Personal Journals has received high reviews from critics. Allmusic gave the album four out of five stars. Pitchfork Media gave it a 8.7 out of 10 ratings. RapReviews.com gave the album a 9.5 out of 10. Robert Christgau gave it a "*" which means an honorable mention. Finally Stylus Magazine gave the album an A- rating.

Track listing

Performers

• Sage Francis
  Sage Francis
  Paul "Sage" Francis is a hip-hop artist from Providence, Rhode Island.-Biography:Born Paul Francis in Miami, Florida, Sage Francis is a rapper/writer/performer from Providence, Rhode Island. He is the founder and CEO of the independent hip-hop record label Strange Famous Records...
  
   - Vocals
• DJ Mek - Scratches on "Personal Journalist"
• DJ Signify
  DJ Signify
  DJ Signify is a hip hop producer from New York City. His 2004 debut album Sleep No More, featuring collaborations with Sage Francis and Buck 65, was described as "hip-hop at its darkest and most chilling" and earned him accolades as a "master beatsmith." 2009's Of Cities was similarly described as...
  
   - Scratches on "The Strange Famous Mullet Remover" and "Smoke and Mirrors"
• Grey Matter - Scratches on "Black Sweatshirt"
• Jay Peters - Guitar on "My Name is Strange"
• Matt Coolige - Flute on "My Name is Strange"
• Matt Zimmerman - Upright Bass on "My Name is Strange"
• Mike 2600 - Scratches on "The Strange Famous Mullet Remover"
• Scott Begin - Drums on "My Name is Strange"
• Shalem B - Turntables on "My Name is Strange"
• Tara - Keys on "My Name is Strange"

Production

• Alias
  Alias (artist)
  Brendon Whitney, known as Alias, is an abstract hip hop musician and producer. He is mainly affiliated with the anticon. label/collective.-Biography:...
  
   - Production on "Message Sent"
• Controller 7 - Production on "Specialist"
• Jel
  Jel
  Jel is a hip hop producer and rapper for the Anticon label. He is a part of the hip hop duo Themselves and is also heavily involved in the bands Subtle and 13 & God.-Style:...
  
   - Production on "Climb Trees" and "Smoke and Mirrors"
• Joe Beats
  Joe Beats
  Joe Beats is an American hip hop producer from Rhode Island. He is best known as the co-producer for the duo Non-Prophets.DelCarpini was born in Warwick, Rhode Island.-Non-Prophets:...
  
   - Production on "Runaways"
• Mayonnaise - Production on "Personal Journalist" and "Inherited Scars"
• Mr. Dibbs
  Mr. Dibbs
  __notoc__Brad Forste, better known as Mr. Dibbs, is a DJ and hip hop producer. The founder of the turntablist collective 1200 Hobos, he has also appeared on numerous underground hip hop records as producer or DJ as well as releasing a number of solo works.Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Forste was...
  
   - Production on "Kill Ya' Momz"
• Odd Nosdam
  Odd Nosdam
  Odd Nosdam is a musician, DJ, artist, and co-founder and ex-art director of record label/collective Anticon.Nosdam was first noticed for the drone and warped pop of his former group cLOUDDEAD ; he has worked closely with Mike Patton on his Peeping Tom project and remixed tracks by a variety of...
  
   - Production on "Eviction Notice"
• Reanimator - Production on "The Strange Famous Mullet Remover"
• Scott Matelic - Production on "Broken Wings"
• Sixtoo
  Sixtoo
  Sixtoo was the main project of a Canadian hip hop DJ, MC and producer Vaughn Robert Squire between 1996-2007. He has since retired the Sixtoo name pursuing other directions in electronic music, with a large genre shift from experimental hip hop to deeper club sounds of various temposSquire rose to...
  
  - Production on "Crack Pipes," "Different," "Buckets of Silence," "Black Sweatshirt" and "Cup of Tea