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Pebble To A Pearl
by Nikka Costa
The latest album for the singer was produced with her husband Justin Stanley.
| LABEL: |
Stax |
| RELEASE DATE: |
14 October 2008 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
R&B |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
80
All Music Guide
Pebble to a Pearl is a bit of a gem, a true blast of retro-soul that helps push Costa out of the nu-diva pack and into her own distinct groove.
80
Billboard
With this album, Costa comes defiantly into her own.
70
PopMatters
At the end of the day, however, Pebble to a Pearl is still a great record, radiating and capturing a nostalgic vibe that would sound faked and forced in the hands of others.
70
Slant Magazine
Costa was often overshadowed by the slick production on her previous two albums; here, her vocals are foregrounded in the mix, and the depth and range of her performances really shine.
70
Spin
On Pebble to a Pearl--an authoritative, refreshingly organic pop-funk manifesto featuring musicians who've played with Al Green and Stevie Wonder--the exhilaration of liberation literally screams from R&B workout 'Can't Please Everybody.'
67
Entertainment Weekly
Though blessed with a singularly smoky, supple voice, she simply lacks the material; Pebble is, incongruously, too smooth to turn into a pearl.
63
Los Angeles Times
The result is Costa's most natural-sounding record by a mile; compared to the jittery electro-funk of 2001's "Everybody Got Their Something."...Yet as any Winehouse fan knows, soul music needs a little unease to transcend baby-making utility, and with none of that here, Costa's creation occasionally comes off like a well-appointed museum piece.
50
Under The Radar
Costa has always been more a purist, but Justin Stanley's feline production inflates her torpid lyrics. [Fall 2008, p.86]
50
Blender
Too often, though, Pebble is like a falsely vintage digital photo with specks, grain and worn edges Photoshopped in--it’s convincing on the surface but crumbles under close inspection.
The average user rating for this album is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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