- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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The Outsider screams to be downloaded in sections by fans of specific genres.
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This is a fascinating record that will initially bewilder, but rewards repeated listens.
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Contrary to the way he's been perceived, Shadow has never been anything other than passionate about hip hop, and "The Outsider" is his love letter to the genre, revelling in all its myriad excesses.
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UncutAs brave as it is diverse. [Oct 2006, p.104]
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Rolling StoneAs a full-length Shadow album, The Outsider buckles from its forced diversity. [24 Aug 2006, p.94]
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Q MagazineAs ever, The Outsider's production is immaculate. But by frontloading the album with forbidding hip hop, [Shadow] knows he's driving away the floating voter. [Sep 2006, p.106]
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Aside from track sequencing issues... and dodgy indie geezers, 'The Outsider' is a great album and well worth the wait.
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The Outsider shouldn't be framed as the second coming of a masterpiece but as a stepping-stone.
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The cadre of eclectic guest appearances... make it seem like this record would play more like a mix tape, but Shadow pulls it off, and for the most part, each of the guest artists deliver the goods.
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I suspect that it will be one of those albums that people might dismiss today but will go back to in six months or six years, in the process rediscovering a treasure trove of interesting music.
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Despite the presence of some must-hear rap tracks, it's hard to justify the purchase if you are paying for only about half an album.
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The Outsider is a carefully crafted, artistically elusive mess -- far more scattershot than even his first UNKLE record (Psyence Fiction), but much more interesting for its excellent productions.
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Entertainment WeeklyA jarring journey. [22 Sep 2006, p.94]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 17 out of 46
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Mixed: 6 out of 46
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Negative: 23 out of 46
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ChoreoFDec 20, 2006
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Jan 3, 2021
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Aug 8, 2014