Tell Me
by Jessica Lea Mayfield
  • Record Label: Nonesuch
  • Release Date: Feb 8, 2011
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Paste Magazine
    Feb 8, 2011
    83
    Tell Me feels genuine and unpretentious throughout, setting the tone for a night of cathartic, misty-eyed introspection.
  2. No Ripcord
    Mar 18, 2011
    80
    Tell Me is an impressive work. Mayfield shines as she enters new territory in her musical composition and her lyricism.
  3. BBC Music
    Mar 4, 2011
    80
    A treasure of tremendous emotional resonance and focus from the rising country singer.
  5. Uncut
    Feb 15, 2011
    80
    The results are dark, dangerous and utterly compelling. [Mar 2011, p.94]
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  6. musicOMH.com
    Feb 14, 2011
    80
    This album will prove to be as addictive listening come the end of the year as it is right now.
  7. American Songwriter
    Feb 8, 2011
    80
    Contradictory emotions push against each other in each line and verse, pulling the listener between envy and pity for the characters that inhabit each song, and often with envy/pity switching sides on each additional listen.
  8. Pitchfork
    Feb 11, 2011
    77
    Tell Me, her second album, matches and at times even surpasses her debut in terms of rueful atmosphere and unflinching songwriting, and Mayfield works to break free of her country confines and showcase her vocals in new, unexpected settings.
  9. The New York Times
    Feb 14, 2011
    70
    Slouching into her notes, with the barest tremor of vibrato, she can almost suggest a precocious child peering past the bounds of innocence.
  10. PopMatters
    Feb 9, 2011
    70
    Despite that frosty Ohioan echo, Mayfield is a convincing and oddly charming tour guide out into that dark. She seems to know what's out there more than we do, which makes Tell Me so great to follow.
  11. AllMusic
    Feb 8, 2011
    70
    Mayfield's songs are darker, with more discontent, and all contain elements of the subtly sinister or perverse.
  12. Rolling Stone
    Feb 8, 2011
    70
    The most compelling sound on Tell Me is Mayfield's languid drawl.
  13. Austin Chronicle
    Mar 17, 2011
    67
    Tell Me deserves praise for its alternative vision of what a singer-songwriter album can be.
  14. Mojo
    Apr 6, 2011
    60
    Tell Me is a pure and earnest amble through heartbreak, Bluegrass-tinged, with Seldom nods to anything approaching modern. [Apr 2011, p.106]
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  15. Under The Radar
    Mar 23, 2011
    60
    Bumped up to the majors for Tell Me, like its predecessor produced by Auerbach, Mayfield evinces maturity in both her sonic approach and her writing. [Feb. 2011, p. 72]
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  16. Q Magazine
    Mar 9, 2011
    60
    Tell Me is produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, an arrangement that suits her lean, unsentimental alt-country just fine. [Mar 2011, p.116]
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  17. Slant Magazine
    Feb 8, 2011
    60
    Over the course of Tell Me, her second full-length album, Mayfield emerges as a singer-songwriter with a powerful and distinct voice.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. Jetepoc
    Feb 11, 2011
    9
    Jessica Lea Mayfield is only 21 years-old, but the maturity of her songwriting makes one forget that fact. Tell Me is a fantastic albumJessica Lea Mayfield is only 21 years-old, but the maturity of her songwriting makes one forget that fact. Tell Me is a fantastic album produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. Mayfield takes the listener on a journey through heartbreak, but in the end there is a sense of hope. That hope may be centered around the future of this talented, young singer-songwriter.… Full Review »
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