Rolling Stone (p.90) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[L]ush and layered: 'So Far to Go' could be a classic soul ballad....Dilla uses background hiss, vocal effects and the stark, hushed movie clips to inject a sense of foreboding." Spin (p.103) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[The] album sports the trademark soul loops, crackling drums, and underwater ambience of his best past work..." Spin (p.57) - Ranked #35 in Spin's "The 40 Best Albums of 2006" -- "[I]t's a remarkably cohesive, entrancing farewell." Entertainment Weekly (p.87) - "His warm, intimate style is highlighted throughout, especially on 'So Far To Go,' a gorgeous ballad featuring floating coos from fellow enigmatic genius D'Angelo." -- Grade: A- The Wire (p.55) - "[T]he most astonishing thing about THE SHINING isn't so much its bright and celebratory tone as its modesty....Its elegiac tone is profoundly affecting and you can feel the silence when the music stops." CMJ (p.6) - "THE SHINING's live instrumentation lends a relaxed R&B lilt that accentuates the human warmth Yancey brought to every project." Vibe (p.138) - "His scattered styles are woven together seamlessly....SHINING brims with clear-cut and fully resolved ideas." XXL (Magazine) (p.176) - "[The album] commemorates his musical genius by juxtaposing lush loops with formidable flows."

Rovi