The Greatest Gift (styled The Greatest Gift Mixtape – Outtakes, Remixes & Demos from Carrie & Lowell) is a mixtape by Sufjan Stevens consisting of outtakes and unreleased tracks from Stevens' 2015 release, Carrie & Lowell.
| The Greatest Gift | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Mixtape by | ||||
| Released | November 24, 2017 | |||
| Length | 48:24 | |||
| Label | Asthmatic Kitty | |||
| Producer | Sufjan Stevens | |||
| Sufjan Stevens chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception edit
The mixtape received mostly positive reviews upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, the album has received an average score of 71, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on 15 reviews.[1] Pitchfork Media gave the album a score of 7.2 out of 10, stating "Though too scattered to stand alone, the various demos and remixes culled from Carrie & Lowell add new context and dimension to Sufjan Stevens’ masterful album."[2]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 71/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork |   [2] |
| The Observer |   [3] |
| Paste |  [4] |
| Clash | 8/10[5] |
| Drowned in Sound | [6] |
| The Independent | [7] |
| London Evening Standard[8] | 4/5[8] |
| The Guardian | 3/5[9] |
| Under the Radar | [10] |
Track listing edit
All songs written by Sufjan Stevens.
- "Wallowa Lake Monster" – 6:52
- "Drawn to the Blood" (Sufjan Stevens Remix) – 5:28
- "Death with Dignity" (Helado Negro Remix) – 4:08
- "John My Beloved" (iPhone Demo) – 4:17
- "Drawn to the Blood" (Fingerpicking Remix) – 2:01
- "The Greatest Gift" – 1:51
- "Exploding Whale" (Doveman Remix) – 5:26
- "All of Me Wants All of You" (Helado Negro Remix) – 3:24
- "Fourth of July" (900X Remix) – 6:48
- "The Hidden River of My Life" – 4:04
- "City of Roses" – 2:14
- "Carrie & Lowell" (iPhone Demo) – 1:52 – Digital exclusive / Hidden track on CD
Charts edit
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[11] | 10 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard)[12] | 10 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[13] | 23 |
References edit
- ^ a b "The Greatest Gift by Sufjan Stevens". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ a b Geffen, Sasha. "Sufjan Stevens: The Greatest Gift". Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ Empire, Kitty. "Sufjan Stevens: The Greatest Gift review – unreleased Carrie and Lowell gems". Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ Salmon, Ben. "Sufjan Stevens: The Greatest Gift Review". Paste. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ Wasserman, Milo. "Sufjan Stevens - The Greatest Gift". Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ Clarke, Jude. "Sufjan Stevens: The Greatest Gift". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ Gill, Andy. "Album reviews: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Bjork, and more". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ a b Cornwell, Jane. "Albums of the week: Bjork, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and The Staves". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben. "Sufjan Stevens: The Greatest Gift review – upbeat return to whimsical ways". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ Steinberg, Charles. "Sufjan Stevens: The Greatest Gift". Under the Radar. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 4, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ "Sufjan Stevens Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ "Sufjan Stevens Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2021.