Final Grade: B-

This wasn't my favorite record.  While Beck's Morning Phase was a well written, cohesive record, said cohesiveness became monotonous for me.  Pretty much every song on the record sounded the same.  They all had acoustic guitar with layered, ambient vocals, and sometimes strings came in to add some dynamics.  Beck's vocal harmonies and the string arrangements were definitely my favorite aspect of the album, they gave a lot of depth for the often simple groove.  But I was yearning to be inspired by this Album of the Year, and I didn't get much from it.  Not only that, but it didn't seem like anything that was very fresh or new, whereas Beyoncé single-handedly changed the game with Beyoncé.  That being said, Morning Phase is still a pleasant, sweet album that I did for the most part enjoy, just not Album of the Year worthy in my book.