In a more mixed assessment, Heather Phares of AllMusic felt that "the group's ambitions to expand their musical and emotional horizons result in a half-baked baker's dozen of songs, featuring some of their most creative peaks and self-indulgent valleys." Keith Cameron of "NME" concluded that "13" was "Blur's most inconsistent and infuriating statement thus far. Infuriating, because divested of four solid-gone clunkers "13" could pass muster as the best of Blur." Robert Christgau gave the album a three-star honorable mention rating, indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure", and remarked that "halfway there, it sits down in the middle of the road and won't budge."