4. Linkin Park, One More Light

Warner Bros.

Metascore: 46

Man does it feel wrong to criticize Linkin Park after a tragic year.  Unfortunately, their final album with Chester Bennington at the helm, One More Light wasn’t well reviewed.  The band received a Metascore of just 46.  This is truly an interesting case because there was 1 favorable review by Sputnikmusic.  Reviewer SowingSeason assigned the album a 3.7, which converts into a Metascore of 74.  He writes:

“One More Light sees the band embracing its melodic core, and offering no apologies as they expound upon it.”

There were some others who ended up assigning a respectable Metascore of 60 – Rock Sound (“…A sense of liberation running through these 10 tracks; the mark of artists unshackled from their past, stepping into the unknown.”) and Kerrang! (“A record that’s at times so flat.”). AllMusic wasn’t as giving, awarding the effort 2 ½ stars (a Metascore of 50), proclaiming One More Light to be “A provocative challenge that ultimately fails to satisfy.” Consequence of Sound, NME, and Classic Rock Magazine weren’t on board in the least.  Classic Rock Magazine assigned the poorest score – 1 star out of 5 or a 20 Metascore.

Our Take: We assigned One More Light a score of 2 ½ stars out of 5, which converts to a Metascore of 50 – right above the aggregate score of 46.

5. Imagine Dragons, Evolve

Interscope

Metascore: 47

Imagine Dragons cemented their popularity when the dropped megahit “Radioactive.”  The problem is, an entire album by the rock band has never yielded great critical results.  Their debut that housed the aforementioned hit, Night Visions (2012), topped out at a Metascore of 53. Their sophomore album, Smoke + Mirrors (2015), performed slightly better, earning a Metascore of 60. Evolve dipped, mustering up a tepid aggregate score of 47 out of six professional reviews.

AllMusic and NME were kind to Evolve, each assigning a Metascore of 60.  NME asserts, “This latest effort might represent a small progression, but it’s far from an evolution.” Rolling Stone was less kind with a 2-star review (Metascore of 40), criticizing the fit of the band and the production work of Mattman & Robin:

“Spacious productions are an odd fit for Dan Reynolds’ tortured dude-isms.”

The lowest score comes from Classic Rock Magazine: a 1 ½ out of 5 star-rating or a Metascore of 30. According to reviewer Emma Johnston, “Pop deserves better. Rock deserves better. We all deserve better.”

Our Take:

3 out of 5 stars. “All in all, Imagine Dragons deliver a respectable album with Evolve.   The evolution (and execution) is imperfect, but the band have some good ideas.  The question is, does anything from Evolve trump “Radioactive.” No.  Their work shouldn’t be compared to that seminal hit or its parent record throughout the course of the career, but it is indeed hard to move past its decadence.”

6. Faith Evans and the Notorious B.I.G., The King & I

Rhino

Metascore: 48

Posthumous albums often deliver mixed results.  Furthermore, quasi-posthumous albums, where one participant is alive and the other is dead, are huge risks.  That was the case with the Faith Evans (still in the land of the living) and The Notorious B.I.G. (deceased) collaborative project, The King & I.  9 of the 10 professional critics that took the time to review this one weren’t thrilled with it.  It earned a mere aggregate score of 48.

Like On More Light by Linkin Park, one reviewer was ‘onboard’ – or at least more so than others.  HipHopDX assigned the project a 3.1 out of 5, which converts to a Metascore of 62. Reviewer Jesse Fairfax asserts, “With The King & I, listeners get a glimpse of the potential impact an original Biggie & Faith collaborative LP could have produced.” Fair enough.  The Guardian and RapReviews.com weren’t far off, each serving up a Metascore of 60.

The King & I gets lower marks thanks to Pitchfork (45), The Observer, Q Magazine, Spin, and Mojo (40).  Mojo makes a sensible assertion:

“Here syrupy soul often fails to mesh with B.I.G.’s taut flows.”

Our Take:

Looking back on our outlying 3 ½ stars out of 5-star review, we were too generous by all means.  Perhaps it was all the nostalgia.