One Foot in the Grave

Rolling Stone (p.70) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[I]ts crudely recorded ballads and occasional bursts of gnarly distortion are clear precursors to the beats-based folk-hop of 'Loser.'" Rolling Stone (12/29/94-1/12/95, p.174) - "...a naked-strum treat of Dylanesque tripwire lyricism and post-punk field-holler pop." Spin (10/94, pp.108-110) - Recommended - "...Beck, after all, is the first '70s brat to further the folkie tradition (an acoustic guitar and deferred dream) by acknowledging hip hop as the most compelling `80s-`90s voice of the pissed and dissed..." Uncut - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[With] Dylanesque wordplay, some good jokes...[and] also a faithful Skip James cover..." Alternative Press (11/94, p.81) - "...He's always seductively lazy, spinning out throwaway songs with a disarming casualness yet managing to insinuate a subversive musical deconstruction into everything..." Option (9-10/94, p.92) - "...ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE distills the songwriter's essence in 16 phenomenal tracks drawing from the traditional country-blues and gospel that inspired the Pussy Galore fan to pick up an acoustic guitar in the first place..." NME (Magazine) (12/9/95, p.39) - 7 (out of 10) - "...as a demonstration of what can be done with a battered acoustic guitar, three chords and a beautifully tired, twisted reading of the truth, it has few peers." Entertainment Weekly (8/5/94, p.52) - "...presents our hero as an earnest young student of vernacular American music..." - Rating: B+ Pitchfork (Website) - "[I]t's his personal take on Americana....This is Beck, rustic..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.79) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Contrasting with MELLOW GOLD's hip-hop folk, OFITG pulled up Beck's traditional folk and blues roots....Just like the Delta bluesmen, Beck sees decay around every corner..."