AllMusic's Scores

  • Music
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:
18280 music reviews
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It might scare off some of the fans drawn to the pop side of Toro, but for those who appreciate the subtle twists and turns of his early work -- and especially those who wish he had expanded on What For? -- this is Bear and band at their most exciting, most inventive. and most fun.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Bon Voyage was a kind of disjointed, disconnected masterpiece, Emotional Eternal is the flipside of the coin. Unified by acceptance and warmth, sung with wide-eyed, deep-down happiness, and played with a rich softness, it's a thing of beauty and that's forever.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    As uneven as the album can be, it's never a simple rehash of Bloc Party's glory days. Adam Greenspan and Nick Launay's tight production gives Alpha Games a leaner attack than Silent Alarm, and while the moments of beauty that balance the band's outbursts are in shorter supply, they're all the sweeter when they appear.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Despite the fractured path to its creation, Two Ribbons is Hollingworth and Walton's most cohesive album yet. They've grown just far enough apart to be themselves, and they've come together to make something equally beautiful and meaningful.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Stately and almost elegant, Zeit is a haunted, pensive work that faces life's inevitabilities with an appropriate rage, heart, and sense of humor that only Rammstein can deliver.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The different sounds and scenes add up to a rich, complex album, one where Lambert finds the perfect blend of the writerly The Weight of These Wings and the breeziness of Wildcard.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Nelson's guitar and voice have intertwined and complemented each other throughout his career yet it's still a marvel to hear him find sustenance and surprises within his music, and that's what makes A Beautiful Time so rewarding: it's no small achievement that Willie Nelson is still deepening his artistry at the age of 89.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Older, wiser, and more ambitious than on her collegiate debut, Tomberlin finds a musical artistry on i don't know who needs to hear this… that rises to the level of her lyrical perceptiveness.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    On LP.8, Owens draws from different, seemingly contradictory mystical energies, creating music that challenges and shocks as much as it soothes.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Less sonically aggressive than their previous album, Profound Mysteries still has something of an edge to it and its overall tone of ghostly enchantment makes for a strangely captivating listen.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Like his other albums, the music is all very beautiful, if somewhat ephemeral. It's hard to pick out a memorable melody among these ten poignant missives, which tend to run together in a bittersweet blur.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    At times on their first album they seemed a little like a novelty band with their note-perfect retro approach, but here they sound like a serious group, the kind that breaks hearts and changes lives.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    In addition to often sleepy and forgettable production, Leray's flow leaves much to be desired and even guests like Nicki Minaj ("Blick Blick"), Fivio Foreign ("Mountains"), and H.E.R. ("Overthinking") can't save the day.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Though it's not much longer than some of the group's EPs, Black Pearl's sustained mood of brooding mystery sets it apart, and its darkly lustrous songs uphold 50 Foot Wave's reputation as a vital part of Hersh's music.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    His usage of stringed instruments, whether plucked or bowed, particularly gives the music a sense of intimacy as well as its distinctive character, to the point of establishing a signature sound. Much of the album is instrumental, with a few guest vocalists providing additional perspectives.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The overall effect is mercurial and uneven, but also fun and hooky as well as potentially cathartic -- especially for anyone who is over it.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Mahal and Cooder stay close to the originals, but whether faithfully evoking the sound and spirit of their mentors or using them as lift-off points for expansion, this glorious album honors their subjects with joy and swagger as well as devotion.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Making a joyous noise helps ease the pain of troubled times and that's precisely what happens here: the good and the bad intermingle like the past and the present, resulting in a lively, heartfelt record.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Everything Was Beautiful is delirious and exciting, a perfect distilment of the best parts of the band's various phases that feels reinvigorated and new.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    While it isn't quite as consistent as Keepsake, its finest moments are some of Hatchie's most exciting work.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Giving such acute insight into Fontaines' headspace that it borders on uncomfortable. This is what they have always been best at though, bringing the listener into their world and showing them the darkest corners alongside the rays of light.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It all adds up to an album that slowly works its way into the subconsious, sounding deeper and richer with each successive play.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    It's the first truly disappointing album that the band have released and the first where they sound like they are running out of gas instead of hitting on all cylinders.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    This masterful release contains some of the most immediately appealing work in Eno's discography.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Keep your expectations properly adjusted and Spencer Gets It Lit will be an effective soundtrack to all manner of wild good times.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The mix of songs that connect with gently experimental sounds that low-key dazzle make for a winning combination and Together is another surprising slowcore triumph.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The words offer a lot of food for thought, but the music and arrangements are every bit as remarkable.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    This could've been a cloying direction if it weren't for Night's sharp skills as a songwriter, the palpable chemistry of the Regrettes, and the sleek shine of the production, each contributing to the exuberance of Further Joy.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The sounds will be familiar (even comforting) to longtime fans, but there are so many unpredictable turns and head-scratching moments that Vile ends up taking his music somewhere new by approaching the same kind of songwriting he's been doing since he started from unlikely angles.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The quiet intensity, supernatural control, and disquieting character of his singing are all in full focus, adding mystery and longing to even the most benign lyric and making the highlights of Midnight Rocker rank among his best work.