I found this to be a fair review.
"It seems that as artists age they typically become comfortable with the position they are in. We see it all the time with singer-songwriters, such as Bruce Springsteen or Bob Dylan. And this seems to be what the public wants. Occasionally we get David Bowies that are able to constantly change and remain popular, but these are the exceptions. As Morrissey approaches the age of 50, he seems to be falling into such a pattern with his last few albums, and Years of Refusal does little to shake things up. Nevertheless, when an artist has stumbled upon a good formula it's hard to really fault them for exploiting it. On the surface, Morrissey hasn't changed a great deal since his 2004 comeback album, You Are the Quarry. Years of Refusal features the same pleasant yet muscular guitar work, the same mature yet angsty lyrics, and Morrissey's ever constant, rich baritone vocals (with the occasional falsettoed bit thrown in as a reminder of his early days with the Smiths).
Despite the similarities to past work, though, Morrissey's songs and delivery are as vital as ever. That's How People Grow Up and All You Need Is Me already received some exposure as sly inclusions on a recent best of album. While certainly nothing new for the man, these songs are as catchy and intelligent as any of his past singles. The real meat of the album, however, lies elsewhere. Something is Squeezing My Skull is the best opening track that Morrissey's penned in over a decade, and songs like Mama Lay Softly on the Riverbed and One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell draw the listener in with Morrissey's knack for storytelling and great hook filled vocal lines. There's even a few moments on the album in which Morrissey experiments a bit musically. It's Not Your Birthday Anymore features some electronic percussion and both it and You Were Good in Your Time toy with some atmospheric elements, showing that he hasn't entirely given up on progressing as an artist.
Because the ground it treads is so familiar, Years of Refusal will not be likely to attract new listeners or change the minds of any naysayers. Again, though, this is common and to be expected for long standing singer-songwriters. Considering his nearly 30 year career, one might hope that Morrissey might step out of the box a bit more and do something beyond what he's known for, but Years of Refusal features a batch of songs that's nearly as good as anything he's done, and at the end of the day, it's hard to ask for much more than that." - Kid_Brian_A from Rate Your Music
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/morrissey/years_of_refusal/
I think allmusic.com's review is a fair look at the album too.
Although I disagree with the 4 star ratings both the reviewers gave.
- if YOR is nothing spectacular, in fact "his worse" since maladjusted, and the same record he's been doing for more than 20 years, and still IT'S RECORD OF THE WEEK ans GETS 4 STARS - it can only mean Morrissey is a bloody genius no? or that the guardian music jornalists have lost it. In fact it's probably a combination of both 
