Olivia Rodrigo ‘Guts’ reviews: Her sophomore album is ‘another instant classic’

Daniel Montgomery
·3 min read
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Olivia Rodrigo released her sophomore album, “Guts,” on Friday, September 8. Expectations were high after her studio debut, 2021’s “Sour,” achieved critical acclaim, won her three Grammys and has been certified quadruple platinum as of this writing. But judging from the initial reviews, “Guts” has leaped over the sky-high bar Rodrigo set for herself.

Based on the first 11 reviews, “Guts” has an astronomical MetaCritic score of 93 out of 100. Compare that to “Sour,” which based on 20 reviews received an 83 score that itself indicated reflected universal acclaim from music journalists. For the moment this album rates 10 points better than that, though that number might have changed by the time you read this.

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Rob Sheffield (Rolling Stone) says the album is “witty, pissed-off” and contains “her most ambitious, intimate and messy songs yet.” “Guts,” he proclaims, is “another instant classic.” Helen Brown (The Independent) adds that the new album finds the artist “revelling in an even angrier, wittier, rockier mood. I’m happy to report the whole project lives up to the punk-edged, eye-rolling promise of advance singles ‘Vampire‘ and ‘Bad Idea Right?‘”

Chris Willman (Variety) argues that “Guts” “does feel at times like ‘Sour, Too’ — a picking-up-right-where-we-left-off extension of her Grammy-winning 2021 debut — but that can only be counted as a good thing, if the spark is still there. It is, in spades.” Alexis Petridis (The Guardian) writes, “The sound of ‘Guts’ is noticeably tougher than its predecessor, as if taking ‘Sour’s’ Elvis Costello-indebted opener ‘Brutal’ as its starting point … The other striking thing is how sharp her lyrics are, behind their unassuming conversational veneer.”

So how will “Guts” do on the charts and on the awards scene? “Sour” won her Grammy trophies for Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance for her breakthrough hit single “Drivers License.” And more than two years after its release it’s still in the top 40 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. So she clearly isn’t finished trying to live up to her own expectations. But she’s certainly off to a promising start.

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