Critical reaction was mostly positive. The aggregate score of the album by Metacritic was rated 73 out of 100, categorizing the reviews as "generally favorable." "A Bigger Bang" was touted as the best Rolling Stones album in years. Nevertheless, all of the Stones albums since 1989's "Steel Wheels" had been similarly lauded, and many critics and fans felt that the Stones had yet to record a late-period album truly up to their high standards. It was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005, and ranked the second-best album of the year by "Rolling Stone" magazine, behind rapper Kanye West's "Late Registration".