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Entertainment WeeklyDec 5, 2014For Ghostface aficionados, Seasons is easily superior to the new Wu-Tang joint, A Better Tomorrow. [5 Dec 20014, p.78]
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The WireDec 16, 2014It scores over its predecessor with a refreshing spontaneity and an illustrious guest cast. [Jan 2015, p.65]
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Dec 16, 2014It hits all the notes that you want from a Wu-Tang Clan affiliate, and is much a more satisfying project than "A Better Tomorrow."
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Dec 9, 2014Inspiration flows out of the man throughout the album, and this end-to-end concept is executed with little note-spinning or boring lyrics that just serve the story, and while Twelve Reasons took a big giallo risk and nailed it, this more expected, '70s-favored success still surprises with its vigorous sense of purpose.
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Dec 9, 2014While it's not the Clan in full, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better supporting cast. If Tomorrow is, in fact, the group's swan song, 36 Seasons proves that Wu's members can do just fine--and maybe even better--on their own.
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Dec 8, 201436 Seasons continues his recent custom of spinning a thin concept into an engrossing narrative.
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Dec 5, 2014Without ever being outshone nor outright stealing the show, Ghostface does some of his best rapping in recent years and proves he's still got it.
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Dec 5, 201436 Seasons is the result of consummate artistic process and taste--a complete album both lyrically and musically.
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Dec 9, 2014Despite some padding (an instrumental, unnecessary vocal cover) and ragged musical edges, the most prolific member of the Wu-Tang Clan continues to set the standard.
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Dec 9, 201436 Seasons may not be Ghostface’s greatest project, but it is another notable addition to his extensive body of work. Rapping alongside Kool G Rap and AZ for the bulk of the album is certainly a treat, and the two have their own moments of glory. Production, on the other hand, simply does not hold on to the lyrical dynamism present between Ghost, Pharoahe Monch, AZ and G.
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Dec 8, 2014It's a small, controlled, uncommonly focused album, by an artist well into the kind of middle age that prizes refinement and brevity.
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Dec 9, 2014It's an urgent, soulfully steely album of hip-hop unconcerned with the genre's current twists into pop structures and woozy electronics.
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MojoFeb 2, 2015Surprisingly marginalised on the latest Wu effort, Ghostface Killah proves he's fighting fit on this gritty, organic partnership. [Feb 2015, p.88]
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Jan 29, 2015It’s not the second coming of Ironman, but tracks such as Love Don’t Live Here No More, Emergency Procedure, Homicide and Blood On The Streets make this one of the best Wu-related releases of recent years, confirming Ghostface as its most consistently engaging member.
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Jan 5, 2015His flow is solid on this album, and there’s no reason to suggest Ghostface is done, but if he is trying to recapture something, all we get here is sound and fury.
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Dec 10, 201436 Seasons is more in line with the spirit of Ghostface’s recent output, where he’s more prolific and "for the love" than ever and somehow lazier at the same time.
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Dec 8, 2014The ensuing drama is as subtle as a bludgeon to the head, but the interplay between its main personages – including AZ and Kool G Rap--proves these old-timers have fight in them yet.
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Dec 10, 2014Even at its best, however, 36 Seasons lacks the maniacal forward drive that propels Ghostface’s most electrifying works.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 31 out of 35
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Mixed: 2 out of 35
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Negative: 2 out of 35
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Dec 9, 2014
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Dec 9, 2014
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Apr 24, 2015