Critics give Bring the Family a B-Side Breakdown of 88 (B+), from 9 reviews at outlets we track. Scores run 70 to 100.
The verdict on Bring the Family
8 of 9 critics liked it, with some disagreement on how much.
- Highest 100 Q, Record Collector and Chicago Sun-Times
- Lowest 70 The Rolling Stone Album Guide
- By the numbers The best-reviewed album of John Hiatt's career on B-Side Breakdowns, ahead of Slow Turning (86).
| The gist | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q via Wikipediaby David Hepworth | 5/5 | 100 | 2006 | |
| Record Collector via Wikipediaby Terry Staunton | 5/5 | 100 | 2006 | |
| Chicago Sun-Times via Wikipediaby Don McLeese | 4/4 | 100 | 1987 | |
| Uncut via Wikipediaby Andrew Mueller | 9/10 | 90 | 2006 | |
| AllMusic via Wikipediaby Mark Deming | 4.5/5 | 90 | ||
| Chicago Tribune via Wikipediaby Greg Kot | 3.5/4 | 88 | 1994 | “John Hiatt has been writing smart songs for a long time, but by his own admission his new album is loaded with “knucklehead rock.” “Perfectly Good Guitar” (A&M) is not…” |
| Robert Christgau via Wikipediaby Robert Christgau | B- | 81 | 1987 | |
| Los Angeles Times via Wikipediaby Richard Cromelin | 3/4 | 75 | 1987 | “* * * "BRING THE FAMILY." John Hiatt.” |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide via Wikipediaby Mark Coleman | 3.5/5 | 70 | 2004 | “Previously published as: Rolling Stone album guide” |
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.
Bring the Family in John Hiatt's catalog
How these critics usually treat John Hiatt
- Robert Christgau Harsher than usual8 points below the other critics here. Usually 14 points above on John Hiatt's other albums (3).
- The Rolling Stone Album Guide Harsher than usual21 points below the other critics here. Usually 7 points below on John Hiatt's other albums (3).
- Record Collector Kinder than usual13 points above the other critics here. Usually 3 points above on John Hiatt's other albums (3).
- AllMusic Kinder than usual2 points above the other critics here. Usually 6 points below on John Hiatt's other albums (7).
More from John Hiatt
More Rock from around 1987
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.
Leave a Reply