechild is an exercise in top-level songwriting, stately and intelligent.
  5. Under The Radar
    Jul 8, 2019
    80
    The pages of Stonechild sometimes read like wives' tales and folklore, but the morals found within should resonate with any modern wanderer.
  6. Q Magazine
    Jul 3, 2019
    80
    An album made for--and from--these times. [Aug 2019, p.112]
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  7. Uncut
    Jul 3, 2019
    80
    She summons the spirits very effectively here. ... John Parish's production of Hoop's delicate finger-picking adds to the sense of beautiful, bewitching isolation. [Aug 2019, p.31]
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  8. Mojo
    Jul 3, 2019
    80
    The result is the right step forwards at the right momement. [Aug 2019, p.96]
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  9. The New York Times
    Jul 3, 2019
    80
    Hoop has made her quietest, most contemplative studio album.
  10. AllMusic
    Jul 3, 2019
    80
    Poised and spacious, warm and inclusive, and highly provoked, Stonechild is another memorable addition to Hoop's discography.
  11. Pitchfork
    Jul 9, 2019
    77
    With Stonechild, Jesca Hoop complicates centuries of feminized folk music by singing about the ugly, violent aspects of motherhood. Stillbirth, spousal abuse, sexism inherited from mother to daughter—all claim vignettes on this record of electro-folk, seeking, much like Love did, to render motherhood in fucking intense terms.
  12. Paste Magazine
    Jul 12, 2019
    74
    Despite all the tenebrosity, or maybe because of it, Hoop is chasing human connection on this album, which teems with delicate acoustics and sneaky electronic elements. She seems wholly concerned with examining empathy—even for gross internet trolls—in a world deprived of it, and there are few quests as noble.
  13. The Observer (UK)
    Jul 8, 2019
    60
    In Stonechild, Hoop has streamlined her sound. It’s hard not to feel her sentiments could benefit from some similar pruning.

Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Best Album of 2019

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. gusalce
    Oct 31, 2020
    10
    Innovative, retrospective and perfect in all ways, really love this one by her, feels so authentic, pure and honest in all of its words; IInnovative, retrospective and perfect in all ways, really love this one by her, feels so authentic, pure and honest in all of its words; I recommend it for a cloudy autumn day, enjoy it… Full Review »
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