10 Biggest Love/Hate Albums In Rock Music History

Any entry from American singer and multi-instrumentalist, Joanna Newsom's small discography could have made this list, but her full-length 2004 debut, The Milk-Eyed Mender, is a good place to start. This is the album which exposed Newsom's singular voice and singing style to the world.

Newsom penned all of the tracks here, with the exception of the traditional song, Three Little Babies, and the album received almost universal critical praise. The tracks themselves are inarguably beautifully arranged and produced. The Milk-Eyed Mender, however, occupies that unusual space where 'expert' acclaim bumps uncomfortably against accusations of pretension and elitism.

As with Bob Dylan, there seems little room for middle ground here – for most, Newsom's voice either enchants or irritates. Uniqueness, of course, can be a double-edged sword. Newsom, you would bet, is an artist not overly concerned with commercial success. She is a singer who creates work as a means of expression, first and foremost and that, at the very least, deserves credit and respect.