Jody Rosen states that " Church 's new album , '' The Outsiders '' , is , in keeping with the pattern , his best yet ; it 's also his most blustery , with the guitars and the outlaw swagger turned up , as the poet said , to eleven . " Joseph Hudak of '' Country Weekly '' gave the album an A grade , saying that " with the terrifyingly creative '' The Outsiders '' album , Eric Church pulls off what so many before him have tried : successfully merging the bedrock sounds of country music ( plinking banjo , crying Dobro and a Hank Williams twang ) with those of seemingly disparate genres like rock , heavy metal and especially R&B to create an utterly unique product . " At '' Entertainment Weekly '' , Nick Catucci also grade the album an A , writing that " As with all of '' The Outsiders '' thrills , it 's both thumpingly obvious and exquisitely executed . " Glenn Gamboa of '' Newsday '' graded the album a B , stating that " Church consciously tries to move outside the mainstream again , looking to be more artistic . " At '' American Songwriter '' , Jonathan Bernstein rated the album four stars out of five , saying that " Church gets to have it both ways on '' The Outsiders '' , writing several irresistible hits while boasting repeatedly to the press about the ten some-odd surefire number one singles he decided , alongside producer Jay Joyce , to not include on the album . " Bernstein also wrote that " '' The Outsiders '' album is at its best when it lets the songs market themselves . " At '' Spin '' , Michael Robbins rated the album a nine out of ten , commenting that " mostly , this is the kind of record critics imagine Kanye keeps making : a freakish statement of confidence and power from an artist in full command of his gifts . " PopMatters ' Anthony Easton rated the album a seven out of a ten , stating that " Church is so good at the commercial that he will never be an outsider , but he also knows how well the safe outsider sells , " and that the album is " not nearly as dangerous as he thinks it is , " while concluding , " This might be cynicism , but pop music is as much about the sizzle as it is about the steak , and no one plays both ends against the middle as efficiently as Church . " At AbsolutePunk , Gregory Robson rated the album an 85-percent , calling the album a " fine step forward " that has " its weak moments , but there 's no denying that when Church swings for the fences , he absolutely knocks it out of the park . Defiant , undaunted and brimming with confidence , '' The Outsiders '' happily carries the banner of outlaw country . " Dan MacIntosh of Roughstock rated the album four out of five stars , writing that the release " is best appreciated with a studied examination of its insides . " At '' Music Is My Oxygen '' , Rob Burkhardt rated the album four-and-a-half stars out of five , writing that the releases " strong points far outweigh its flaws . " Tara Toro of Got Country Online rated the album a perfect five stars , indicating how " '' The Outsiders '' takes you on a musically adventurous ride from first note to last . " However , '' The Guardian '' 's Dave Simpson rated the album three stars out of five and gave it a mixed review , cautioning that the music 's " Dark Side intriguingly explores inner urges but ultimately descends into a desire to shoot the bad guys " , which just happens to be " a microcosm of an album with a radical spirit but a conservative heart . " The album was nominated for Best Country Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards but lost to Miranda Lambert 's '' Platinum '' . The album won the " International Album of the Year " award at the 2014 British Country Music Association awards
57th Annual Grammy Awards
57th Annual Grammy Awards
The Outsiders (Eric Church album)