- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
While a few songs aren't quite as dynamic as the rest, this album proves that Kele has more than enough ideas and identity for a solo career.
-
Alternative PressVocally, Okerele is in top form, making a put-down sound like a prayer or a military march feel like a pride anthem. Bring your glowsticks--and your heart. [Jul 2010, p.126
-
All in all, this is a persuasive solo debut, confident, innovative and brimming with hooks.
-
How I Got Over finds the Roots acting as elder statesmen in hip-hop, but its mix of nifty experiments and straightforward rap eliminates any sense of predictability.
-
Hi-NRG rhythms and sweet syncopated beats propel themselves skywards.
-
While the adventurous Boxer pares off Bloc Party's ponderous streak, it leaves room for Kele's hopeless romanticism, and the end result hits in all the right places--head, hips and heart alike.
-
MojoOkereke once again pushing the boundaries of what British indie can be. [July 2010, p. 96]
-
The Boxer is loose-limbed, electronic yet human and, most importantly, full of the experimentation and genre-blending Okereke always claimed to love.
-
This is a record that has the dancefloor firmly locked with its sights.
-
His earnestness shines through, and in shaking off his rock baggage, he's made the best kind of electro album: the sort that can be appreciated just as much from the couch as the club.
-
Bloc Party fans won't be shocked or dismayed, though: Boxer just ratchets up the electronic vibe of 2008's Intimacy, stretching even further sonically while maintaining Okereke's earthy, hyperpersonal songwriting.
-
Okereke has said that he's finally found his sweet spot with The Boxer, which will give Bloc Party fans pause; it's a good album and all, but it shouldn't be mistaken for anything more than an adventurous side project.