Kanye West has one of the best hip-hop albums OF ALL TIME! (Photo: AP)

Judging the week's new music releases, based on their reviews.

Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

The Washington Post: "[E]asily the most thrilling album of 2010 and the best of West's career. The weird, wordy title is the only thing about this opus that he'll live to regret - the rest is pure pop bravura, with hip-hop's biggest ego torquing self-obsession into unapologetic new shapes."

Washington City Paper: "[T] he album is a dreamlike story that speaks in symbols, with no clear beginning or end. It’s also epically satisfying, the culmination of a hard-earned artistic evolution. It is, undoubtedly, a 'Where were you when you first heard it?' record."

Pitchfork: "On Twisted Fantasy, Kanye is crazy enough to truly believe he's the greatest out there. And, about a decade into his career, the hardworking perfectionist has gained the talent on the mic and in the control room to make a startlingly strong case for just that."

Verdict: Many well-deserved "toasts for the douchebag."

Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday

The Washington Post :"[T]o anyone who heard its early, hardcore-heavy leaks, these softer, usually romantic tracks may feel like compromises, meant to reassure mainstream listeners that Minaj is a semi-proper girl with, you know, feelings, not just a piranha with a gymnastic flow."

The Los Angeles Times: "[T]he lone female MC of Lil Wayne’s Young Money crew wants to keep credit with the crowd that followed her mix tapes but the tracks lack free-wheeling energy. They feel premeditated and, at worst, as mere pandering to a male demographic."

Verdict: Per usual, no one can decide exactly who Minaj is trying to appeal to.