Albums to watch

Starboy

The Weeknd

Starboy

Third studio album of alternative R&B from the Canadian singer-songwriter Abel Tesfaye, featuring guest spots from Daft Punk, Lana Del Rey, Future, and Kendrick Lamar

ADM rating[?]

6.4

Label
Universal / Island / Republic
UK Release date
28/11/2016
US Release date
28/11/2016
  1. 8.0 |   The 405

    While Starboy may not be a giant creative risk stretching away and beyond what we've come to expect from The Weeknd, it's a continuation of Abel's edgy salacious narrative and a complete assassination of pop's thematic normalcy
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  2. 8.0 |   The FT

    The album showcases Abel Tesfaye’s sweet vocals with taut hooks and an attractive R&B groove
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  3. 8.0 |   Onlike

    Tesfaye’s newest is packed with loads of potential singles and if he continues to plays the cards right, he’ll become the “it” artist of the 2010s
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  4. 7.5 |   A.V. Club

    Starboy is one of the most confident releases of the year, one bold enough to reveal the cracks in The Weeknd’s façade for the sake of resonant art
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  5. 7.4 |   Gig Soup

    ‘Starboy’ manages to deliver a unique and fresh sound mixed with cutting and clever lyrics that The Weeknd is now famous for
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  6. 7.0 |   Exclaim

    The perfect major label project is still in reach — this good but not great pop effort proves it
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  7. 7.0 |   Clash

    It may showcase a cleaner sound, both in lyrical content and production, but its value for money at eighteen tracks comes at the cost of coherence
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  8. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    Starboy has something for each individual, this is without a doubt, but it has nothing for everybody as a collective, a balance he managed on his first three releases
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  9. 6.9 |   Earbuddy

    Another collection of songs with bad lyrics and good beats, and I guess that’s what The Weeknd is good for these days
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  10. 6.7 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Abel Tesfaye has the pop structures down, but doesn't deliver as many idiosyncrasies as he used to
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  11. 6.7 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    The Weeknd has inspired a lot of imitators. Instead of moving forward on Starboy, he ends up sounding like one of them
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  12. 6.7 |   Pitchfork

    With Beauty Behind the Madness, Abel Tesfaye achieved pop stardom without compromising his vision. On its uninspired follow-up, Starboy, he seems to lose sight of that vision almost entirely
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  13. 6.5 |   Beardfood

    Abel Tesfaye has been slowly losing his edge for years, and you could call ‘Starboy’ his first disappointment
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  14. 6.0 |   NOW

    Impressive sequencing and production touches smooth over inconsistencies in the Toronto pop superstar's third studio album
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  15. 6.0 |   Slant Magazine

    The album remodels an artistically marginal, genuinely interesting figure into a toothless celebrity version thereof
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  16. 6.0 |   The Observer

    The musically omnivorous Abel Tesfaye has mainstream stardom in his sights with this overlong but persuasive album
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  17. 6.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Too often The Weeknd repeats himself or goes into Michael Jackson mode with mixed results; ‘Love To Lay’, for instance, is great fun but c’mon man, don a red leather jacket of your own
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  18. 6.0 |   Rolling Stone

    For longtime fans that believe the Weeknd is one of the major R&B artists of the decade, Starboy will ultimately seem like a disappointment
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  19. 6.0 |   NME

    Deep into the album it becomes a slog
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  20. 6.0 |   The Independent

    His guests include Lana Del Rey, whose affectless manner makes her a perfect match for him; though the best grooves here come courtesy of Daft Punk, bookending the album with the scudding title track and Michael Jackson homage “I Feel It Coming”
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  21. 6.0 |   Q

    Tesfaye can't decide if he's having the best time of his life or the worst. Print edition only

  22. 6.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    An awkward entry in The Weeknd’s growing discography
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  23. 4.0 |   The Skinny

    Unable to elicit more than a shrug for most of its runtime, the record is just one more passable pop album in a year that really didn’t need another
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  24. 4.0 |   DIY

    Tesfaye continues to sound as if he has no idea what it is that he wants to do
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The Weeknd: Starboy

  • Download full album for just £7.99
  • 1. Starboy £0.99
  • 2. Party Monster £0.99
  • 3. False Alarm £0.99
  • 4. Reminder £0.99
  • 5. Rockin’ £0.99
  • 6. Secrets £0.99
  • 7. True Colors £0.99
  • 8. Stargirl Interlude £0.99
  • 9. Sidewalks £0.99
  • 10. Six Feet Under £0.99
  • 11. Love To Lay £0.99
  • 12. A Lonely Night £0.99
  • 13. Attention £0.99
  • 14. Ordinary Life £0.99
  • 15. Nothing Without You £0.99
  • 16. All I Know £0.99
  • 17. Die For You £0.99
  • 18. I Feel It Coming £0.99
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