Metacritic: Best Albums of 2003

All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best of 2009
Best of 2008
Best of 2007
Best of 2006
Best of 2005
Best of 2004
Best of 2003
Best of 2002
Best of 2001
Best of 2000
Best of the Decade

What is a Metascore?

sort by name

sort by score

75 Alberta Cross
70 The Album Leaf
69 Alkaline Trio
66 Animal Collective
84 Animal Collective
50 Athlete
82 Beach House
81 The Besnard Lakes
65 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
64 Dan Black
75 Mary J. Blige
75 Blockhead
79 Blood Red Shoes
70 David Bowie
64 The Brian Jonestown Massacre
72 Broken Bells
65 V.V. Brown
72 The Brunettes
71 Basia Bulat
78 Carolina Chocolate Drops
79 Johnny Cash
79 Chew Lips
82 Chicago Underground Duo
79 The Chieftains Featuring Ry Cooder
76 Citay
66 Clem Snide
77 Clipd Beaks
78 Clogs
66 Cold War Kids
75 Easton Corbin
80 Crazy Heart
70 Jamie Cullum
66 Fyfe Dangerfield
72 Delphic
64 Dinowalrus
78 Drive-By Truckers
59 Editors
71 Eels
70 Efterklang
81 Eluvium
82 Erland And The Carnival
57 Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now
63 Excepter
78 Field Music
76 First Aid Kit
68 Josephine Foster
82 Four Tet
71 Nils Frahm
74 Freeway & Jake One
75 Frightened Rabbit
82 Fucked Up
64 Peter Gabriel
79 Charlotte Gainsbourg
80 Galactic
67 The Gilded Palace Of Sin
73 Ernest Gonzales
59 Good Shoes
79 Gorillaz
70 Adam Green
79 Patty Griffin
76 Groove Armada
67 H.I.M.
43 Hadouken!
73 Harvey Milk
68 Juliana Hatfield
66 Jimi Hendrix
88 High On Fire
80 Hot Chip
66 The Hot Rats
88 Ray Wylie Hubbard
54 Hurricane Chris
76 Jaga Jazzist
76 Jaheim
70 jj
79 Freedy Johnston
54 Nick Jonas And The Administration
57 Ke$ha
66 Alicia Keys
74 The Knife In Collaboration With Mt. Sims And Planningtorock
63 Lady Antebellum
65 Dawn Landes
82 Lawrence Arabia
74 Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
82 Liars
72 Lightspeed Champion
37 Lil Wayne
82 Lindstrom & Christabelle
68 Little Boots
75 Local Natives
75 Los Campesinos!
67 Lostprophets
65 Ludacris
73 Magnetic Fields
74 Massive Attack
58 Katherine McPhee
66 Daniel Merriweather
76 Pat Metheny
72 Midlake
64 Holly Miranda
79 Allison Moorer
83 Motion City Soundtrack
53 Mudvayne
65 Mumford & Sons
55 Never Shout Never
85 Joanna Newsom
81 Scout Niblett
74 Nneka
75 Oh No Ono
70 OK Go
71 Omarion
77 Owen Pallett
84 Pantha du Prince
77 Past Lives
84 Pavement
78 Phantogram
65 Pit Er Pat
86 Polar Bear
64 Priestess
67 Quasi
77 Corinne Bailey Rae
71 The Red Krayola With Art & Language
81 Fionn Regan
77 Retribution Gospel Choir
57 Martin Rev
64 Rjd2
65 Rogue Wave
82 Jack Rose
76 The Ruby Suns
78 Sade
77 Gil Scott-Heron
77 Shearwater
69 Blake Shelton
84 Shining
68 Shout Out Louds
80 Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band
73 The Soft Pack
80 Spoon
63 Ringo Starr
68 Story Of The Year
71 The Strange Boys
77 Strong Arm Steady
79 Surfer Blood
60 Tape Deck Mountain
82 These New Puritans
71 Robin Thicke
76 Tindersticks
81 Titus Andronicus
72 Toro Y Moi
63 Josh Turner
81 Vampire Weekend
79 Laura Veirs
79 Butch Walker And The Black Widows
63 The Watson Twins
69 We Are Wolves
66 Kanye West
64 Wetdog
51 The Whigs
67 White Hills
79 The White Stripes
72 The Whitefield Brothers
68 Wu-Tang Clan
75 Xiu Xiu
78 Yeasayer
73 You Say Party! We Say Die!
63 Young Money
61 Rob Zombie

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

The following table displays the highest-scoring albums for the year in Metacritic's database with a minimum of 7 reviews. Also listed at the bottom of the page are year-end top ten lists provided by various critics and publications.

You may also view an index of all albums in our database alphabetically by artist.
In addition, you may view the top-rated albums by year: All | 2008 | '07 | '06 | '05 | '04 | '03 | '02 | '01 | '00

The 30 Best-Reviewed Albums of the Year
1	How The West Was Won by Led Zeppelin	2003	97
2	Elephant by The White Stripes	2003	92
3	Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by OutKast	2003	91
4	Rounds by Four Tet	2003	89
5	Neon Golden by The Notwist	2003	89
6	Yours, Mine & Ours by Pernice Brothers	2003	88
7	Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins	2003	88
8	Up In Flames by Manitoba	2003	88
9	Where Shall You Take Me by Damien Jurado	2003	88
10	Decoration Day by Drive-By Truckers	2003	87
11	World Without Tears by Lucinda Williams	2003	87
12	Stumble Into Grace by Emmylou Harris	2003	87
13	Phantom Power by Super Furry Animals	2003	87
14	One Word Extinguisher by Prefuse 73	2003	86
15	You Forgot It In People by Broken Social Scene	2003	86
16	The Decline Of British Sea Power by British Sea Power	2003	86
17	Quicksand / Cradlesnakes by Califone	2003	86
18	Welcome Interstate Managers by Fountains Of Wayne	2003	86
19	Feast of Wire by Calexico	2003	86
20	The Lemon Of Pink by The Books	2003	86
21	The Wind by Warren Zevon	2003	86
22	The Intercontinentals by Bill Frisell	2003	86
23	Holopaw by Holopaw	2003	85
24	Magnolia Electric Co. by Songs: Ohia	2003	85
25	Hail To The Thief by Radiohead	2003	85
26	Streetcore by Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros	2003	85
27	The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place by Explosions In The Sky	2003	85
28	Happy Songs For Happy People by Mogwai	2003	85
29	Run To Ruin by Nina Nastasia	2003	85
30	Transatlanticism by Death Cab For Cutie	2003	85

Music Critics' Year-End Top Ten Lists

Village Voice 2003 Pazz & Jop Poll (a survey of 732 critics) Read The Full Results
1	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
2	The White Stripes: Elephant
3	Fountains Of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers
4	Radiohead: Hail To The Thief
5	Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever To Tell
6	The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow
7	The New Pornographers: Electric Version
8	Basement Jaxx: Kish Kash
9	Drive-By Truckers: Decoration Day
10	Dizzee Rascal: Boy In Da Corner

Almost Cool
1	Broken Social Scene: You Forgot It In People
2	Do Make Say Think: Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn
3	Sufjan Stevens: Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State
4	Ellen Allien: Berlinette
5	Matmos: The Civil War
6	Four Tet: Rounds
7	The Books: The Lemon Of Pink
8	1 Mile North: Minor Shadows
9	Manitoba: Up In Flames
10	B. Fleischmann: Welcome Tourist

Blender
1	The White Stripes: Elephant
2	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
3	Fountains Of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers
4	Ryan Adams: Rock n Roll
5	Justin Timberlake: Justified
6	The Libertines: Up The Bracket
7	Beyonce Knowles: Dangerously In Love
8	Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever To Tell
9	50 Cent: Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
10	Evanescence: Fallen

Dotmusic
1	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
2	Super Furry Animals: Phantom Power
3	Blur: Think Tank
4	Four Tet: Rounds
5	Jay-Z: The Black Album
6	The Rapture: Echoes
7	The White Stripes: Elephant
8	Dizzee Rascal: Boy In Da Corner
9	I Am Kloot: I Am Kloot
10	Manitoba: Up In Flames

Drowned In Sound
1	Radiohead: Hail To The Thief
2	The Darkness: Permission To Land
3	Cat Power: You Are Free
4	Blood Brothers: Burn Piano Island, Burn
5	Muse: Absolution
6	Fountains Of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers
7	Funeral For A Friend: Casually Dressed and in Deep Conversation
8	Zwan: Mary Star Of The Sea
9	Hell Is For Heroes: The Neon Handshake
10	Elbow: Cast of Thousands

E! Online
1	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
2	The White Stripes: Elephant
3	Basement Jaxx: Kish Kash
4	Cat Power: You Are Free
5	Radiohead: Hail To The Thief
6	Damien Rice: O
7	Death Cab For Cutie: Transatlanticism
8	Missy Elliott: This Is Not A Test
9	Fountains Of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers
10	Death In Vegas: Scorpio Rising

Entertainment Weekly (Chris WIllman)
1	Fountains Of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers
2	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
3	Johnny Cash: Unearthed [box set]
4	Dixie Chicks: Top of the World Tour
5	Lucinda Williams: World Without Tears
6	Elvis Costello: North
7	Liz Phair: Liz Phair
8	The White Stripes: Elephant
9	Patty Loveless: On Your Way Home
10	The Distillers: Coral Fang

Entertainment Weekly (David Browne)
1	The White Stripes: Elephant
2	Basement Jaxx: Kish Kash
3	Beyonce feat. Jay-Z: "Crazy In Love" [single]
4	The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow
5	Kelis: "Milkshake" [single] and Kylie Minogue: "Slow" [single]
6	Zwan: Mary Star Of The Sea
7	Ms. Dynamite: A Little Deeper
8	Jeff Buckley: Live at SIn-e: Legacy Edition
9	Caesars: "Sort It Out"
10	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Metacritic.com \| Music Editor
1	British Sea Power: The Decline of British Sea Power
2	Radiohead: Hail To The Thief
3	The Postal Service: Give Up
4	Grandaddy: Sumday
5	Beulah: Yoko
6	Broadcast: Haha Sound
7	Manitoba: Up In Flames
8	The Clientele: The Violet Hour
9	Four Tet: Rounds
10	Death Cab For Cutie: Transatlanticism
The Best Album of 2002 That We Didn't Hear Until 2003: The Notwist: Neon Golden

Mojo
1	The White Stripes: Elephant
2	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
3	Blur: Think Tank
4	The Strokes: Room On Fire
5	My Morning Jacket: It Still Moves
6	Radiohead: Hail To The Thief
7	Emmylou Harris: Stumble Into Grace
8	Robert Wyatt: Cuckooland
9	Evan Dando: Baby I'm Bored
10	Wire: Send

New York Magazine
1	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
2	Bubba Sparxxx: Deliverance
3	Matthew Dear: Leave Luck To Heven
4	The Fiery Furnaces: Gallowsbird's Bark
5	The White Stripes: Elephant
6	Ricardo Villalobos: Alcachofa
7	Richard Thompson: The Old Kit Bag
8	Michael Mayer: Speicher
9	Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever To Tell
10	(tie) Four Tet: Rounds and Manitoba: Up In Flames

No Ripcord
1	M83: Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts
2	Manitoba: Up In Flames
3	British Sea Power: The Decline of British Sea Power
4	Four Tet: Rounds
5	Radiohead: Hail To The Thief
6	The Microphones: Mount Eerie
7	Cat Power: You Are Free
8	Dizzee Rascal: Boy In Da Corner
9	The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow
10	The Postal Service: Give Up

The Onion (Andy Battaglia)
1	Basement Jaxx: Kish Kash
2	Matthew Dear: Leave Luck To Heven
3	Ricardo Villalobos: In The Mix: Taka Taka
4	Various Artists: Schaffelfieber 2
5	Bubba Sparxxx: Deliverance
6	The Fiery Furnaces: Gallowsbird's Bark
7	The Rapture: Echoes
8	Michael Mayer: Fabric 13
9	Dizzee Rascal: Boy In Da Corner
10	El Guapo: Fake French

The Onion (Josh Modell)
1	Death Cab For Cutie: Transatlanticism
2	The Decemberists: Her Majesty The Decemberists
3	Cat Power: You Are Free
4	Crooked Fingers: Red Devil Dawn
5	The Postal Service: Give Up
6	Clem Snide: Soft Spot
7	The White Stripes: Elephant
8	Danko Jones: We Sweat Blood
9	Radiohead: Hail To The Thief
10	Electric Six: Fire

The Onion (Noel Murray)
1	The Constantines: Shine A Light
2	Fountains Of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers
3	June Carter Cash: Wildwood Flower
4	Josh Rouse: 1972
5	The Rosebuds: The Rosebuds Make Out
6	Cursive: The Ugly Organ
7	The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow
8	Sun Kil Moon: Ghosts Of The Great Highway
9	Pernice Brothers: Yours Mine & Ours
10	The Fiery Furnaces: Gallowsbird's Bark

The Onion (Keith Phipps)
1	The New Pornographers: Electric Version
2	The White Stripes: Elephant
3	Josh Rouse: 1972
4	Fountains Of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers
5	Damien Jurado: Where Shall You Take Me?
6	Gillian Welch: Soul Journey
7	Radiohead: Hail To The Thief
8	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
9	The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow
10	Rufus Wainwright: Want One

The Onion (Nathan Rabin)
1	Little Brother: The Listening
2	Madlib: Shades Of Blue
3	Fountains Of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers
4	Lifesavas: Spirit In Stone
5	InI: Center Of Attention
6	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
7	Viktor Vaughn: Vaudeville Villain
8	R. Kelly: Chocolate Factory
9	Bubba Sparxxx: Deliverance
10	Diverse: One A.M.

The Onion (Steven Thompson)
1	Fountains Of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers
2	Death Cab For Cutie: Transatlanticism
3	Electric Six: Fire
4	Clem Snide: Soft Spot
5	Damien Rice: O
6	Nada Surf: Let Go
7	Damien Jurado: Where Shall You Take Me?
8	The New Pornographers: Electric Version
9	Josh Rouse: 1972
10	Andrew WK: The Wolf

Pitchfork
1	The Rapture: Echoes
2	The Books: The Lemon Of Pink
3	Sufjan Stevens: Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State
4	Radiohead: Hail To The Thief
5	Manitoba: Up In Flames
6	Prefuse 73: One Word Extinguisher and Extinguished: Outtakes
7	The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow
8	M83: Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts
9	Broken Social Scene: You Forgot It In People
10	The Unicorns: Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?

Playlouder
1	The Darkness: Permission To Land
2	The Hidden Cameras: The Smell Of Our Own
3	Four Tet: Rounds
4	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
5	The White Stripes: Elephant
6	The Mars Volta: De-Loused In The Comatorium
7	Jane's Addiction: Strays
8	Nick Cave: Nocturama
9	Dizzee Rascal: Boy In Da Corner
10	British Sea Power: The Decline of British Sea Power

Pop Matters
1	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
2	The White Stripes: Elephant
3	The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow
4	Fountains Of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers
5	Dizzee Rascal: Boy In Da Corner
6	The Strokes: Room On Fire
7	Blur: Think Tank
8	Death Cab For Cutie: Transatlanticism
9	The Constantines: Shine A Light
10	My Morning Jacket: It Still Moves

Q
1	The White Stripes: Elephant
2	Blur: Think Tank
3	The Mars Volta: De-Loused In The Comatorium
4	Kings Of Leon: Youth And Young Manhood
5	Justin Timberlake: Justified
6	50 Cent: Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
7	The Strokes: Room On Fire
8	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
9	The Darkness: Permission To Land
10	Jane's Addiction: Strays

ShakingThrough.net (Kevin Moreau)
1	The Weakerthans: Reconstruction Site
2	Matthew Ryan: Regret Over The Wires
3	The Twilight Singers: Blackberry Belle
4	Al Green: I Can't Stop
5	Guster: Keep It Together
6	Jay-Z: The Black Album
7	Drive-By Truckers: Decoration Day
8	Eels: Shootenanny!
9	Sun Kil Moon: Ghosts Of The Great Highway
10	Dizzee Rascal: Boy In Da Corner

ShakingThrough.net (Laurence Station)
1	Fountains Of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers
2	The Wrens: The Meadowlands
3	Manitoba: Up In Flames
4	Radiohead: Hail To The Thief
5	John Cale: HoboSapiens
6	Dizzee Rascal: Boy In Da Corner
7	Four Tet: Rounds
8	Nina Nastasia: Run To Ruin
9	Damien Jurado: Where Shall You Take Me?
10	The Decemberists: Her Majesty The Decemberists

Spin
1	The White Stripes: Elephant
2	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
3	The Strokes: Room On Fire
4	50 Cent: Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
5	Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever To Tell
6	Jay-Z: The Black Album
7	Thursday: War All The Time
8	The New Pornographers: Electric Version
9	Missy Elliott: This Is Not A Test
10	Radiohead: Hail To The Thief

Stylus
1	Songs: Ohia: Magnolia Electric Co.
2	Manitoba: Up In Flames
3	The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow
4	Dizzee Rascal: Boy In Da Corner
5	Broken Social Scene: You Forgot It In People
6	OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
7	Cat Power: You Are Free
8	Radiohead: Hail To The Thief
9	David Banner: Mississippi: The Album and Mississippi: The Screwed and Chopped Album
10	Exploding Hearts: Guitar Romantic

Uncut
1	Warren Zevon: The Wind
2	Emmylou Harris: Stumble Into Grace
3	John Cale: HoboSapiens
4	Willard Grant Conspiracy: Regard The End
5	Robert Wyatt: Cuckooland
6	Josh Rouse: 1972
7	Hamell On Trial: Tough Love
8	Four Tet: Rounds
9	Paul Westerberg: Come Feel Me Tremble
10	Tahiti 80: Wallpaper For The Soul

Urb [no ranking given; listed alphabetically]
Atmosphere: Seven's Travels
Adult.: Anxiety Always
Bent: The Everlasting Blink
Basement Jaxx: Kish Kash
Brother Ali: Shadows On The Sun
Danger Mouse & Jemini: Ghetto Pop Life
Little Brother: The Listening
OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Prefuse 73: One Word Extinguisher
Plastikman: Closer

The Wire
1	Robert Wyatt: Cuckooland
2	David Sylvian: Blemish
3	John Fahey: +
4	Nurse With Wound: Salt Marie Celeste
5	Chris Watson: Weather Report
6	Rhythm & Sound: With The Artists
7	Dizzee Rascal: Boy In Da Corner
8	Four Tet: Rounds
9	Keith Rowe & John Tilbury: Duos For Doris
10	The Bug: Pressure

Return to top of page

Music

The 30 Best-Reviewed Albums of the Year

Music Critics' Year-End Top Ten Lists