The Trouble With Being Myself
by Macy Gray
  • Record Label: Sony
  • Release Date: Jul 15, 2003
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    To call Macy Gray's new album, The Trouble With Being Myself, delightful is to minimize its sensual intelligence and considerable emotional depth.
  2. Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
    83
    Now, done with that id shit, she finds her voice by pleading with her man to stay or come back as the case may be.
  3. Spin
    83
    As a current-events commentator, Gray's got better beats than The New York Times and funnier lyrics than Fox News.
  5. E! Online
    83
    Her third album reins it all in to a more palatable place with traditional R&B production and a healthy dose of funkiness.
  6. Blender
    80
    The music makes her giddiness contagious. [#16, p.114]
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  7. Village Voice
    80
    Macy's decision to team with [producer Dallas] Austin this time around gives her anarchic brilliance just the right creative counterbalance.
  8. PopMatters
    80
    At once more of the same and something more, a set of polished, enchantingly newish approaches to her favorite themes, from bad choices (hers and his) and rueful memories to exhilarating anticipations and beguiling fantasies.
  9. Rolling Stone
    70
    Part biography, part self-analysis, part feminine primal scream, Myself is a tour through familiar Gray territory, spiked with humor and her take-no-bullshit attitude.
  10. Q Magazine
    70
    As ever, when the beats go uptempo, things go awry... but there's life in the giant-haired lady yet. [Jun 2003, p.98]
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  11. Mojo
    70
    The best of The Trouble With Being Myself finds Gray grinning. [Jun 2003, p.98]
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  12. Launch.com
    70
    Gray's idiosyncrasies are sometimes buried beneath the syrupy strings (which may have been the intent), robbing the album of unpredictable highs as well as lows.
  13. ShakingThrough.net
    68
    The Trouble With Being Myself is solidly produced, if too safely MOR to stand beside Gray's debut, and it doesn't exhibit anything close to The Id's sense of risk.
  14. The A.V. Club
    60
    In fleeting moments, Gray's remarkable charisma dominates The Trouble With Being Myself, but the missing ingredient is too often a simple lack of hooks.
  15. AllMusic
    60
    Blessed with a voice that immediately announces itself, Gray still hasn't found a musical personality to complement it.
  16. Dot Music
    60
    Unfortunately, none of it's even remotely memorable.
  17. Uncut
    60
    Sunny funk pours from most tracks, veiling the odd lyric about single moms, and the slowies are lit by noble torches. [Jun 2003, p.104]
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  18. Vibe
    50
    While less preposterous than her second album, The Id, this is still a frustrating piece of work. [June 2003, p.154]
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 3 out of 10
  1. ArtemH
    Aug 7, 2003
    8
    Yuh, I must admit - Macy rulezzzz!! (como siempre). I liked the whole album, except 2 or 3 tracks. That they are not bad - just they're Yuh, I must admit - Macy rulezzzz!! (como siempre). I liked the whole album, except 2 or 3 tracks. That they are not bad - just they're not for me. The best song - She ain't right for you, great ballad with raspy Macy's voyce… Full Review »
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