Courtney Marie Andrews Valentine
Courtney Marie Andrews's Valentine presents a vivid, emotionally direct set of songs that trade studio gloss for immediacy and raw feeling. Across three professional reviews, critics point to the album's honesty, vocal texture and songcraft as its chief strengths, and they single out “Keeper”, “Magic Touch” and “Cons and Clowns” as the record's most affecting moments.
The critical consensus recognizes a deliberate prioritizing of immediacy over polish: Mojo praises how “Little Picture of a Butterfly” and “Keeper” turn turbulence into uplifting music, Clash notes the restrained production that lets lyrics and theatrical vocal turns breathe, and Glide highlights layered sonics that support Andrews' mature songwriting. Reviewers consistently describe themes of heartbreak, love and vulnerability - melancholy threaded with hope - and applaud her ability to balance ache with defiance. Across three professional reviews Valentine earned a 76/100 consensus score, reflecting broadly positive reaction tempered by notes about the record's rawer edges.
Nuanced perspectives temper the praise: some critics admire the rawness and immediacy while others observe a smoothing of earlier roughness as recognition and polish shape her sound. Still, when asked what the best songs on Valentine are, reviewers point again to “Keeper”, “Magic Touch” and “Pendulum Swing” as standout tracks that capture the album's emotional center. For readers deciding whether Valentine is worth listening to, the consensus suggests a rewarding, honest collection that deepens Andrews' catalog and highlights her strengths as a vocalist and songwriter.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Keeper
3 mentions
"The pulsating "Keeper" is replete with vocal sighs, emblematic of being worn out by chasing an unsure love."— Glide Magazine
Magic Touch
3 mentions
""Magic Touch" stands out as a direct love song, free of pain,"— Glide Magazine
Cons and Clowns
3 mentions
"The gentle acoustic strum of "Cons of Clowns" blossoms into a full-out statement of defiance,"— Glide Magazine
The pulsating "Keeper" is replete with vocal sighs, emblematic of being worn out by chasing an unsure love.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Pendulum Swing
Keeper
Cons and Clowns
Magic Touch
Little Picture of a Butterfly
Outsider
Everyone Wants To Feel Like You Do
Only the Best for Baby
Best Friend
Hangman
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Courtney Marie Andrews’s Valentine finds its strongest moments in deeply felt songs such as “Outsider” and “Best Friend”, where her unguarded honesty makes the emotional stakes feel immediate. The review’s voice lingers on her alchemic touch, noting how “Little Picture of a Butterfly” and “Keeper” turn turbulence into music that is moving, beautiful and uplifting. There is a steady sturdiness here - she refuses to sentimentalise pain, and that restraint is what makes these tracks the best on Valentine.
Key Points
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The best song, notably "Outsider", earns its place through ABBA-worthy melancholy and dreamlike ambience that crystallise the album’s emotional core.
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Valentine’s core strengths are its unguarded honesty, melodic subtle daring, and an ability to turn turbulence into music that is moving and uplifting.
Themes
Critic's Take
Courtney Marie Andrews’s Valentine feels like a record in pursuit of love, where the best songs - “Pendulum Swing”, “Keeper” and “Cons & Clowns” - balance theatrical vocal turns with plainspoken honesty. The album prizes immediacy over polish, and on “Pendulum Swing” Andrews folds Fleetwood Mac echoes into her Americana voice, refusing rose-tinted certainties. “Keeper” is a standout for its quivering sighs and pulsating country-tinged beat, while “Cons & Clowns” offers Kate Bush-esque intimacy that lets her oscillating gentleness and assertiveness land. Across Valentine the production stays reserved so lyrics and vocals can inhabit the room, and the closing “Hangman” cements the record’s radical honesty.
Key Points
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The best song is notable for balancing vintage influences with Andrews' intimate candour, exemplified by “Pendulum Swing”.
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The album's core strengths are vocal texture, emotional honesty, and reserved production that foregrounds lyrics.
Themes
Critic's Take
At once careful and adventurous, Courtney Marie Andrews's Valentine spotlights standout moments like “Magic Touch” and “Keeper” that elevate the record. Jim Hynes writes with measured admiration, noting the return of vulnerability even as the rawer edges have been smoothed by recognition and polish. He praises Andrews' songwriting craft and layered sonics, arguing these strengths make the best songs on Valentine the record's most affecting moments. The result is an album where memorable tracks balance ache and defiance, answering queries about the best songs on Valentine with clear examples rather than grand pronouncements.
Key Points
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The best song, exemplified by "Magic Touch", succeeds because of its hymn-like joy and layered production that spotlight Andrews' strong songwriting.
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The album's core strengths are disciplined songwriting, vulnerability in lyrics, and sonically adventurous arrangements despite a smaller ensemble.