Reputation's First Metacritic Score

[DeanWinchester 41,390]

2 hours ago, Rescued said:

America’s soft power is at its zenith when Blonde American Dream girls succeed. She will succeed, and she’ll continue getting all the undeserved grammys, cause AMERICA has an image to sell. Bookmark me 

I wish this applied to Gaga. Hell, Katy went blonde and we all know what happened

[GagaTheExplorer 3,053]

5 hours ago, Gagz4Gaga said:

Grammy 2019 Album of the Year

[Mr S 8,673]

The funny part is when other artists did well critically (Beyonce, Rihanan Kendrick Lamar etc) their fans would use that when defending them. But when Taylor does well its "critics are wrong", "she is paying the critics" etc.

[StrawberryBlond 14,880]

As to be expected. She must be paying these critics a pretty penny. Critics simply don't big up music like this from anyone else. After she wrote a song dissing a critic, her days of praise should've been behind her. Most of them are likely coming from publications that demand a certain level of praise anyway, they're told what to think. It never ceases to amaze me how these mostly male, middle-aged, straight critics could possibly see in Taylor's music. I'm a female and she's never appealed to me, found her too babyish and basic. So, what could male critics with degrees in music possibly see in her? Payola, most likely.

10 hours ago, Rescued said:

America’s soft power is at its zenith when Blonde American Dream girls succeed. She will succeed, and she’ll continue getting all the undeserved grammys, cause AMERICA has an image to sell. Bookmark me 

While I agree with your overall view of Taylor (as you can see by my earlier liking of your post), I must say that you've really got it so wrong here. It's clear that you haven't actually researched the reality of how critics review albums and the real disparity of black vs. white. The only white women at the moment who are guaranteed rave reviews are Taylor and Adele. Critics are so hard on every other woman, they never let them get away with generic blandness like they do males and black artists are getting some of the best reviews out there. I mean, Beyonce's Lemonade alone is proof of that - one of the most acclaimed albums of all time. Same for albums from Kendrick Lamar, Chance The Rapper, SZA, Jay Z, Solange...meanwhile, you get Gaga, a white woman making country rock inspired music and she gets mixed reviews. And you get Miley Cyrus, another white woman who's recently gone back to her country roots - even more mixed reviews. Katy Perry's always had mixed-negative reviews. Most white girl groups get mixed reception. Even Britney and Xtina never got wide praise back in the day. And when it comes to awards, black artists are owning it, along with single and album sales. There's so many super talented white female artists around who never get a look-in. It's really hard to be a white female artist right now. I know this isn't the desired wisdom right now, but look up the facts instead of what you're told to believe and it's true.

8 hours ago, DeanWinchester said:

I wish this applied to Gaga. Hell, Katy went blonde and we all know what happened

Yep. Don't get me wrong, I hate blind praise but if white women are supposedly so worshipped in the business, could they throw even a bit of it Gaga's way when it comes to her album reviews? She used to get really good ones, I don't know what happened. They praise all her live performances, why not her actual albums? And yeah, Katy's never been a critical darling. Taylor's a one-off case in a world where most male critics hate female pop music.

1 hour ago, GrigioGirl1 said:

The funny part is when other artists did well critically (Beyonce, Rihanan Kendrick Lamar etc) their fans would use that when defending them. But when Taylor does well its "critics are wrong", "she is paying the critics" etc.

It's because the music she makes is a kind that usually doesn't appeal to critics - innocent, girlie pop music mainly about boys. So, we rightfully ponder if there's something fishy going on. Gaga made an album that was much more suited to the average critic's taste (country rock inspired, guitar playing, a retro feel at times, good vocals) and yet she got mixed reviews across the board. Explain that to me.

[Mr S 8,673]

1 hour ago, StrawberryBlond said:

As to be expected. She must be paying these critics a pretty penny. Critics simply don't big up music like this from anyone else. After she wrote a song dissing a critic, her days of praise should've been behind her. Most of them are likely coming from publications that demand a certain level of praise anyway, they're told what to think. It never ceases to amaze me how these mostly male, middle-aged, straight critics could possibly see in Taylor's music. I'm a female and she's never appealed to me, found her too babyish and basic. So, what could male critics with degrees in music possibly see in her? Payola, most likely.

While I agree with your overall view of Taylor (as you can see by my earlier liking of your post), I must say that you've really got it so wrong here. It's clear that you haven't actually researched the reality of how critics review albums and the real disparity of black vs. white. The only white women at the moment who are guaranteed rave reviews are Taylor and Adele. Critics are so hard on every other woman, they never let them get away with generic blandness like they do males and black artists are getting some of the best reviews out there. I mean, Beyonce's Lemonade alone is proof of that - one of the most acclaimed albums of all time. Same for albums from Kendrick Lamar, Chance The Rapper, SZA, Jay Z, Solange...meanwhile, you get Gaga, a white woman making country rock inspired music and she gets mixed reviews. And you get Miley Cyrus, another white woman who's recently gone back to her country roots - even more mixed reviews. Katy Perry's always had mixed-negative reviews. Most white girl groups get mixed reception. Even Britney and Xtina never got wide praise back in the day. And when it comes to awards, black artists are owning it, along with single and album sales. There's so many super talented white female artists around who never get a look-in. It's really hard to be a white female artist right now. I know this isn't the desired wisdom right now, but look up the facts instead of what you're told to believe and it's true.

Yep. Don't get me wrong, I hate blind praise but if white women are supposedly so worshipped in the business, could they throw even a bit of it Gaga's way when it comes to her album reviews? She used to get really good ones, I don't know what happened. They praise all her live performances, why not her actual albums? And yeah, Katy's never been a critical darling. Taylor's a one-off case in a world where most male critics hate female pop music.

It's because the music she makes is a kind that usually doesn't appeal to critics - innocent, girlie pop music mainly about boys. So, we rightfully ponder if there's something fishy going on. Gaga made an album that was much more suited to the average critic's taste (country rock inspired, guitar playing, a retro feel at times, good vocals) and yet she got mixed reviews across the board. Explain that to me.

The black vs white thing I've definitely noticed. It's almost like critics are AFRAID to give a negative review to an urban album. As if they would be accused of racism or something. I mean, Beyonce singing about being pro black on a few songs. Who cares if it's lacking in song structure and melody. You couldn't possible criticize it if you're a critic.

I also think it's cool to be a black artist and to listen to black music. Katy Perry, Cyrus, and yes Gaga are not cool. Swift should belong there too theoretically. Adele is an exception.

I really thought Swift would be panned here. I still haven't heard the album but the hype is just so big (like BTW), she's been noticeably quiet about politics, her shtick is kind of getting tired, the reception of the first few singles were lukewarm, there's so much hate online towards her. It really did feel like the critics would have picked up on that and went along with that narrative. It's really shocking they didn't. I'm not necessarily disagreeing with them (yet), only because I haven't heard the album yet.

I just don't think it's payola. Otherwise other artists would have done it. Beyonce for example would have done it early in her career.

[migamiga 12,102]

If gaga released this exact same album they would trash her 

[Sakrai 4,759]

7 hours ago, StrawberryBlond said:

While I agree with your overall view of Taylor (as you can see by my earlier liking of your post), I must say that you've really got it so wrong here. It's clear that you haven't actually researched the reality of how critics review albums and the real disparity of black vs. white. The only white women at the moment who are guaranteed rave reviews are Taylor and Adele. Critics are so hard on every other woman, they never let them get away with generic blandness like they do males and black artists are getting some of the best reviews out there. I mean, Beyonce's Lemonade alone is proof of that - one of the most acclaimed albums of all time. Same for albums from Kendrick Lamar, Chance The Rapper, SZA, Jay Z, Solange...meanwhile, you get Gaga, a white woman making country rock inspired music and she gets mixed reviews. And you get Miley Cyrus, another white woman who's recently gone back to her country roots - even more mixed reviews. Katy Perry's always had mixed-negative reviews. Most white girl groups get mixed reception. Even Britney and Xtina never got wide praise back in the day. And when it comes to awards, black artists are owning it, along with single and album sales. There's so many super talented white female artists around who never get a look-in. It's really hard to be a white female artist right now. I know this isn't the desired wisdom right now, but look up the facts instead of what you're told to believe and it's true.

I agree with everything you say. I never meant any other girl other than Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift in particular is America's poster child. I didn't mean "white girls", I meant THE Americn Dream girl, the one whose all American face can most easily bleed into foreign cultures and transmit America's all powerful soft power onto them, and currently that's Taylor Swift.

[Mario Salas 973]

This trash album getting praise? Bye

[androiduser 7,438]

it will probably go down, because the media close to the artist does the first reviews, but it's a good album and it definitely deserves a good score

[StrawberryBlond 14,880]

21 hours ago, GrigioGirl1 said:

The black vs white thing I've definitely noticed. It's almost like critics are AFRAID to give a negative review to an urban album. As if they would be accused of racism or something. I mean, Beyonce singing about being pro black on a few songs. Who cares if it's lacking in song structure and melody. You couldn't possible criticize it if you're a critic.

I also think it's cool to be a black artist and to listen to black music. Katy Perry, Cyrus, and yes Gaga are not cool. Swift should belong there too theoretically. Adele is an exception.

I really thought Swift would be panned here. I still haven't heard the album but the hype is just so big (like BTW), she's been noticeably quiet about politics, her shtick is kind of getting tired, the reception of the first few singles were lukewarm, there's so much hate online towards her. It really did feel like the critics would have picked up on that and went along with that narrative. It's really shocking they didn't. I'm not necessarily disagreeing with them (yet), only because I haven't heard the album yet.

I just don't think it's payola. Otherwise other artists would have done it. Beyonce for example would have done it early in her career.

Yes, I'm totally with you on that sentiment. Ironically, treating minorities the same as whites (meaning they're open to the same amount of criticism) is what gets you called racist. It just goes to show that plenty of people aren't looking for equality, they're looking for special treatment. Equality doesn't mean everyone kisses your ass, it means you're praised when you do something good, slammed when you do something bad. To think that when someone doesn't mindlessly worship you means they're being racist towards you is such a superiority complex, I can't even. I've been called out for this in album reviews now, it's crazy. You're right, I'm not here for Beyonce's attempt at pro-black songs (Formation is one of the worst songs I've ever heard and the pro-black message is actually the least of my complaints). There's nothing wrong with being proud of your race but doing so in your songs means that you're alienating whole sections of your fanbase. Contrary to what detractors were saying, this isn't white people complaining because they realised that a song wasn't for them. It's being annoyed that the song isn't for anyone who isn't black, which includes Asians and Hispanics. Beyonce hasn't toured Asia in ages, even though she used to have lots of fans out there, maybe her pro-black message just isn't washing? I thought she of all people would know that alienating whole racial groups with a song wasn't a good idea. It's no surprise that Lemonade is her second-worst selling album of her career (I know, you'd never believe it because of how much its sales have been praised, but it barely sold more than the supposed flop, AP). She's got too political and polarising of late and she's stopped making the "bops" that made her a successful superstar.

And you're right - black artists and black music are seen as cool. I don't really quite know where that stereotype came from. Sure, it's true and all but I've seen plenty of white artists and white music that's just as cool, so why do they get labelled as lam, bland and try hard? Gaga used to be cool but not anymore because she became too political and LGBT and her music became too polarising, Miley was never really cool as she was a child star and became cringey when she tried to grow up and is now making "boring" music. Katy used to be cool but now she's too old to be making the music she does. So, yeah, being a white female right now is tough. I also notice that ageism doesn't really apply to black females as much (Beyonce, Nicki, etc. are still having successes despite being well into their 30's but for most white women, once you're 30, you're done). Yes, theoretically, Taylor should belong in that group of exiled females but she survives for some reason. I think Adele's the exception because she never does anything controversial, is down to earth and plays it safe with music that anyone of any gender can relate to.

Yep, I didn't think Taylor would have as many fans here. She's unlike Gaga in so many ways. She really ticks every box for an artist that should be experiencing a downfall right now. And yes, the critics should have picked up on that and run with the narrative of "build em up just to bring em down," just like they did for Gaga (I don't even think Gaga was getting as much hate as Taylor is now). It's not fair that every other female has to go through that and she escapes unscathed. I haven't heard the album in full yet either (just 5 songs) but only 2 of them impress me to any degree and I've heard that a lot of the album is filler, so I'm not holding out much hope.

I think other artists are totally doing payola, we just don't know which ones. Beyonce, I highly suspect. There's no reason that she wouldn't have started doing it now to make up for the lesser acclaim early in her career because she needs that comeback. Usually, if you've always had fairly mixed reception, as Beyonce has (before her surprise releases, her highest MetaCritic score was 73, then she surprise released and started getting scores of 85 and 92), you don't suddenly start getting widespread praise out the blue, so it suggests payment to be positive. If we're talking about individual albums, I think Nicki Minaj's Roman Reloaded was likely the result of a few bribes. That album was such a mess (even the public agreed), it should have been the antithesis of everything a critic was looking for and it didn't even get any Grammy nominations, yet it actually got decent critical reception.

21 hours ago, F AM E said:

If gaga released this exact same album they would trash her 

True, and I also think had Taylor released Joanne, it would have had widespread critical praise. You'd think Gaga singing country rock inspired music complete with a stetson and strumming a retro guitar while looking barefoot and gorgeous would be real critic bait. Not so, it seems. She gets cited as insincere, yet when other artists do it, they're being honest and baring their souls. They've just got it in for certain artists and display overwhelming bias for others.

15 hours ago, Rescued said:

I agree with everything you say. I never meant any other girl other than Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift in particular is America's poster child. I didn't mean "white girls", I meant THE Americn Dream girl, the one whose all American face can most easily bleed into foreign cultures and transmit America's all powerful soft power onto them, and currently that's Taylor Swift.

Ah, I get it now. Her power in the south is still strong. Her good girl country image to kickstart her career proved to be the best investment she ever made. It's moments like these that I understand those who call her a good businesswoman. But in other ways, she makes terrible business decisions (not allowing streaming for 1989 meaning she lost out on 2-3 potential #1 singles in the UK, barely touring anywhere outside USA, Canada, Australia and NZ so her worldwide power remains low, refusing Reputation on streaming for the first week thereby losing valuable initial interest...).

[NCgaga 4,324]

It’s about the only deliciously pop album out this year. Taylor has owned that genre  for a decade now. Even though this album  is a little vengeful at times, there is nothing dangerous about it that will steer the millions of girls that have looked up to her, away. It’s kind of smart to milk that cow as long as possible. Typically after a few years in, pop girls like to take an edgier, over sexualized direction which alienates a lot of the base. Anyway, she will have continued success, with her consistent formula. 

Musically, aside from LWYMMD And Ready for it, the songs on the album are still constructed just like her songs from 8 years ago. She uses very similar chord progressions, and musicality. If you listen to these songs and imagine them with a drum set and guitars like her more country sound, you wil hear big similarities, and nothing unfamiliar to her fans. The only difference with this album is the insane amount of production. 

[scallywally 626]

I neither stan her or dislike her but I got it. Great album, I didn't think it would sell so highly. She's got a massive hit on her hands!

[NCgaga 4,324]

Of course when Taylor is successful, people want to say it’s becasuse she is white. Literally, being white didn’t help other huge pop stars like Katy, Xtina, Gaga, etc, etc.. meanwhile, Beyonce, Rihanna, and Nicky consistently sell albums, with the same artistical merit as katy or Taylor. Taylor writes her one music, plays her own instruments, and has the same vocal talent as Rihanna. Rihanna has a lot less of a hand in her music, yet Rihanna consistently sells albums, without a backlash. Yes Taylor owns Rihanna when it comes to sells, but Taylor has had lots of backlash. 

Being a black or half black artist is seen as cool, while the industry typically rises white girla up to the stratosphere, then drops them. Not the same for white males, but def for white females. 

[NIghtmareElm 2,606]

On 11/10/2017 at 11:42 AM, GrigioGirl1 said:

The funny part is when other artists did well critically (Beyonce, Rihanan Kendrick Lamar etc) their fans would use that when defending them. But when Taylor does well its "critics are wrong", "she is paying the critics" etc.

Exactly.  Fans will praise the positive critic reviews for an artist they love but if it's an album from an artist they don't like they just assume the critics are paid.

[Getaway Heart 105]

its now at 75 with 16 reviews so i think itll stay about this spot and most of Taylors previous albums are all in the 70s