Straight Shooter (Bad Company Album) - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau B−
Rolling Stone (favorable)

Straight Shooter received different reviews from different music critics. Gautam Baksi's review of the album for Allmusic said that the album's popularity was attributed to the acoustic ballads "Shooting Star" and "Feel Like Makin' Love", while the two songs written by Simon Kirke—"Anna" and "Weep No More"—as well as the album not having enough supporting songs and follow-up singles, were what made the album less successful than its predecessor. Robert Christgau felt that although Straight Shooter was better than its predecessor, it should not be labeled hard rock because Paul Rodgers did not have either a strong voice—which is needed to be a rock singer—and because the album is not played at the right speed. Ed Naha's feeling of the album, as stated in Rolling Stone magazine, was much more favorable than Christgau's. Naha thought that, with their second album, Bad Company was proving that they would not end up like Mott the Hoople, Free, or King Crimson—bands who Bad Company's members used to be part of. Naha also thought that Simon Kirke's "Anna" was as bad as it was when it was first recorded, but that "Weep No More" showed that he was progressing as a writer, while Boz Burrell was also making progress on the bass.

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