Should an album review justify its rating? Or vice versa?

i'd give OPM nothing more than a B+ myself, heh

sounds like the reviewer was being almost 'apologetic' about his rating...like they knew they had to try hard to justify it by showing they'd thought about the flaws and negative points about the album

At best, ratings are inane. At worst, they're a crutch for the reviewer so they don't have to figure out how to actually express their opinion accurately. And who the hell cares whether it's an A- or B+ to Christgau? That doesn't tell me what it is to me.

(It's a D.)