Most critically overrated vs. most critically underrated

[StrawberryBlond 14,778]

DISCLAIMER: This thread is 100% opinion based. No one's opinion is better than anyone else's and opinion and fact are different things. This thread also isn't about saying that someone shouldn't be considered overrated because they're a legend or very talented or have revolutionised music. This is about purely what the music does for you, regardless of the artists behind it or their status. Those accolades mean nothing if the music doesn't do it for you. So, base your thoughts on the music, nothing more. This is all about subjective opinion and everyone has the right to like and dislike what they wish. As such, do not feel the need to add "In my opinion" at the end of every sentence. In this thread, it being your opinion is a given.

 

Who are your most overrated and most underrated artists by critics (not the public) and why?

Mine are...

Overrated

Radiohead - Lyrics composed of nothingness, always a band that thinks it's saying something more than it is. Annoying vocals. Production is ordinary too, despite that being their USP, apparently. OK Computer is one of the best critically received albums of all time and I swear, Exit Music (For A Film) is the only decent one on there. Maybe the second part of Paranoid Android. Everything else absolutely baffles me as to what people see in it.

Bjork - Always struck me as an artist who tries to be weird just for the sake of it. For someone who can actually sing well given the chance, she pushes the most ear-splitting vocals on you, making you wince and her diction is terrible for someone who speaks fluent English. Her music is just odd. Like she could have put together something normal but thinks she's got to weirdify the hell out of it, even if it involves making her voice deliberately bad, thus ruining any good lyrics. She's got 2 albums I quite like, everything else is pretty much aural torture.

Taylor Swift - Fairly basic songwriter, very basic singer, basically talented musician. Just all-round basic. Will never get the appeal apart from the occasional song or two. I've been suspecting her of paying for reviews for ages. I just can't understand why grown, middle aged male critics could get anything out of her material.

Beyonce - Great singer and dancer but that's about it. Gets a large amount of help for all her work, yet gets praised like she's the ultimate creator. Steals a lot of people's work but never suffers for it. Very basic songs for the most part and gets a lot of help when she needs to do something more experimental. Just does the same things over and over again, pretty much.

U2 - They're just sorta...there. Only about 2 songs of theirs have ever stirred me up. Just never moved me all that much.

Adele - Basic songwriter, but is raised up as if she is something more than she is. Singing abilities massively overrated as her voice is actually very prone to failure and she has bad habits that led to her vocal problems. What she does has been done many times and done much better. She was just in the right place at the right time.

The Beatles - Just never did it for me bar a handful of songs. Their "comedic" songs never got a laugh out of me. I sometimes think people praise them just because they think they're supposed to. Anyone who's ever witnessed Paul McCartney singing the old hits live makes me truly wonder why they are seen as the be all and end all of music.

Kendrick Lamar - I don't know what he's rapping about half the time. Maybe it's just too high-faluting for me, I don't know. But I seriously get into him at all. His debut was better to me, yet it's his new album that critics really went crazy over and I just can't put my finger on why that is. The beats are annoying too.

Drake - His emotionless drawl of a voice that veers into parody, his boring, emotionless songs about girls we don't care about, his constant whining about nothing. At least his new album is finally getting a bit more rightful harshness bestowed upon it but it's not harsh enough. He's terrible. I'm genuinely dumfounded as to what people see.

Joanna Newsom - Lyrics are way too non-understandable for me and...THAT VOICE. How does one acquire a record deal with such pipes?

And a whole bunch of country artists. The majority of a country album is the most blandest time of your life and yet, country critics give out A reviews like nobodie's business.

Underrated (not much here because critics pretty much like everything)

Lana Del Rey - Outstanding lyrics, outstanding production values, a haunting voice (that's really good now, if you'd research it) and one of the few good poets around in music today. Yes, she's getting better reviews now than she did at the beginning, but she should still be getting perfect reviews across the board and winning every Grammy going. Why she doesn't win more awards voted for by critics is beyond me.

The Pretty Reckless - One of the few decent rock bands around now and yet critics are so lukewarm towards them. Maybe they just don't trust a rock band where the lead singer is a teenage rebel who was on Gossip Girl but if they do, that's the worst kind of music snobbery. The beats are rocking, the guitar solos are orgasmic, the lyrics are brilliant, the vocals are passionate. Turn on any of their uptempo numbers to hear Taylor Momsen spit fire. It's rare to find a band who still makes rock music like this. Critics don't know a good thing when they see it.

 

Seeing as critics seem to weirdly like everything, it's not hard to find artists who are over-rated, but finding underrated ones are pretty rare. Agree or disagree with what I have to say? Add your own picks. Remember to keep everything respectful. Even though I may dislike these artists, I don't intend to insult their fans for liking them (some attitudes of them when they get defensive are another thing, though!). The idea of this thread is just to get our inner frustrations out on the artists, not the fans.

[Red 97,950]

The ****ing Beatles

[KyliesChild 16,907]

Just now, Red said:

The ****ing Beatles

Overrated or Underrated?

[Guest]

Just now, Red said:

The ****ing Beatles

Bitch

[Red 97,950]

1 minute ago, Skai Jackson said:

Overrated or Underrated?

overrated

[Harry 26,836]

here we go again

[420 1,042]

Most overrated: Artists who has writers that write most of their music +Taylor

Most underrated: Artists who write their own music -Taylor

[JustAnotherDay 8,402]

5 minutes ago, StrawberryBlond said:

Radiohead - Lyrics composed of nothingness, always a band that thinks it's saying something more than it is. Annoying vocals. Production is ordinary too, despite that being their USP, apparently. OK Computer is one of the best critically received albums of all time and I swear, Exit Music (For A Film) is the only decent one on there. Maybe the second part of Paranoid Android. Everything else absolutely baffles me as to what people see in it.

Bjork - Always struck me as an artist who tries to be weird just for the sake of it. For someone who can actually sing well given the chance, she pushes the most ear-splitting vocals on you, making you wince and her diction is terrible for someone who speaks fluent English. Her music is just odd. Like she could have put together something normal but thinks she's got to weirdify the hell out of it, even if it involves making her voice deliberately bad, thus ruining any good lyrics. She's got 2 albums I quite like, everything else is pretty much aural torture.

Beyonce - Great singer and dancer but that's about it. Gets a large amount of help for all her work, yet gets praised like she's the ultimate creator. Steals a lot of people's work but never suffers for it. Very basic songs for the most part and gets a lot of help when she needs to do something more experimental. Just does the same things over and over again, pretty much.

Adele - Basic songwriter, but is raised up as if she is something more than she is. Singing abilities massively overrated as her voice is actually very prone to failure and she has bad habits that led to her vocal problems. What she does has been done many times and done much better. She was just in the right place at the right time.

The Beatles - Just never did it for me bar a handful of songs. Their "comedic" songs never got a laugh out of me. I sometimes think people praise them just because they think they're supposed to. Anyone who's ever witnessed Paul McCartney singing the old hits live makes me truly wonder why they are seen as the be all and end all of music.

Kendrick Lamar - I don't know what he's rapping about half the time. Maybe it's just too high-faluting for me, I don't know. But I seriously get into him at all. His debut was better to me, yet it's his new album that critics really went crazy over and I just can't put my finger on why that is. The beats are annoying too.

Drake - His emotionless drawl of a voice that veers into parody, his boring, emotionless songs about girls we don't care about, his constant whining about nothing. At least his new album is finally getting a bit more rightful harshness bestowed upon it but it's not harsh enough. He's terrible. I'm genuinely dumfounded as to what people see.

Joanna Newsom - Lyrics are way too non-understandable for me and...THAT VOICE. How does one acquire a record deal with such pipes?

 

[AJH219 4,448]

Overrated: Beyonce, just UGH

Underrated: Florence and the Machine (in USA especially ) 

[KyliesChild 16,907]

Death Grips are a bit overrated.

[Guest]

Overrated: 2011ga

Underated: 2012ga

[Guest]

I've never really gotten into Björk. Maybe her art is not for me to get, but I'm still waiting to see what all of the praise is about. :sweat:

As for the most underrated artists... Not sure, there are so many artists out there that deserve so much more acclaim. 

[AdAstra 2,649]

Overrated for me is James Taylor. It's more of a personal preference but I hate both his voice and music. 

Underrated, I'd probably go with Marina and the Diamonds. She makes amazing pop music with clever lyrics and never gets half the recognition she deserves. A lot of people hated Electra Heart but I thought the whole persona and back story she created for that album was pretty amazing.

I was going name Florence and the Machine for most underrated but I'm not really sure anyone on GGD is mentally prepared for the 600 page diatribe I would go on so...

[bionic 49,422]

Overrated: Rihanna

Underrated: Xtina

[LUO YI 6,089]

Overrated: The Beatles 

Underrated: Idk