AOTY 2023
Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band - Dear Scott
Critic Score
Based on 7 reviews
2022 Ratings: #41 / 807
User Score
Based on 70 ratings
Liked by 7 people
June 3, 2022 / Release Date
LP / Format
Modern Sky UK / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Mojo

Luminous and alive, Dear Scott is just what Mick does: Head music, straight from the heart.

100
God Is in the TV

Dear Scott finds the great man right back on top form, on an album that ranks right alongside his finest work.

100
Record Collector

As is typical with Head's gorgeous music, you'd never guess his own turmoil from his conversational vocals and simply executed acoustics.

90
Uncut

Even by Head's own lofty standards, this represents a late-career masterpiece.

80
AllMusic

Not only is it nice for long-time fans of his work, it gives those looking for someone making these kinds of desperately beautiful, painfully human songs a new artist to discover and love.

80
The Observer
The bard of Liverpool latest gem is beautifully set by producer Bill Ryder-Jones.
40
The Telegraph

Shackled by its own turgid competency, Dear Scott fizzes with all the life of a demo tape recorded in a local community hall double-booked with a bingo night. No matter how loud you turn up the volume, it still sounds quiet. It sounds uncomfortably naked, too.

Doofy
86

Does the Telegraph reviewer have some deep repressed childhood trauma associated with red elastic bands?

EDIT: Made a late charge for my AOTY which it fell JUST short of - but….!

- this is such a slyly emotional hard hitter in disguise, what first comes across as a beautiful but breezy acoustic rock nostalgia piece eventually reveals itself to be a collection of timeless reflective storytelling from someone who’s truly lived it. Bittersweet brilliance.

TheCarioca
78

Kismet - 5/5 ❤
Broken Beauty - 5/5 ❤
The Next Day - 5/5 ❤
Freedom - 4/5
American Kid - 3/5
Grace and Eddie - 4/5
Fluke - 3/5
Gino and Rico - 5/5 ❤
The Grass - 3/5
The Ten - 4/5
Pretty Child - 3/5
Shirls Ghost - 3/5

90

Interesting that the Telegraph prefaces its comments section with "The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful." Pity it's 2/5 review by Ian Winwood (hopefully not the author) didn't follow any of this advice in one of the nastiest reviews I've ever seen. I hadn't realised that the clothes worn and loudness was integral to the music. I've noticed that when an album is being lauded some critics just want to stand out by ... read more

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Track List

1Kismet
4:35
86
2Broken Beauty
3:44
85
3The Next Day
2:34
81
4Freedom
3:27
78
5American Kid
3:13
74
6Grace and Eddie
3:35
80
7Fluke
5:24
73
8Gino and Rico
4:18
85
9The Grass
4:44
74
10The Ten
5:01
79
11Pretty Child
4:10
71
12Shirls Ghost
2:02
69
Total Length: 46 minutes
Comments (5)

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Added on: January 25, 2022