Critics give Anaïs Mitchell a B-Side Breakdown of 80 (B-), from 8 reviews at outlets we track. Scores run 70 to 100.
The verdict on Anaïs Mitchell
6 of 8 critics liked it, and they mostly agree.
- Outlier 100 The Telegraph, 20 points above the next-highest score
- Lowest 70 No Ripcord
- Career #3 of Anaïs Mitchell's 4 albums with a Breakdown
- By the numbers Anaïs Mitchell's best-reviewed album here since Young Man in America (2012).
| The gist | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Telegraph via Wikipediaby Neil McCormick | 5/5 | 100 | 2022 | |
| Uncut via Wikipediaby Alastair McKay | 8/10 | 80 | ||
| Mojo via Wikipediaby Glyn Brown | 4/5 | 80 | ||
| The Line of Best Fit via Wikipediaby Tom Williams | 8/10 | 80 | 2022 | “Anaïs Mitchell embraces the stillness of life on her powerful self-titled return” |
| The Guardian via Wikipediaby Alexis Petridis | 4/5 | 80 | 2022 | “After her Broadway success with Hadestown, the indie folk artist returns with a set of lowkey but polished melodic gems, boasting sharp lyrics and striking emotional gear-changes” |
| Paste via Wikipediaby Ellen Johnson | 7.9/10 | 79 | 2022 | “Paste Magazine is your source for the best music, movies, TV, comedy, videogames, books, comics, craft beer, politics and more. Discover your favorite albums and films.” |
| Pitchfork via Wikipediaby Caitlin Wolper Phillips | 7.2/10 | 72 | 2022 | “On her first album of all-new solo material since 2012, the Vermont-based folk singer reflects on her life with measured reverence.” |
| No Ripcord via Wikipediaby Juan Edgardo Rodriguez | 7/10 | 70 | 2022 | “Anaïs Mitchell has spent a little over a decade getting lost in worlds rich in character and wonder–whether it's the 2012's concept album Young Man in America or 2010's Greek…” |
Every Sunday: the week's new albums, scored by the critics. Plus our own reviews when we post them. Free, and one click to leave.
Anaïs Mitchell in Anaïs Mitchell's catalog
How these critics usually treat Anaïs Mitchell
- The Guardian Kinder than usualLevel with the other critics here. Usually 11 points below on Anaïs Mitchell's other albums (3).
- Uncut About usual for themLevel with the other critics here. Usually 5 points above on Anaïs Mitchell's other albums (3).
More from Anaïs Mitchell
More Folk, Country & Americana from around 2022
Would you spin it again?
Be the first to answer. Results show once 3 listeners weigh in.
How the Breakdown works
Every outlet’s score is converted to 0–100 (2/5 is 40, 5.9/10 is 59, a B+ is 88) and averaged. Grades follow the B-Side scale: A is 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69, F below 60. Approval is the share of critics who scored it 75 or higher; the Breakdown shows green at 75 and up, red below. Divisiveness asks a different question: not how many critics liked it, but how close their scores are to each other. Five critics who all give it 50 are Unanimous, even though none of them liked it. The labels run Unanimous, Broad agreement, Some debate, Divided, and Contentious. Replay rate comes from listeners, not critics: yes counts fully, a few tracks counts half, no counts zero. The gist quotes each outlet’s own summary of its review. Published is the date on the review itself, read from the outlet’s page, so you can see whether an album’s reputation came at release or years later. Scores marked est. come from reviews that publish no number. Scores marked via Wikipedia are archive ratings, mostly for older albums, taken from the “Professional ratings” box on the album’s Wikipedia page (published openly through Wikidata); each links to the original review when we can find it online, and to that Wikipedia entry when we can’t. When an outlet reviewed an album twice, years apart (often for a reissue), both scores count, each labeled with its year.
A-Side marks the critics’ top tier. An album earns it automatically, from its numbers alone: a Breakdown of 90 or higher, from at least 5 reviews, with at least 75% approval. Nobody hands it out and nobody can buy it; if new reviews pull an album below the line, it loses the badge.
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