Originally posted by torontophenom: But what's so complicated in taking people's percentage rankings of the albums and getting the average of it. That's the most simplest and we get a % figure in the end. Why is there such a big debate about this. We don't have to follow everything specific thing exactly like Metacritic.
So your telling me if I rank an album 3 stars the album will automatically get assigned a 75? What if I think the album deserves a 79? There's a big gap in between what a 3 star album receives which is 75 and a 3.5 star album receives which is 88.
I'm with you on the percentage thing. To me, it just seems the easiest.
Posts: 8671 | Location: Canada | Registered: October 26, 2005
Originally posted by torontophenom: But what's so complicated in taking people's percentage rankings of the albums and getting the average of it. That's the most simplest and we get a % figure in the end. Why is there such a big debate about this. We don't have to follow everything specific thing exactly like Metacritic.
So your telling me if I rank an album 3 stars the album will automatically get assigned a 75? What if I think the album deserves a 79? There's a big gap in between what a 3 star album receives which is 75 and a 3.5 star album receives which is 88.
*sighs*
The actual score is not up to the reviewer. We're going by the Metacritic scale. Aren't we following the Metacritic format? Isn't that easier and should keep down confusion? We should stick to one scale and call it a day.
I'm done with this. I'm getting a headache. lol
And DoubleD, I forgot to say thanks for this thread. I'll post my review for Melinda Doolittle's album tomorrow.
That's the problem. It's giving me a headache too.
If you want less confusion for the majority of participants in this thread DoubleD should use Fight4Justice's scale. It's more simple.
Originally posted by torontophenom: But what's so complicated in taking people's percentage rankings of the albums and getting the average of it. That's the most simplest and we get a % figure in the end. Why is there such a big debate about this. We don't have to follow everything specific thing exactly like Metacritic.
So your telling me if I rank an album 3 stars the album will automatically get assigned a 75? What if I think the album deserves a 79? There's a big gap in between what a 3 star album receives which is 75 and a 3.5 star album receives which is 88.
*sighs*
The actual score is not up to the reviewer. We're going by the Metacritic scale. Aren't we following the Metacritic format? Isn't that easier and should keep down confusion? We should stick to one scale and call it a day.
I'm done with this. I'm getting a headache. lol
And DoubleD, I forgot to say thanks for this thread. I'll post my review for Melinda Doolittle's album tomorrow.
That's the problem. It's giving me a headache too.
If you want less confusion for the majority of participants in this thread DoubleD should use Fight4Justice's scale. It's more simple.
Why should we use F4J's scale, though? I know he came up with the idea of this thread, but that doesn't mean his scale is any better than the Metacritic's scale. Didn't this whole idea stem from Metacritic? So, what's wrong with it? I don't see Rolling Stone or EW complaining? LOL
Y'all can do what y'all want. I want to use the Metacritic scale. It's up to DoubleD. lol
This message has been edited. Last edited by: musicluva123,
I'm not trying to go at it with you musicluva but I just don't like the scale were gonna use. And you said earlier that the score isn't up to the reviewer. So what's the point in using giving our review if we can't give the album a proper score. That's my biggest beef. I don't want my review to receive some arbitrary # because I'm forced to give it a Star Rating. Our review thread doesn't have to be 100% the same as Metacritic. They give out % grades for the album review because most major publication reviewers don't give a % grade for their reviews. Some publications also get weighted heavier in coming up with the albums % score as well. This is just a message board, and we should make things much more simple for the users. That's my main point.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: torontophenom,
There's no argument, and at this point, this debate is null and void on my front.
I think the whole argument was about us following the Metacritic format. Once I posted the scale to follow it, there's a big debate. At this point, I don't care. I like the Metacritic scale, but that's me. Instead of basing the final judgment on just three members, let's see how everyone else feels about it, and that should be final.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: musicluva123,
I think F4J's scale is a little too generous. If an album receives a score of 90 it shouldn't be given an A+ grade. To me, A+ equals a perfect album. And if an album receives an 85 that equals an A.
I like the Metacritic scale because it makes it harder for albums to get high scores.
No offense F4J.
BTW the scale that I originally came up with was the grading scale my teachers used in grade school and high school. Once I got to college, though, the grading scale changed. Like an A- no longer equaled a 4.0.
Anyway, we're using the Metacritic scale unless there's just severe outrage over it.
Originally posted by Gucci: Are we just reviewing albums/singles for 2009 only? Or could we review some albums/singles that were released in late 2008?
You can review anything you want.
I will also occasionally review my sex life in this thread. I will give letter grades to each of my performances. But I will only review the performances where I play music in the background.
Double D,no one wants to hear about your sexual escapades!(Unless their interesting)
Ryan Leslie is the official self-titled debut album from R&B singer and producer Ryan Leslie. This album consists of good production and catchy tunes by a below average male vocalist. Leslie's vocals are clearly outnumbered by the beats and melodies on each track. Although the production on this album is satisfactory, the beats seem forgettable. While Leslie delivers on tracks such as "Diamond Girl," "Addiction," "You're Fly" and current single, "How It Was Supposed to Be," he falls flat on a few tracks. One track that Leslie noticeably tumbles on is "Gibberish." On this particular track, Leslie literally sings gibberish while using an auto-tune. While most of the album has good production, his attempt at good production on "Gibberish" fails miserably. However, what's impressive about this is that Leslie produced every single track on his debut. That is always a plus.
Grade: B- Score: 67
This message has been edited. Last edited by: musicluva123,
Originally posted by Gucci: Are we just reviewing albums/singles for 2009 only? Or could we review some albums/singles that were released in late 2008?
You can review anything you want.
I will also occasionally review my sex life in this thread. I will give letter grades to each of my performances. But I will only review the performances where I play music in the background.
Double D,no one wants to hear about your sexual escapades!(Unless their interesting)
Oh, I have a feeling they are quite interesting LOL
Ciara - "Love Sex Magic" (featuring Justin Timberlake)
"Love Sex Magic" is Ciara's "official" second single but third attempt at success, and it features Pop superstar, Justin Timberlake. Personally, the song is just okay. It sounds like a throwaway song from FutureSex/LoveSounds. Her first two singles, "Go Girl" and "Never Ever," are better songs, but ironically both failed to achieve success in the US. I'm still hoping that "Never Ever" catches on, though. "Love Sex Magic" will most likely be a hit, with the help of JT, regardless if it is a bland track. I expect CiCi and JT to net a Grammy nomination for this.
Grade: C Score: 50
This message has been edited. Last edited by: musicluva123,
Originally posted by DoubleD: We're using the Metacritic scale.
I think F4J's scale is a little too generous. If an album receives a score of 90 it shouldn't be given an A+ grade. To me, A+ equals a perfect album. And if an album receives an 85 that equals an A.
I like the Metacritic scale because it makes it harder for albums to get high scores.
No offense F4J.
BTW the scale that I originally came up with was the grading scale my teachers used in grade school and high school. Once I got to college, though, the grading scale changed. Like an A- no longer equaled a 4.0.
Anyway, we're using the Metacritic scale unless there's just severe outrage over it.
Any other questions?
You're looking at it backward. The idea is that if someone gives an album a letter grade (i.e. B), it will score lower numerically, making it difficult to get those top scores. That's why the A's start at 80. The whole point of the side-by-side scaling was that people who didn't know what number to assign (because they are used to letter/stars) would have some sort of reference.
My scale is actually my University grading system; the whole point was to keep scores down, not to be overly generous. No one ever really scored in the 90s lol. You had to be a genius. Likewise, albums would have to be brilliant to land scores in the 90s, and excellent to get into the 80s.
Anyway, I"m not arguing against your decision. I don't agree with the metacritic scale but it doesn't bother me at all. I will be using at numerical grading system, so I'll give it whatever % score I want regardless of what letter grade that translates to.
Originally posted by torontophenom: But what's so complicated in taking people's percentage rankings of the albums and getting the average of it. That's the most simplest and we get a % figure in the end. Why is there such a big debate about this. We don't have to follow everything specific thing exactly like Metacritic.
So your telling me if I rank an album 3 stars the album will automatically get assigned a 75? What if I think the album deserves a 79? There's a big gap in between what a 3 star album receives which is 75 and a 3.5 star album receives which is 88.
I'm with you on the percentage thing. To me, it just seems the easiest.
I also agree, plus it makes it easier for simple minded people like me.
Anyways....
Song Lilly Allen - "The Fear"
I like it, not perfect but catchy, good lyrics, great melody.
80%
Posts: 5562 | Location: Denver, CO | Registered: October 29, 2007
My god, what are you guys going to do when people start grading the same albums? There are some very crazy arguments in here, and no offense (I like all three of you) but it's making me wary about posting. I'm sure it's doing the same to others. I don't really feel like bothering to post a review of a single or album when it's just going to be buried by your guys' bickering on the scoring system.
I say pick a system and stick with it. If you don't like it, don't participate, although that seems rather silly.
Originally posted by bildo10: My god, what are you guys going to do when people start grading the same albums? There are some very crazy arguments in here, and no offense (I like all three of you) but it's making me wary about posting. I'm sure it's doing the same to others. I don't really feel like bothering to post a review of a single or album when it's just going to be buried by your guys' bickering on the scoring system.
I say pick a system and stick with it. If you don't like it, don't participate, although that seems rather silly.
Fair enough man. I will no longer discuss it. Let's get on with the reviews!
Posts: 8671 | Location: Canada | Registered: October 26, 2005
Sorry for another non sequitur but I was looking over the grade scale on the first page and I'd just like to say that it would be kind of hilarious to see something get an F+. Not something I can say I've ever seen before LOL.
Originally posted by musicluva123: Ryan Leslie - Ryan Leslie
Ryan Leslie is the official self-titled debut album from R&B singer and producer Ryan Leslie. This album consists of good production and catchy tunes by a below average male vocalist. Leslie's vocals are clearly outnumbered by the beats and melodies on each track. Although the production on this album is satisfactory, the beats seem forgettable. While Leslie delivers on tracks such as "Diamond Girl," "Addiction," "You're Fly" and current single, "How It Was Supposed to Be," he falls flat on a few tracks. One track that Leslie noticeably tumbles on is "Gibberish." On this particular track, Leslie literally sings gibberish while using an auto-tune. While most of the album has good production, his attempt at good production on "Gibberish" fails miserably. However, what's impressive about this is that Leslie produced every single track on his debut. That is always a plus.
Grade: B- Score: 67
Your review is VERY generous.
The songs and production on this album are VERY forgettable and Ryan Leslie just can't sing. This album is pretty terrible. I'm not going to even bother to review it in this thread.
So Taylor Swift's sophomore album has been number one forever it seems. Aside from the cute "Teardrops On My Guitar", I didn't know much about her. I figured she was just another teen pop act with minimal talent like Miley Cyrus et al. With Fearless becoming a critical and commercial success, I decided to checked it out. And it's a very solid album. It's not really a country album, it's more guitar driven pop. She is not a great singer, not even a good one, but instead of following the producers and trends of the moment, she choses to talk about her teenager experiences with boys. Swift plays the guitar and wrote every track, most of them by herself. Her lyrics aren't deep ("Changes" is probably as deep as she gets), but she has crafted songs with catchy melodies and choruses that stick in my head for days. As she ages and experiences more things, I expect her writing to mature a bit. I especially love "Love Story", "Hey Stephen", and "Fearless". This ia a cohesive album that flows seamlessly. I didn't skip any track. Don't laugh, but overall Fearless is a very solid and enjoyable album. I'd even argue that it's one of the best mainstream albums this year.
Originally posted by musicluva123: Ryan Leslie - Ryan Leslie
Ryan Leslie is the official self-titled debut album from R&B singer and producer Ryan Leslie. This album consists of good production and catchy tunes by a below average male vocalist. Leslie's vocals are clearly outnumbered by the beats and melodies on each track. Although the production on this album is satisfactory, the beats seem forgettable. While Leslie delivers on tracks such as "Diamond Girl," "Addiction," "You're Fly" and current single, "How It Was Supposed to Be," he falls flat on a few tracks. One track that Leslie noticeably tumbles on is "Gibberish." On this particular track, Leslie literally sings gibberish while using an auto-tune. While most of the album has good production, his attempt at good production on "Gibberish" fails miserably. However, what's impressive about this is that Leslie produced every single track on his debut. That is always a plus.
Grade: B- Score: 67
Your review is VERY generous.
The songs and production on this album are VERY forgettable and Ryan Leslie just can't sing. This album is pretty terrible. I'm not going to even bother to review it in this thread.
A couple things we know about Kelly Clarkson: she has an incredible voice and the girl has the potential to be a pop queen (very much foreseen in her smash album, Breakaway). Taking an admiral artistic turn with My December, she didn't see the fruits of her efforts commercially, or even artistically for that matter. With All I Ever Wanted, Kelly returns to some of the pop elements that gave her commercial and some critical prominence.
My December painted her as a young artist searching for her voice and sound in today's pop world. Unfortunately, All I Ever Wanted doesn't do much to really clarify things. She explores a plethora of elements, and while I admire her attempts and clear versatility, I can't help but wonder who Kelly Clarkson is. Like her previous album, she drums up impersonations of other artists (Avril Lavigne in "I Do Not Hook Up", Beyonce in "Already Gone", Rihanna in "If I Can't Have You" -- Yes, I said that, the song sounds like "Disturbia".). She retreads a little on Breakaway hits in "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "Don't Let Me Stop You". She even outright confuses me on "Whyyawannabringmedown"; definitely an interesting moment hearing such a hard rock tune coming from Kelly. I don't think I like it.
The album is not without its brighter moments though: "All I Ever Wanted" is really cool -- a little different for her with layered vocals and neat production. "Cry" and "Ready" both give me contemporary country vibes! I can totally see someone like Faith Hill laying down tracks like these. "I Want You" jumps on the throwback sound a la Amy Winehouse and Duffy; Kelly's a little late in the game with this sound, but she does a great job here.
There's no shortage of catchy pop tunes made to dominate the charts on this album, but there is something really beautiful about what Kelly does when she takes a step back and keeps it simple. "If No One Will Listen" is easily the most traditional ballad on the album; very relaxed, simple, and yet gorgeous.
This album is far from perfect, and not as good as Breakaway, but there's a little bit of everything in here, including a few pretty outstanding tracks. Solid comeback effort.
