To Unplug or Not to Unplug? The Best and Worst Acoustic Albums

Posted by Jen Zoratti
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Justin Bieber is releasing Believe Acoustic this week, which will feature unplugged versions of chart toppers like "Boyfriend" and "Beauty and the Beat" from an album that came out way back in the summer of, um, 2012.

This has put us in a reflective mood about the acoustic album (the kind where artists cover their own songs, not just any ol' folk record). When music gets unplugged, it can either be soul-bearing proof that a really great song can be stripped down to its barest bones and remain really great -- or it can be a cash-grabby commemorative anniversary-type deal that's sold through Starbucks (we're unironically looking at you, Alanis Morissette).

So here are our picks for the five best and the five worst acoustic albums:

Check out the best and worst acoustic albums