So, since 1990, Christgau has used a set of three ratings called "honorable mentions", denoted by either 1, 2, or 3 asterisks. Unsurprisingly, the *** rating is the best, followed by the ** rating and then the lowly * rating. So what do these ratings mean? In short, each of them corresponds to some degree of listenability. Before I go into more detail, I should note that there's some variation between the best and worst albums in each rating category.
The * rating, I have concluded, denotes an album that is "barely enjoyable", meaning it is only pleasant to listen to in a very minimal, basic way. Often there is some palpable limitation to one of these albums that prevents it from being much better; take, for example, Babybird's "The Greatest Hits", which Christgau wrote "needs a whole lot less of Jesus and a lot more rock and roll". Another example is The Battle of Los Angeles by RATM, of which Christgau wrote, "If only it promised as much for the future of rock leftism as for the future of rock guitar." Over time, a * album usually becomes less "barely enjoyable" and more "barely listenable," which it does much faster than albums w/more favorable ratings.
The ** rating denotes an OK album; neither particularly engaging or enjoyable nor, like a * album, "barely enjoyable". Such an album has more substance than a * album does, and so can be enjoyed more deeply and less superficially than a * album can. Note that Christgau himself distinguishes ** albums from * albums by saying that people may well "enjoy" the former but will, at best, only "like" the latter.
Lastly there is the *** rating. This is the highest grade in this category, but it's still less than even an A- (as well as, of course, an A or A+). I've always perceived all three of these grades to be on a separate scale from, and therefore not really comparable to, letter grades. Fundamentally, even a *** album, although it is certainly enjoyable to listen to and doesn't get old nearly as fast as a *, is fundamentally "less" than an A- album, even if only by a little. By "less" I mean less fun to listen to, and, to a certain extent, less ambitious and less musically diverse, than an A- album. That said, *** albums are still very fun and rewarding to listen to; among my favorites are (and have been for years) Blink-182's self-titled album and QOTSA's Rated R.
