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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    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future
    Singer/songwriter Inara George and producer Greg Kurstin know how to craft a pop song. On their second album as the Bird and the Bee, George (the bird) and Kurstin (the bee) continue to juxtapose tongue-in-cheek lyrics with sugary vocals and quirky electronic effects.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Push The Button
    Finds the duo, well, pushing too many of the same buttons.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    New York City
    On New York City, Brazilian Girls have crafted a set as internationally diverse as the Big Apple itself.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Here Is What Is
    Lanois' sixth studio album is an eclectic mix of richly textured rock songs, mellow vibes and hypnotic instrumentals, interspersed with snippets from philosophical conversations with mentor Brian Eno.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    VYP: Voice of the Young People
    Lil Mama shows off some impressive verbal firepower here, like when she challenges her skeptics over a booming trash-can beat in 'One Hit Wonder.'
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Loose
    A welcome exercise in versatility.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    High Water (Mark)
    A collection of nourishing soundscapes, all of which are just as jagged and defiant as El-P's hip-hop work.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Expansion Team
    The 16-track set showcases Dilated's combination of intelligent lyrics and mind-blowing production.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sincere
    In lieu of monotonous dancefloor beats, Cole prefers a more intricate soundscape, one in which pizzicato string flourishes freely caress funk-fortified rhythms
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Good, the Bad, and the Funky
    [Tom Tom Club] come this close to surpassing the raw energy, vibrant power, and rhythm-fresh approach of their now-classic eponymous debut.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Where You Live
    The album distinguishes itself from Chapman's previous releases with its stellar studio band and its refusal to submit to pop production. [17 Sep 2005]
    • Billboard
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    News And Tributes
    The album's best moments come on XTC-flavored new wave tracks like "Skip to the End" and "Favours for Favours," where they ease up on the accelerator and let the songs breathe.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Little Joy
    Nothing on the album is as catchy or as memorable as the Strokes' sharpest material, but several cuts sport a sweet Latin lilt, which helps distinguish the music from work by any number of similarly situated acts.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Epiphany
    She continues to lay down the law on 'Porcelain Doll' and 'Another One,' both of which find her claiming she is a "grown woman" over a choir-like production and acoustic guitars, respectively. But not all is heartbreak on the mature-sounding set.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Quaristice
    At times it feels like a lot is going on, others not so much. The pieces are all there, but it just doesn't add up to more than the sum of its parts.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A Colores
    Like instrumental masters Tortoise, the new Tristeza is much like the old, offering subtle variations on a pleasant theme.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Daylight
    Every song sparkles with a hook or lyrical element strong enough to permanently embed the brain upon impact.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Habeas Corpus
    Frontman/lyricist Lillian Berlin urges his listeners to "take to the streets," if necessary, to enforce the will of the people. It's a heady manifesto, but Habeas Corpus never gets bogged down in rhetoric.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    My One And Only Thrill
    Her hushed, velvet-smooth vocals evoke a noir yearning and forlornness, her slow-burn delivery enraptures with a torch sentimentality, and her support team shines.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Elevator
    Mix[es] the band's '80s influences with clever lyrics that lift it above the "garage band" tag it was initially saddled with.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Fame
    The full-length The Fame proves she's more than one hit and a bag of stage tricks.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
    On their sixth album, Foo Fighters have renewed their membership in the "if it ain't broke . . ." school of songwriting. And essentially, there's nothing wrong with that.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Mr. Love & Justice
    Whether you prefer him shouting vitriol on the picket line or whispering sweet nothings in the bedroom, you'll find plenty to enjoy here.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Rockferry
    Rockferry splits its time between paying tribute to its source material and knocking it off, but its principal's vocals, and generally pleasing wall-of-sound treatment, make it a good move anyway.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Precious Memories
    A landmark work by one of country's singular artists. [4 Mar 2006]
    • Billboard
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Forth
    Forth not only equals the Verve's best work, but in many cases exceeds it.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Sugar Ray
    There isn't a dud among this project's 11 tracks, each of which sounds custom-made for radio.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Split The Difference
    The British answer to Fountains of Wayne.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Delivery Man
    Welcome, worthy and wonderful.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Duel
    The kind of record from which careers are made.
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