Over:
- Solange - A Seat at the Table - just a 7 or 8/10, really not best-of-the-year material like some people thought
- Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy - barely even a 6/10.
- Patti Smith - Horses - in Rolling Stone's top 50 of all time. I struggled to enjoy it.
- The Eagles - Hotel California - also in their top 50, just...not brilliant
must be an Americana thing.
- Green Day - American Idiot - so overhyped and built up to be this political clusterbomb when in reality it was a bunch of high-schooler poetry and lazy satire.
Under:
- Beyonce - 4 - people just talk of her self-titled and Lemonade being her "coming of age" albums but this was as good, I feel.
- Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow - just looked at as a "charming little comeback" or whatever when it was actually a crazily introspective and warm album and one of her best, imo
- The Killers - Sam's Town - whenever people get nostalgic about them they jump straight to 'Hot Fuss' and ignore anything else. Hot Fuss was 5 great songs in a row and then a lot of fuzz. Sam's Town was far more evenly-spread, and IMO, better.
- Radiohead - The Bends - not underrated per se, but following on from GiRTh's point: Kid A and OK Computer are looked upon as their masterpieces and I think I prefer this to both.
- Kelis - Flesh Tone - I honestly think she harnessed EDM and house music in a way that lots of popstars have tried to emulate since and failed. Brilliant 21st century album.