Brainwashed (Bonus DVD)

1	Any Road 3:52
2	P2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night) 2:38
3	Pisces Fish 4:52
4	Looking for My Life 3:49
5	Rising Sun 5:27
6	Marwa Blues 3:41
7	Stuck Inside a Cloud 4:04
8	Run So Far 4:05
9	Never Get Over You 3:25
10	Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea 2:34
11	Rocking Chair in Hawaii 3:07
12	Brainwashed 6:07

Barnes & Noble

Out of the limelight for much of the decade prior to his death from cancer in November 2001, George Harrison hadn't stopped following his muse. The posthumously completed Brainwashed is immersed in the simple charm, melodic instinct, and spiritual insight that had always marked Harrison's better work. Wistful, spare tunes like "Stuck Inside a Cloud," which pits a simple, plaintive vocal against one of the ex-Beatle's trademark twangy guitar lines, dominate the disc, and there are occasional allusions to Harrison's illness (as on the melancholy "Run So Far"). The album was co-produced by Harrison, his son Dhani (who also sings and plays guitar), and George's longtime friend and collaborator Jeff Lynne, who himself has wondered if the results are slicker than Harrison would have wanted. Far from gleaming with studio polish, however, Brainwashed only suffers Lynne's overly heavy hand on a couple of tracks, including "Never Get Over You," which tilts the emphasis away from Harrison's tune and toward the plush production. Elsewhere, Harrison's searching songs provide grist for both body and soul with simple, understated arrangements and evocative lyrics. "Had no idea where I was heading/I only found it out when I was down upon my knees/Looking for my life," he sings atop acoustic strumming on the pensive "Looking for My Life." Even in his less-than-stellar health, Harrison proved an inventive instrumentalist, shifting from guitar to dobro (check his slide work on the subdued instrumental "Marwa Blues") to ukulele on songs such as a lilting cover of Hoagy Carmichael's "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" -- which itself dovetails nicely into the sun-dappled blues of "Rocking Chair in Hawaii." While hardly flawless, Brainwashed has more than enough glimmering facets to qualify as a diamond in the rough -- and a sweet, understated epitaph for "the Quiet Beatle." David Sprague

All Music Guide

George Harrison went quiet not long after the second Traveling Wilburys album, surfacing only for the Beatles' Anthology in the mid-'90s. He was recording all the while, yet he died before completing the album that would have been the follow-up to 1987's Cloud Nine. His son, Dhani, and his longtime friend/collaborator Jeff Lynne completed the recordings, released late in 2002, nearly a year after George's death, as Brainwashed. Given its baggage it's easy to be suspicious about the merits of Brainwashed prior to hearing it. Posthumous efforts often feel incomplete, Harrison's albums were frequently inconsistent, and Lynne favors ornate, cinematic productions that run contrary to George's desire for this project to be simple and low key -- nothing that would suggest that Brainwashed would be a success. Defying all odds, Brainwashed isn't just a success, it's one of the finest records Harrison ever made. No, it doesn't achieve the splendor of All Things Must Pass, nor is it quite of its time like both Living in the Material World and Cloud Nine were, but it's a quiet, subtle gem, one that strikes close to the heart of Harrison's music. It's intimate, alternately insightful and cheerfully lightweight, balancing his trademark black humor with silliness and good humor. Anyone searching the album for his views on mortality -- as he faced not only cancer, but an attacker that nearly took his life -- will surely find it, but this is not a somber album, it is a warm album, the sound of someone enjoying life without losing his wry sense of humor. This same spirit carries over to the music, with Harrison abandoning the idea of getting a hit and simply relaxing, primarily by playing a lot of ukulele and guitar. There aren't any major songs here and perhaps a tune or two could be pegged as throwaways by the cynical, but there are no down moments and it all holds together well -- better than most Harrison albums -- and it's a fitting way to say goodbye, every bit as good as Double Fantasy and, in some respects, even sweeter. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Entertainment Weekly

It's nice to report that Harrison's last will and testament stacks up remarkably well against the rest of his oeuvre. (B+) Tom Sinclair