Billboard's Scores

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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
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    • 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.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    David Archuleta
    A silky tenor with a natural melancholy that makes him a heartbreaker by default. His charming debut exploits that very quality with some strokes of pop genius.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dreamland
    The dynamic range of Plant's vocals may have narrowed, but his emotional range has only widened, with his singing intimate and detailed throughout.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Instant O In The Universe [EP]
    Free from the noodling of past producers like Jim O'Rourke and John McEntire, who brought some great ideas but also a certain degree of fussiness, Stereolab sounds looser and lighter than it has in some time.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Trickle
    A very aware dance/pop atmospheric soundscape that is both electronically enhanced and orchestrally enriched.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Wildflower
    A provocative, richly rewarding set reflecting love and life changes. [1 Oct 2005]
    • Billboard
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Just Go
    Thanks to Richie's confidently grown-up vocals and his consistently mature subject matter--here's a guy whose romantic timeline stretches past tonight to 'Forever and a Day,' as one track puts it--Just Go never sounds calculated or desperate.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Delivery Man
    Welcome, worthy and wonderful.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Exit Strategy Of The Soul
    Exit Strategy finds Ron Sexsmith exploring his songwriting talent in new ways, crafting an instantly memorable album full of soulful, classic pop tunes.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Stand Ins
    The Stand-Ins feels looser and breathier than "Stage Names."
    • 60 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Lucky Old Sun
    Kenny Chesney does heroes George Strait and Jimmy Buffett proud on his latest set, which has a free-and-easy feel befitting its island inspiration.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Easy Come, Easy Go
    This new recording is richer and more daring in its arrangements and choice of material.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Roadsinger (To Warm You Through The Night)
    While Yusuf (formerly known as Cat Stevens) officially returned to the pop world in 2006 with the welcomed "An Other Cup," his re-entry has only now been fully realized with the thoroughly engaging Roadsinger (To Warm You Through the Night).
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Can Our Love...
    Sleepy and soulful, Can Our Love . . . is delightfully powerful in an understated way.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Canto
    Canto is a passionate mix of originals and material drawn from the traditions of Mexico, Cuba, and Peru.
    • 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.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Broken Social Scene
    A richly textured collection of songs that further explore the possibilities of the group's grooving dream-pop blueprint but stays just weird enough not to attract the ear of mainstream radio.
    • Billboard
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    A Positive Rage
    The Hold Steady's first live disc (and documentary DVD), recorded in 2008 at Chicago's Metro, is a raucous 17-track scorcher that finds Finn's speedily spat monologues working surprisingly well onstage.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
    The group has polished its '60s-rock-revivalist sound to near perfection, but keeps expanding its aural palette, experimenting with layered rhythms and sonic textures.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Satanic Satanist
    The Satanic Satanist constructs an exquisite medium between indie music and hard rock.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Celebrity
    The quintet has never sounded tighter.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Lullabies To Paralyze
    The 2005 version of QOTSA finds the band more relaxed and loose than it has ever been on record.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    can'tneverdidnothin'
    Equal parts soul, funk, rock and blues, "can'tneverdidnothin'" continues to showcase the fiery, audacious style first heard on Nikka Costa's 2001 debut.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Phantom Power
    A diverse collection of intricately composed pop music, in the broadest sense of the genre.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Kicking The National Habit
    Believe the hype: The 10-track set is a real treat, rewarding repeated listens with fun, groove-driven tunes.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    You In Reverse
    It can be seen as a return to form (epic songs, blistering guitar work) and a step in a new direction (rough-around-the-edges production, layered percussion).
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    In The Absence Of Truth
    The dynamics and musicianship of songs like "Not in Rivers, but in Drops," "1000 Shards" and "Holy Tears" reveal a band at the top of its game. [4 Nov 2006]
    • Billboard
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    A Woman, A Man, Walked By
    Such a musical mind-meld, so expressive of both artists' perspective, is rare.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Fabulous Muscles
    The type of minimalism employed by Xiu Xiu creates masterpieces of avant-garde restraint that truly haunt the mind.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    23rd Street Lullaby
    A sparkling little gem.
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