4 Excellent Albums That Critics Hated but Fans Loved

Music critics and audiences tend to differ in their opinions when it comes to certain records. Critics may hail an album as life-changing, while the average listener can’t even get halfway through the first track. On the flip side, there are quite a few famous albums out that that critics hated but fans (and the average Joe) absolutely loved. Let’s look at just a few examples, based on data from Metacritic!

1. ‘Until The End Of Time’ by 2Pac

This posthumous rap album was more or less shut down by critics upon its release in 2001. Critics gave it an average rating of 5.1/10, with some critics noting that it lacked “2Pac’s editorial control and final production decisions”, which is pretty understandable criticism. 

Still, fans loved it and it currently has an audience rating of 8.6/10. Quite a few fans positively reviewed the rap album from one of the most legendary artists of his generation. 2Pac was a man of the people, after all.

2. ‘A Day Without Rain’ by Enya

If you have ever listened to an Enya song while stressed out, you might be surprised to hear that A Day Without Rain makes our like of albums that critics hated but fans loved. We really don’t understand the dislike here. This turn-of-the-millenium album is one of the greatest works to come from the new age singer/songwriter. Critics gave this album a pitiful 4.1/10, but fans gave it a whopping 8.2/10. 

“This is music that works almost entirely as a surface pleasure,” said one critic.

“I will never understand what went through the critics’ minds when rating this album, it’s an actual masterpiece,” said one listener.

3. ‘Lions’ by The Black Crowes

This Southern rock record from 2001 has critics and fans seriously divided. Lions by The Black Crowes has a surprisingly low score of 5.0/10 from critics but boasts a hefty 8.7/10 rating from audiences.

“The way that the guitars are out-of-tune in ‘Losing My Mind,’ makes me feel like I’m actually losing my own mind,” gushed one fan. “I love stuff like that. A complete musical experience. The music would tell the story even if there were no lyrics.”

“With ‘Lions’, the band has dropped its biggest dud, a moribund disaster with no more than a tiny handful of salvageable songs,” lamented one critic from The A.V. Club.

4. ‘Screaming Bloody Murder’ by Sum 41

Pop punk tends to get thrown under the bus in terms of charting success and critical reviews. This classic 2011 album from Sum 41 is an unfortunate example of that, as it makes our list of albums critics hated but fans loved with a pretty wide margin. Critics gave it a mediocre 4.7/10, while fans gave it an applauding 8.4/10.

Quite a few critics bemoaned the album’s “flavorless thrashing” and lack of musical development. Fans, on the other hand, hailed the record as one of the best rock albums to come out in the year 2011.

Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images

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