| Rating |
Summary |
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| n/a by www.stylusmagazine.com |
Musically, at least, it’s the most accomplished thing he’s ever done. |
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| n/a by www.lostatsea.net |
Weighed and measured, Graduation is easily the best rap album this year. |
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| n/a by www.hotpress.com |
West crosses genres with wilful and speedy abandon, taking the listener on an epic quest where the journey is just as enjoyable and unpredictable as the destination. |
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| n/a by Rolling Stone |
On Graduation, West tries hard to address the problems on his first two albums, and succeeds: The new disc is tighter than "Late Registration" (fifty-one minutes long), with no skits (thank heavens) and less ornate production. |
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| n/a by www.austinchronicle.com |
Chicagoan West innovatively samples Elton John ('Good Morning'), imports Coldplay's Chris Martin for the 'Homecoming' hook, and plays to Young Jeezy's ad-libbing ability on 'Can't Tell Me Nothing.' Lyrically, West sticks to his "I'm so self-conscious" tip, but unlike 50, he knows his rhyme schemes. |
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| n/a by www.calendarlive.com |
The bliss that does surface on Graduation is all in the grooves, which range further than West has ever gone before. |
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| n/a by Pitchfork Media |
While it might not be as substantial a record as we're used to hearing from him, it is his greatest leap forward, and further proof that few are as skilled at tracing out the complicated contours of pride, success and ambition as he is. |
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| n/a by www.prefixmag.com |
West's writing and delivery has improved since "The College Dropout," though they're still marked by both a cleverness and a clumsiness. |
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| n/a by www.avclub.com |
Fascinatingly flawed, Graduation finds an imperfect man seeking, and occasionally finding, perfection in his music. |
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| n/a by music.guardian.co.uk |
Still, the music is never timid or conventional. Only as a lyricist does West sometimes disappoint. |
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| n/a by www.nowtoronto.com |
West delivers another failsafe collection of sharp, soulful songs, exposing his new affinity for synths and electronic drums while adding new lyrical ground to that campus-sized ego. |
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| n/a by Popmatters |
He sounds less like he’s pushing to create something epic, and at that he succeeds--as good as Graduation is, it doesn’t have the larger-than-life presence of "Late Registration." It’s more manageable, more everyday. |
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| n/a by Billboard |
An impressively creative hip-hop album that will hopefully inspire West's peers to try new sonic avenues. |
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| n/a by observer.guardian.co.uk |
The best track on this typically polished but ultimately quite disturbing album (the back-to-basics self-examination of 'Everything I Am') is a brave attempt to confront such uncertainties head on. |
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| n/a by nymag.com |
Per Vulture, the Curtis-shaming Graduation "has better songs waiting in the wings. Bonus: No Jamie Foxx!" |
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| n/a by www.noripcord.com |
While another concise and accomplished release from an immensely talented rapper, it fails to really deliver the one thing Kanye’s always excelled at: beauty. |
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| n/a by uk.launch.yahoo.com |
The album lacks the flab of previous efforts and, where he's been guilty of hiding behind guests before, the contributions are (perhaps inadvisably in retrospect) kept to a minimum. Sadly though, the grandstanding and chest beating take their toll on both Graduation's aesthetic and the listener's patience. |
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| n/a by www.rapreviews.com |
Graduation is neat, tidy, formal, but lacking in personality. |
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| n/a by www.villagevoice.com |
Grating bouts of narcissism aside, Graduation contains killer pieces of production: 'Stronger' uses Daft Punk's 'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger' to practically revive Eurodisco, while 'Champion' snarkily snatches its hook from Steely Dan's 'Kid Charlemagne.' |
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| n/a by www.cokemachineglow.com |
Thing is, though, that for every failure Graduation puts me through it has many a saving merit that only the nigh witless audacity of Kanye West could afford |
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| n/a by www.ew.com |
West's vocal mediocrity wouldn't be so glaring if the production were more of a diversion. There are no truly tragic compositions on Graduation--though the droning ''Drunk and Hot Girls'' could have been half as irritating at twice the speed--but most of the music just seems uninspired. |
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| n/a by www.slantmagazine.com |
Graduation is worth note in the sense that it offers proof Kanye isn't on the five-year plan (The College Dropout registered in 2004), but I'm sort of looking forward to hearing the next album built around the disillusionment of his first entry-level position. |
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| n/a by NME |
Despite its five or six great tracks, Graduation feels more and more like the work of a follower, not a leader. |
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| n/a by www.tinymixtapes.com |
Like a good term paper, much of Graduation sounds great in theory but flounders in its execution. |
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| n/a by www.sputnikmusic.com |
Graduation is consistent, yes, but it’s consistently boring. |
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| n/a by www.drownedinsound.com |
At heart, he’s still a producer not a rapper (which explains how badly he hits the mic at times, more on that later). He’s got that hit-making part down pat... it’s just that he can’t make good hits anymore. |
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| 3 by Aftonbladet |
Den föräldralöse gangstern som började langa crack i mellanstadiet versus medelklassungen som blev stjärnproducent och började samla på japanska plastleksaker. Den ... |
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| 8 by Dagensskiva.com |
Medan femtiocentaren står och trampar i samma gamla försöker hans Chicago-rival utveckla och förnya sig, på både gott och ont. Med Stronger (som flera i redaktionen tillsammans med mig verkar uppskatt... |
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| 4 by Sydsvenskan |
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| n/a by SVD |
Den som har lagt störst insats i duellen är 50 Cent som har sagt att han helt sonika ska sluta göra musik om Kanye säljer mer skivor än honom under första veckan. Det som kryddar bataljen lite extra ä... |
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