AllMusic's Scores

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For 18,295 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: 15,344 out of 18295
  2. Mixed: 2,925 out of 18295
  3. Negative: 26 out of 18295
18295 music reviews
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    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Rat Farm
    Hard to stack up to the wonder years this far into their career, but Rat Farm comes darn close, and the tracks on their 14th outing are the closest they've come in a long time to the colorful, no-frills brand of twangy alt-rock and informal punk (with hints of Americana, country, folk, and prog) that they instilled on their SST records.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    True Romance
    Since quite a few of these songs were already road-tested, it's not surprising that this is a strong debut, but just how consistently catchy and personal True Romance is might raise a few eyebrows.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Low Highway
    This may be his most consistent offering since El Corazón.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Free the Universe
    Those who blew their minds and/or speakers pumping the project's 2009 debut will find it familiar ground, but how Free the Universe arguably tops Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do is with the meatier, more subdued cuts.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Save Rock and Roll
    They're ambitious, admirable, and sometimes thrilling, particularly because the group never fears to tread into treacherous waters, happy to blur the distinctions between pop and rock, mainstream and underground.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Terror
    It's not easy to face up to and present the worst parts of being alive, much less in a way that's artistically pleasing or relevant. The Lips don't make it sound easy, which is why The Terror is so powerful.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ghost on Ghost
    Bringing the scale back down to something human while injecting some jazz and sunshine into the I&W sound proves to be a very good strategy for Beam, and it makes Ghost on Ghost one of the most satisfying albums the group has done to date.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Way to Blue: The Songs of Nick Drake
    Edited down from performances in London, Melbourne, and New York City, the 15 tracks that populate the lovely and inspiring Way To Blue: The Songs of Nick Drake feel far more intimate than the live tag would suggest.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    F.M. Sushi
    While the ominous vibe is spot-on, the overall lack of hooks and power makes the record feel more affected than connective.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Desperate Ground
    The huge accomplishment of Desperate Ground is this ability to grow up some without slowing down; but quite the opposite, the Thermals return to form with this scrappy collection, blazing through serious topics but never dropping the tempo long enough to get overwrought or self-indulgent.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Let's Face the Music and Dance
    The album sounds as if it were cut in the living room late one night, the bandmembers easing into songs they've always loved but never played.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Reason to Believe: The Songs of Tim Hardin
    This set finds various alternative rock artists paying tribute to Hardin's muse by covering his best-known compositions.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Amygdala
    The album is more daring and creative than Kosi Comes Around, a straightforward offering in a comparative sense.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    State
    Rundgren is pushing the edges of his comfort zone just enough to keep himself stimulated while offering enough melody to satisfy those fans whose concentration usually drifts whenever he wanders, and the result is an imperfect but satisfying art-pop album.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Recurring Dream
    Like its namesake phenomenon, Recurring Dream's songs are a fascinating mix of elusiveness and inevitability that only grows richer with repeated listening.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Hotel California
    Hotel California refuses to sort his over-the-top bangers into anything sensible, and without a "Rack City" to make it crossover worthy, this is a full-length to leave for the fans.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Migrant
    What makes Migrant interesting is that it's finally giving him the opportunity to simply cut loose and write whatever songs come to mind, and though fans might miss the conceptual hooks of his past work, the album is solid enough to stand all on its own.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Stories Don't End
    Stories Don't End barely registers upon the first spin (it's easy pop for the millennial generation), but if given the time to percolate, it produces a damn fine cup of coffee.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Wheelhouse
    There are times on Wheelhouse where Paisley simply has too many balls in the air and they're destined to fall.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Overgrown
    While it might take listeners a few spins to find the right head space for the album, once they get there, it's an easy place to get lost in.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    She Paints Words in Red
    House of Love are comfortable in their skin without being complacent, sounding happy, even grateful, to be writing and playing again, winding up with a record that stands alongside their '80s and '90s work quite nicely.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Ascent
    ["Skillzone" is] one the few times the album offers a "punch in the gut." Everything else is more "hands in the air" and from every radio-friendly strain of wonky pop, giving the impression that The Ascent is a mixtape of Wiley features and not a proper album.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Ministry of Love
    Throughout Ministry of Love, Gika and Leopold Ross try on lots of sounds and moods for size; not all of them fit, but enough do to make this a promising debut--and to suggest that they don't need to rely on gimmicks.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Cyclops Reap
    Cyclops Reap may be the best place for newcomers to start, but anyone who's been along for the ride since the beginning will be thrilled to hear Presley's (slight) progression.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    English Electric
    OMD's Kraftwerk fixation at this late date is a retro-within-retro move that puzzles, so prepare to be jarred a bit before declaring this a welcome addition to the catalog.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    {Awayland}
    The creative progression O'Brien exhibits here leaves no lingering questions of doubt whether he would succumb to the dreaded second album syndrome, and regardless of awards, wayland sees the Irishman at his best, both musically and lyrically.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Beautiful Africa
    It feels like a natural step, consequently expanding the margins of Malian roots music and rock and pop simultaneously.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Paramore
    Paramore is a veritable pop opera about a band reborn, phoenix-like from the ashes of a broken lineup, better and stronger than any previous incarnation.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Shaking the Habitual
    Shaking the Habitual isn't as cohesive or accessible as Silent Shout, and after experiencing the whole thing, fans may not return to it often, but it's hard to deny that it's an often stunning work of art.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Time [EP]
    Time is a promising debut from a guy who understands that pop is sometimes better when it gets a little weird.
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