AllMusic's Scores

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For 18,280 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 63% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 32% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.5 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 74
Highest review score: 100 The Marshall Mathers LP
Lowest review score: 20 Graffiti
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15,329 out of 18280
  2. Mixed: 2,925 out of 18280
  3. Negative: 26 out of 18280
18280 music reviews
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    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    2000 Years of Human Error
    2000 Years is a guitar-ripping dissertation --only it's sealed inside a musical envelope that's addressed to the likes of Adam and Eve.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    You and I
    Occasionally, there's a slight surprise--Buckley attempts Bukka White's Delta stomp on a slippery, slurred version of "Poor Boy Long Way from Home" -- but usually, You & I feels of piece with the rest of his early work.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Return To V
    Unfortunately though, Return to V isn't a back-to-basics record, and there isn't a single landmark to pick out from its 18 tracks.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The High End Of Low
    This album marks the return of former bassist Twiggy Ramirez to the band, but as ever the Manson personality/persona towers over everything else, and his two or three musical ideas are repeated throughout the disc, with only a few exceptions.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    31 Minutes To Takeoff
    The better surprise is his heavy dose of talent that doesn't necessarily dazzle but does charm, and is deep enough to keep things interesting for a whole album.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I Got Issues
    YG's bouncing between styles gives I Got Issues a scattered flow that pushes the best tracks to the forefront and makes the weaker material feel all the more tedious.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Hold on 'Til the Night
    Functions more as a sign of what's to come, setting Greyson up for a better album somewhere further down the road.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Tim
    Of the production teams, Vincent Pontare and Salem Al Fakir (aka Vargas & Lagola) deliver the best product, elevating "Peace of Mind," "Tough Love," and "Excuse Me Mr Sir" above the pack. A generic middle stretch is bookended by Tim's other highlights, which benefit from a group of high-profile guest stars, of which there are two clear standouts.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Goodbye Lullaby
    Lavigne once again seems to be grappling with emotions just beyond her reach, never articulating her angst or crafting a melancholy melody, making Goodbye Lullaby feel affected, not genuine.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Young the Giant
    There's an unquestionably seductive flow about Young the Giant's debut that's sure to lure in many wandering postmodern rock children, looking for alternatives beyond the same old blockbuster bands name-checked above.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Alter The Ending
    Returning fans may take comfort in these cathartic anthems, but those who were won over by "Poison Trees"--a return-to-form effort that combined melody with more nuanced arrangements--will prefer the deluxe edition's acoustic disc.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    ERYS
    While ERYS occasionally drags over its seventeen17 tracks, it's an immersive experience that finds Jaden at his most vulnerable, processing his messy young adult feelings into a relatable and sonically exciting way.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Lost Tapes II
    A secondary release in execution and intent, this is recommendable only to serious fans with a justifiably insatiable curiosity for what the artist creates.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Free Spirit
    An hour-long LP with little joy or even relief, one that is nearly static in energy level despite a carousel of producers.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Curtis
    In the end, Curtis is entertaining but only impressive in that 50 can run in place and still be on top.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    A Hyperactive Workout For The Flying Squad
    While they offer few surprises on Hyperactive, they also offer no embarassments, and it's likely that any fan still faithfully buying records nearly a decade after Moseley Shoals will enjoy this record.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Live From Dakota
    If you haven't discovered Stereophonics' live show yet, Live from Dakota is a good place to start.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Romance At Short Notice
    Dirty Pretty Things move their music forward with this album, but they've sacrificed their clarity to achieve that.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    David Archuleta
    So, it delivers exactly what Archuleta promised on the show: something sweet and safe, utterly old-fashioned and forgettable.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Emotion & Commotion
    Beck has chosen to forgo his signature frenzied fretboard blitzkriegs and weave long, laconic phrases, his guitar rich, thick, and warm, sounding familiar yet different: he's never sustained this level of grace for a full record, and his soulful playing cuts through the clean sheen of the production, always commanding attention even when he's not demanding it.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Credo
    Credo could have been the perfect opportunity to prove to their devotees that they haven't lost their touch, but although there are a few flashes of their heyday's magic, it's a strangely low-key affair which is unlikely to inspire any future synth pop maestros.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Do It in the AM
    Disappointingly, it's a much slicker but ultimately formulaic affair which appears to tick every current, chart-friendly sound going.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Cave Rave
    Overall, these songs are a fine reintroduction to a band that has worked hard to emphasize its strengths and come up with new ones.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Don't Look Down
    Try as she may to distract with her strut and style as Skylar Grey, what resonates is the same kind of melodic turn of phrase that was apparent back when she was calling herself Holly Brook.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Embrace
    Perhaps this isn't provocative but it's not meant to be: it's designed to be handsome, satisfying lifestyle rock, and it is.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Morning
    Such overwhelming softness means The Morning works best as mood music, setting the tone for either a lazy day in bed or a productive day at work, or any number of activities that take place during the hours of breaking dawn.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Lunatic
    There's a wan, vaguely Everyman lyricism at work here as well, which makes some of the slower numbers a bit of a chore, but when the band lets it rip, as in the case of top-down, desert road jams like "Hey I Don't Know," "It's a Good Life," and the aforementioned "Come with Me," Lunatic earns the shifty weight of its unhinged moniker.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Moonlust
    Though Moonlust is pleasant, it so actively tries to re-create the feel of its inspirations that it is more a distracted reverie than anything else.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Big Love
    At times, the overall veneer is a shade too clean, suggesting nothing so much as cocktail hour at a classy conference, but the fact that Hucknall and Simply Red choose to celebrate the softer, soulful sounds of the '70s by doubling down on the smoothness does separate them from the legions of neo-soul divas in the new millennium.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    K 2.0
    They've simply absorbed the lessons they've learned and are content to lay back, spinning out trippy harmonies and fuzzy riffs, music where the feel matters far more than individual songs. This also means the band hasn't changed much in 20 years--back in 1996, songs were also secondary to vibe; they were still peddling hippie nonsense--but the older Kula Shaker are better at execution, which means K 2.0 is the rare sequel that trumps the original.
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