Robin Thicke 'Blurred Lines' Review Roundup: R&B Crooner Wins Over Critics With Pop-Heavy Release

The reviews are in on Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines and -as can be expected, since we've heard most of what's here already- the talk is overwhelmingly positive. That's not a knock on Thicke or a claim of derivativeness, Interscope Records has been shoving the album down our throats for weeks now, making an artist with a weeks-long stint at the top of the global charts seem even more omnipresent. From the look of these reviews, no one is complaining.

Via Rolling Stone:

Thicke is the handsome son of a TV star, but he never incites resentment, because he always seems to be an amiable Joe who's in on the joke of stardom - the George Clooney of the club jam...he makes a near-perfect summer record by acting like his life is as perfect as his hair. 

SPIN:

This is the album that Justin Timberlake is too famous to make in 2013, its musical scope and track lengths modest, its sexual appetite and commercial ambition immodest, its star willing to offer up whatever cheesy line, vocal acrobatic, pop hook or funk groove or electro flourish that it takes to keep you listening. 

A.V. Club:

Blurred Lines is an album full of summer jams that deserve to linger long after the temperature drops.

Vibe:

Robin's rejoicing in his wins-"Blurred Lines" reached more than 242.65 million listeners and spent seven weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100-and is inviting us all to join in on the celebration. There's no need for further interpretation. Besides, too much thinking ruins a good party anyway. 

Pop Matters:

his music swells and falls in satisfying waves; making it required skill and tremendous attention to detail, but the music lands with a gentle nudge and a seemingly effortless caress. Thicke melds a driving beat, choppy funk guitar with all the edges planed down smooth, flicks of slap bass, stair-step horns, and waves of backing vocals enveloping the lead. 

WaPo:

sexy, perfect-pitch vocals, enticing lyrical foreplay and the music that delivers. With "Blurred Lines," Thicke's path to music's top spot should be clear from now on. 

NY Daily News:

Thicke abandons the bass-heavy R&B for a pop sheen and comes up with a winner.

Here's the lone negative review I could find for good measure.

The Guardian:

Some of these tunes are passable party pabulum but Thicke is such a total tool that it gets in the way of any fun. 

Have you heard Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines? Leave your take in the comments.