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10.0
53115
10.0 |
The Guardian
Blake's palette is unique, his abilities as a composer are great and quite obviously growing
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10.0
53235
10.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
In the end, you judge a musical journey by your own emotional response, and mine was blown wide open
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9.2
53224
9.2 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
The twenty-four year old is already well on a path to greatness. Hopefully it continues
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9.1
53209
9.1 |
A.V. Club
Fascinating and frequently rapturous
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9.0
53168
9.0 |
Loud And Quiet
Blake’s intricate, layered achievement is remarkable
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9.0
53179
9.0 |
All Music
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
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9.0
53311
9.0 |
No Ripcord
An unforgettable album by a limitlessly talented songwriter who, at 24 years old, may just be beginning to approach his prime
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9.0
53129
9.0 |
Clash
Less fragmented than its illustrious predecessor, ideas rotating core values guided by an affirmatively unseen hand. Which ultimately makes this an even better record
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9.0
53132
9.0 |
musicOMH
All in, Overgrown is a triumph
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9.0
53005
9.0 |
The 405
Just as exciting as we've come to expect from him, and as forward-thinking as ever
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9.0
53007
9.0 |
Uncut
His voice throughout pitched persuasively somewhere between Antony Hegarty and Jeff Buckley. Print edition only
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8.5
53216
8.5 |
Beats Per Minute
While James Blake felt aloof, even ahuman, Overgrown is packed with feeling, and releases it with the smallest of gestures
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8.4
53061
8.4 |
Bowlegs
He is a true artist – and with Overgrown he’s only gone and raised the bar again
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8.4
53393
8.4 |
The AU Review
Overall, there’s no denying James Blake’s incredible musicianship, and Overgrown showcases his talent really well. This album is full of his best work yet – and the effect is intoxicating
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8.3
53248
8.3 |
Pretty Much Amazing
Overgrown is not the enigma that was his debut, but rather it is a first-rate album from a musician that isn’t all that interested in being enigmatic
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8.0
53321
8.0 |
The Irish Times
Full of strong, sensual, timeless songs about love, life and loneliness
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8.0
53217
8.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
James Blake may lose some fans with the tamer, more sultry sounds of Overgrown. But he’s going to gain a lot more
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8.0
53004
8.0 |
Daily Telegraph
Blake has made a real effort to raise the bar of his own material, and there are tracks where you catch glimpses of the sensitive Nick Drake-ish singer-songwriter he might have become in a pre-computer age
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8.0
53202
8.0 |
Pitchfork
Whether he’s making bass-heavy bangers, quiet meditations, or increasingly of late, something in-between, Blake is a modern master of emotional speculation
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8.0
53171
8.0 |
AltSounds
James Blake has matured with Overgrown, he has developed his sound in his own way, but he has not let success or industry pressure change who he is or what he creates
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8.0
53105
8.0 |
Evening Standard
Inspired in part by a meeting with his idol Joni Mitchell, there’s a shift in focus from sounds to songs
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8.0
53028
8.0 |
The Arts Desk
Turn up the volume and soak in the uncanny sophistication of sound-making on offer here
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8.0
53032
8.0 |
Fact
A heartening step in the right direction, and reassurance that Blake’s talents are far from on the wane
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8.0
53034
8.0 |
NME
It's not an easy listen, but it may just be one of the most nuanced, soothing and adventurous of 2013
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8.0
53009
8.0 |
Mojo
This is a remarkably uptight and controlled set of songs. Print edition only
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8.0
53006
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Far more than with his first album Overgrown is focused upon his songwriting rather than his technology, and it’s much stronger for it
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8.0
53147
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
Blessed with a strange, ethereal voice, he could easily excel at music that matches its dulcet tones, but the pungent mixtures of high and low he concocts end up being far more thrilling
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8.0
53119
8.0 |
Independent on Sunday
Blake has never been the traditional type of singer-songwriter
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8.0
53156
8.0 |
The Digital Fix
Blake’s sophomore effort is a bold statement, somehow very different from his first album, yet familiar in many ways
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8.0
53163
8.0 |
The Fly
He’s absorbed new influences into the unique framework he creates around his songs, pulling in aspects of house, gospel and R&B to create something alluringly strange yet pleasingly palpable
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8.0
54424
8.0 |
Entertainment.ie
This album feels like a natural growth at an extremely steady pace and Blake deserves major credit for quietly expanding his sound without taking any giant leaps
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7.5
53679
7.5 |
Under The Radar
Effortlessly compounding dark and nebulous electronic production with a soul, gospel, and R&B aesthetic
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7.0
53482
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
lake's music is still a bit out of focus. He sings in a pretty, dusky warble, but often doesn't enunciate his lyrics; he's less a songwriter than a conjurer of melodies
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7.0
53279
7.0 |
Spin
Overgrown's biggest fault is lack of quality control; it's an uneven listen
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7.0
53281
7.0 |
PopMatters
Whatever Overgrown’s disappointments, it still bears the mark of a young songwriter of obscene talent
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6.4
53243
6.4 |
Paste Magazine
Losing the ability to distinguish good ideas from bad tends to be a sign it’s time to go back to the basics
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6.0
53278
6.0 |
State
There may be some weaker moments, but it is never boring and always innovative; though, as a whole, undemanding of a repeat listen
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6.0
53126
6.0 |
DIY
Always subtle, usually elegant and generally very easy to appreciate, but never implanting itself onto your mind with red-hot intent
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6.0
53011
6.0 |
Q
His sometimes-still-too-warbly voice is the main instrument on this follow-up. Print edition only
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5.0
53961
5.0 |
The Quietus
Although not a terrible album by any means, for those who still remember Blake as one of the more innovative producers to emerge at the turn of the decade, it’s something of a struggle
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4.0
53150
4.0 |
The Scotsman
His second album mooches between dreary torch songs such as the title track and more groove-based excursions like Voyeur
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