The ratings I give to all studio albums are determined using a sytem I've devised that takes into account 10 specific qualities that I look for in the music I listen to.

Albums are awarded a mark out of 10 for each quality to make a final score out of 100. Albums which score 91-100 are given 5 stars, 81-90 points translates to 4.5 stars, 71-80 points a rating of 4.0 stars e.t.c e.t.c

The ten qualities are as follows:

Songwriting: The most obvious and, ultimately, most important of all the categories. This is simply a measure of the overall quality of the songs that make up an album. If they hook me, then the album gets a good score.

Lyrics: Music is enhanced when the message in the lyrics resonates with the listener, so songwriters who attempt to combine a great sound with some genuine insight score well here, while run-of-the-mill love songs are heavily punished

Vocals: Singers with great vocal talent are rewarded here, but you don’t have to be able to hit every note to get a great score, the voice just has to be unique and has to fit the music

Songcraft: This about how well the songs are constructed. Masterful guitar-work is rewarded heavily by this category, but the musicians involved don't necessarily have to be technically great at what they do just as long as the sound and style they create is unique and original in some way.

Consistency: Albums that maintain a high standard throughout get a good score here. This category punishes an album that might have three or four exceptional tracks interspersed with more mediocre efforts. Inconsistent albums just don’t fit right with me!

Coherence: This measures how well the album fits together as a whole. Concept albums do well in this category, but a top score is not necessarily reliant on a precise theme.

Variety: Albums where every song sounds the same are punished by this category, but an album does not need to attempt a whole host of different genres in order to score well.

Production: This category rewards albums which still sound as fresh as the day they were recorded. It also takes into account the editing process, so albums that are too long or too short are punished.

Shelf Life: This measures how long the album retains its interest to the listener. Albums that have an immediate, but not lasting, impact are punished, while albums that grow steadily on the listener are rewarded.

S.S.S (Shrimp91's Something Special): Basically, this category is for those albums that just have something extra special about them. Maybe it is the legends that surround the making of it, or something personal that resonates with me, or whatever it is that makes the final product greater than the mere sum of its parts. My personal favourites can be spotted by a high score here.