Hmm, I kind of like this best/worst thread. Worst album: Wyclef Jean, The Ecleftic - Wyclef obviously sports some talent, but this album is ridiculous. He covers Pink Floyd, ropes Kenny Rogers in to remake "The Gambler," and then dedicates this faux-carribean song to Amado Diallo and then follows it with a fake electro ditty dedicated to strippers. Oh my God, is it bad. Grown on me: I liked Jeff Buckley's Grace the first few times I listened to it, then I didn't, then I did, then I didn't, etc. I currently really like it. Same for U2's Joshua Tree (currently like it), Built to Spill's Perfect
From Now On, The Cure's Disintegration. I think I just have trouble wrapping my ears around overplayed records. Weird stuff like Beefheart, Eno or Zorn has rarely disappointed me, though Sonic Youth was pretty disappointing for me throughout the '90s. But I like the new one a lot.
Disappointing: For some reason, despite the amazing players involved, I thought the last Joe Henry was just so so, but I really want to hear what he does with the new Solomon Burke. Along those lines, I think the new Arto is great, and I feel his last few have expanded Brazilian music a hair. They all have some great ties to hip hop and r&b, plus drum and bass and noise, but they still stick to samba/bossa nova. I also think the new Neil Finn is beautiful. "Driving Me Mad," "Secret God" and "Rest of the Day Off" are all as good as many of his past songs. Josh