N*E*R*D's "In Search Of" was the winner of the 2002 Shortlist Prize Award which honors albums that are outstanding but sell less than 500,000 copies.

Atmosphere: God Loves Ugly
EL-P: Fantastic Damage
Felix Da Housecat: Kittenz And Thee Glitz
High Contrast: True Colors
J-Live: All Of The Above
Timo Maas: Loud
N.E.R.D.: In Search Of
Recloose: Cardiology
DJ Shadow: The Private Press
Underworld: A Hundred Days Off

The Onion A.V. Club (Nathan Rabin)

1. Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow
2. Count Bass D: Dwight Spitz
3. The Roots: Phrenology
4. People Under The Stairs: O.S.T.
5. J-Live: All Of The Above
6. N.E.R.D.: In Search Of
7. Common: Electric Circus
8. Cody Chesnutt: The Headphone Masterpiece
9. Devin The Dude: Just Tryin' Ta Live
10. Talib Kweli: Quality

Stylus

1. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
2. The Streets: Original Pirate Material
3. N.E.R.D.: In Search Of
4. 2 Many DJs: As Heard on Radio Soulwax Part II
5. Interpol: Turn On The Bright Lights
6. City of Caterpillar: City of Caterpillar
7. Xinlisupreme: Tomorrow Never Comes
8. Various Artists: Improvised Music From Japan Box Set
9. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
10. Super Furry Animals: Rings Around the World

Entertainment Weekly (David Browne)

1. The Streets: Original Pirate Material
2. Elvis Costello: When I Was Cruel
3. Starsailor: Love Is Here
4. N.E.R.D.: In Search Of
5. Bruce Springsteen: The Rising
6. Audioslave: Audioslave
7. Sonic Youth: Murray Street
8. Moby: 18
9. Clipse: Lord Willin'
10. Norah Jones: Come Away With Me

Entertainment Weekly (Tom Sinclair)

1. Stew: the Naked Dutch Painter... And Other Songs
2. The Soundtrack of Our Lives: Behind The Music
3. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head
4. The Mooney Suzuki: Electric Sweat
5. N.E.R.D.: In Search Of
6. Solomon Burke: Don't Give Up on Me
7. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
8. Bruce Springsteen: The Rising
9. The Greenhornes: Dual Mono
10. Robert Randolph and the Family Band: Live at the Wetlands

Spin

1. The White Stripes: White Blood Cells
2. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
3. Beck: Sea Change
4. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
5. Eminem: The Eminem Show
6. Weezer: Maladroit
7. Missy Elliott: Under Construction
8. Queens Of The Stone Age: Songs For The Deaf
9. N.E.R.D.: In Search Of
10. The Hives: Veni Vidi Vicious

Mojo

1. Solomon Burke: Don't Give Up on Me
2. The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
3. Queens Of The Stone Age: Songs For The Deaf
4. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
5. Beth Gibbons and Rustin' Man: Out of Season
6. Supergrass: Life On Other Planets
7. Beck: Sea Change
8. Brendan Benson: Lapalco
9. N.E.R.D.: In Search Of
10. The Coral: The Coral

"''In Search Of...'' has a crackling vigor missing from the first stab, and its mélange of genres makes for music unlike anything else around.(A-)"- Entertainment Weekly

"It is quizzical, troubled, socially concerned, compassionate, schizoid, retro-eclectic, strikingly modern, racially mixed--and even likes women.(9 out of 10)"- Mojo Magazine

"An early contender for album of the year.(9 out of 10)"-LA Weekly

"Evokes Jamiroquai, Steely Dan and Curtis Mayfield--all at the same time. (A-)"-E! Online

"It's great to love an album on the surface just for the hooks, and also realize that underneath there is some true thought going into the concept.(9 out of 10)"- Nude As The News

"As broad as their discography is, though, In Search Of still feels radical.(8 out of 10)"-CDnow

"Still a stunningly individual reinvention of hip hop and R&B, with great songs swimming in a murk of bizarre arrangements. (8 out of 10)"-Q Magazine

"A strange, rewarding, unclassifiable journey into the sonic imagination of The Neptunes, and without a doubt the weirdest, funkiest disc ever released by a Britney Spears producer. (8 out of 10)"-The Onion

"For all its audacity and lyrical cleverness, Search is an album with insecurities as remarkable as its confidence, with desperate measures justified by sincerity of purpose. (***1/2 out of *****)"-Rolling Stone

"While their hitmaking formula is responsible for countless success stories, the talent, smarts, and overall quality of this album prove the Neptunes are infinitely more interesting than most of their clients.(8 out of 10)"-Launch.com

"[N*E*R*D]...steer into hip-hop's post-apocalyptic sunset, where Steely Dan and Queen combust with Kool & the Gang and Earth, Wind & Fire. Confused? Don't worry: It's so funky, it doesn't have to make sense." - Details

"In Search Of... [is] a masterful work..."-Wired