FORMULA

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SCORES are listed on an ascending scale of 1–5. Wherever possible, this is calculated from the ORIGINAL SCORE given by the publication. For example:

 

Scores out of 5 are converted to percentage and rounded up to the nearest fifth:

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0/5    = 0% = 1/5

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0.5/5 = 10% = 1/5

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1/5    = 20% = 1/5

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1.5/5 = 30% = 2/5

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2/5    = 40% = 2/5

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2.5/5 = 50% = 3/5

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3/5    = 60% = 3/5

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3.5/5 = 70% = 4/5

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4/5    = 80% = 4/5

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4.5/5 = 90%  = 5/5

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5/5    = 100% = 5/5

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Scores out of 4 are converted to percentage and rounded up to the nearest fifth:

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0/4    = 0% = 1/5

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0.5/4 = 13% = 1/5

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1/4    = 25% = 1/5

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1.5/4 = 38% = 2/5

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2/4    = 50% = 3/5

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2.5/4 = 63% = 3/5

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3/4    = 75% = 4/5

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3.5/4 = 88% = 4/5

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4/4    = 100% = 5/5

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Scores based on letter grades are converted to a comparative fifth:

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F = 1/5

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D– = 1/5

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D = 1/5

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D+ = 1/5

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C– = 2/5

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C = 2/5

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C+ = 2/5

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B– = 3/5

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B = 3/5

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B+ = 4/5

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A– = 4/5

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A = 5/5

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A+ = 5/5

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If there is no original score, the sentiment of the entire review prose is analyzed and converted to a comparative fifth:

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No redeeming qualities = 1/5 (e.g., "Maybe it's best to leave it on the shelf")

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Mostly negative              = 2/5 (e.g., "Her songwriting's still got a long way to go")

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Positive and negative    = 3/5 (e.g., "She has the voice, but the ineffable je ne sais quoi isn't quite there")

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Mostly positive               = 4/5 (e.g., "A collection of sophisticated soul tunes")

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Virtually no faults          = 5/5 (e.g., "The musical equivalent to staring into the face of God")

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The SCORES for each album are then calculated to determine the average, and thus the RECEPTION of the album:

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1.0–1.4 = icy reception

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1.5–2.4 = cold reception

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2.5–3.4 = mild reception

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3.5–4.4 = warm reception

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4.5–5.0 = sizzling reception

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In addition to the RECEPTION of the album, the SCORES are used to calculate the REACTION. This is not based on the individual scores, but rather the variance between them. This provides another valuable data point, as an album receiving a 3.0 mild reception could receive 5 scores of 3/5, or 5 scores of 1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 4/5, and 5/5. To calculate the REACTION toward an album, the standard deviation among the album's individual scores is used:

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0–0.5 = unified reaction

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0.6–0.7 = similar reaction

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0.8–0.9 = mixed reaction

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1.0–1.2 = divided reaction

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1.3+ = polarized reaction

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Based on thousands of reviews analyzed, these conversions and labels have been determined to be the most representative of the overall critical sentiment toward an album.

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