"...Such albums as 1997’s Maladjusted were rote and listless, and fans drifted away..."

People's views of Maladjusted vary, but I don't think anyone who was truely a fan drifted very far...if it were the case, Morrissey wouldn't have been doing tours when he had no record deals.

The real fans have always been there.

still are.

I just finished reading the article, what a piece of trash! was this guy even at the same shows I was??? "turning adolescent inadequacies into a crass road show" um no, and saying this just proves he hasn't the slightest f***ing clue about the mans music! He then dares to imply that Moz is somehow trying to jump on the band wagon of 80's nostalgia while fawning over the Cure being "expansive psychedelic rockers" I can only derive from this that he's never seen an artist who doesn't whore themselves out a la Madonna changing their image and tune at the drop of a hat. I went to the shows expecting to hear Morrissey not some psychedelic version of Morrissey and I wasn't the slightest bit disappointed!(I don't think the Cure are fit to lick Moz's boots) this article is utter garbage! Why is this imbecile, with such an obvious hatred of good music allowed to review anyone??? There was nothing remotely "crass" about the shows I attended and this "critic" must be blind as well as deaf if he couldn't see and feel the genuine love and warmth that comes through in each and every one of his songs. It thoroughly sickens me that someone like this is given a forum to vent their ignorant hateful views and had I known he was standing amongst us at the Apollo I would have happily kneed him in the groin!

KO

I counted two sentences that actually had something to do with YATQ.

I'm not too sure this reviewer had actually listened to the album. The usual Morrissey cliches are wheeled out and the only references to YATQ relate to lyrics which have presumably been picked up from a lyric sheet or another article. No reference whatsoever to the music or vocal. This is the first negative US review I have read - only a handful of the British reviewers have given poor reviews and the average review has been only middling. But US and European reviews have been far more generous. They always say that a prophet is rejected in his own land!

Why, with the release of YATQ, am I hearing so much bashing of Maladjusted? While I don't think I would ever consider it Morrissey's best work or my favorite solo album, but I liked it plenty. Am I the only one that thought it was a pretty good CD?

I think this reviewer hasn´t listened the whole album. He is playing with clichés about moz.
The cure is great band, but Robert Smith is singing the same song since a several years ago and he don´t have the great voice of Moz.
Morrissey´s sadness isn´t baneful, I recognize the true in his lyrics.