Billboard's Scores

  • Music
Select another publication »
For 1,720 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 71% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 27% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1 point higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 74
Highest review score: 100 The Boxing Mirror
Lowest review score: 10 Hefty Fine
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,457 out of 1720
  2. Mixed: 240 out of 1720
  3. Negative: 23 out of 1720
1720 music reviews
view
per page
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Conor Oberst
    Conor Oberst doesn't sound much different from any of Bright Eyes' acoustic material, except that it is lacking in the bare honesty of his earlier albums.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Songs in A&E
    Pierce ties the dark to the light with poetic folk ballads like closing lullaby "Goodnight Goodnight," making A&E a strange and pleasing concoction of old and new.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings
    Such uniformly dark material makes one long for a tune or two to lighten the vibe.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Heat
    Overall, it's a solid, unashamedly honest portrait.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Poseidon And The Bitter Bug
    Though audibly relaxed in their freedom from the label system, the duo delivers a few real emotional stunners.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Easy Come, Easy Go
    This new recording is richer and more daring in its arrangements and choice of material.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Watershed
    Watershed, k.d. lang's new torch-and-twang exploration, will hover delicately in the background of many a coffee shop, but it does little to elevate itself to a more conscious musical experience.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Scarlet's Walk
    Similar to the artist's Under the Pink in tone and continuity, Scarlet demands repeated spins to fully appreciate its chapters' musical and lyrical complexities.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Ganging Up On The Sun
    Guster's loudest and most ambitious effort to date.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Anything
    Fresh and imaginative, "Anything" is one intoxicating recording.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Eye To The Telescope
    A delicious blend of acoustic guitar, raw grooves and sublime melodies. [11 Feb 2006]
    • Billboard
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Shall Noise Upon
    Apollo Sunshine's third album is a delightful head-scratcher that explores old and new elements of psychedelia alike, from string sections, melting organs and echoey vocals to gritty, traveling guitar lines and lyrics about love and reincarnation.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Myth Takes
    "Myth Takes" ... should see the festive art-rock collective bop its way out of cult status, as each of the 10 cuts on this album adventurously cascade through genres without ever losing a groove. [10 Mar 2007]
    • Billboard
    • 76 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    The Avalanche: Outtakes & Extras From The Illinois Album
    Too often his songs fail to captivate beyond a curiosity factor.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Yes, I'm A Witch
    In each case, a brand-new track has been crafted, but some work better than others. [10 Feb 2007]
    • Billboard
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Real Emotional Trash
    Janet Weiss adds welcome flavor on drums and vocals, but overall, how much you enjoy rummaging through this Trash will probably depend on the amount of patience you have for the Malkmus' indulgences.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Back Room
    It is such a perfect counterfeit that it feels like the genuine article.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    What Are You On?
    Songs of losers and loss tempered by only a taste of wry humor.
    • Billboard
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Mirror Conspiracy
    On "The Mirror Conspiracy," the duo fine-tunes its deft merging of all things dub, electronica, and bossa nova, creating sweet and savory tracks...
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Whole New You
    Whole New You easily rises above the din of the sound-alike pop and rock recordings currently crowding the marketplace, offering a plethora of complex yet sweet melodies and lyrics that are both smart and rife with empathetic emotion.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Tres Cosas
    The alluring texture of every track on "Tres Cosas" makes it a winner.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Future Women
    The M's and their "Future Women" not only jog the memories of rock past, but are memorable in their own right.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    My Name Is Buddy
    Cooder has fine musical companions on his journey. [10 Mar 2007]
    • Billboard
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    La Radiolina
    With poetic melancholy, absurdist whimsy and direct shout-outs to a world no more just than it was on his last album, there's enough to carry fans until Chao's next one.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Year Zero
    It's fun to hear Trent Reznor play other roles and fire holes into the technology he's been so vital in employing. [21 Apr 2007]
    • Billboard
    • 76 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Everything's OK
    Not only does this album hum with the magic that endowed the pair's past hits ("Let's Stay Together"), it shows that talent isn't the sole realm of the young.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Chrome Dreams II
    Overall though, is the album better than "Prairie Wind" or "Living With War"? Yes.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    District Line
    District Line is a fine showcase for the differing sides of ex-Hüsker Dü/Sugar frontman Bob Mould's repertoire.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Pro Tools
    You could count the number of hooks on one hand and most tracks clock in at the three-minute mark, ostensibly to let GZA inhale occasionally. But it's worth a listen to hear what sneaky, suspicious, image-heavy tricks still emerge from his notebook.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Spirit Stereo Frequency
    "Spirit Stereo Frequency" unburies the dark side of this wistfulness by scrambling it with deep bouts of psychedelia and ghostly falsetto croons. The result is a debut that captures the vicissitudes of the past with greater authenticity and interesting sonic flair.
Page: