Critics give Slow Turning a B-Side Breakdown of 86 (B), from 10 reviews at outlets we track. Scores run 70 to 100.
The verdict on Slow Turning
9 of 10 critics liked it, and they mostly agree.
- Highest 100 Q and Chicago Tribune
- Lowest 70 NME
- Career #2 of John Hiatt's 8 albums with a Breakdown
- By the numbers The second best-reviewed Rock album of 1988 we've tracked.
| The gist | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q via Wikipediaby David Hepworth | 5/5 | 100 | 2006 | |
| Chicago Tribune via Wikipediaby Greg Kot | 4/4 | 100 | 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…” |
| AllMusic via Wikipediaby Mark Deming | 4.5/5 | 90 | ||
| Robert Christgau via Wikipediaby Robert Christgau | B+ | 88 | 1989 | |
| Los Angeles Times via Wikipediaby Chris Willman | 3.5/4 | 88 | 1988 | “*** 1/2 JOHN HIATT. "Slow Turning.” |
| Chicago Sun-Times via Wikipediaby Don McLeese | 3.5/4 | 88 | 2006 | |
| Uncut via Wikipediaby Andrew Mueller | 8/10 | 80 | 2006 | |
| Record Collector via Wikipediaby Terry Staunton | 4/5 | 80 | 2006 | |
| Rolling Stone via Wikipediaby Jimmy Guterman | 4/5 | 80 | 1988 | |
| NME via Wikipediaby Mark Sinker | 7/10 | 70 | 2006 |
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.
Slow Turning in John Hiatt's catalog
How these critics usually treat John Hiatt
- Record Collector Harsher than usual7 points below the other critics here. Usually 9 points above on John Hiatt's other albums (3).
- AllMusic Kinder than usual4 points above the other critics here. Usually 7 points below on John Hiatt's other albums (7).
- Rolling Stone Harsher than usual7 points below the other critics here. Usually 3 points above on John Hiatt's other albums (3).
- Robert Christgau Harsher than usual2 points above the other critics here. Usually 11 points above on John Hiatt's other albums (3).
More from John Hiatt
← Earlier Bring the Family (1987)Later → Stolen Moments (1990)
More Rock from around 1988
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