Critics can be a hot mess sometimes, but they have better taste than general public.
Most of the general public are just followers and uninformed with a lot of music that's out there.
I don't know to be honest. I believe in what I hear.
If I don't like it no matter how popular that song is I wouldn't be into it. (Right Round, PRA, Rolling in the Deep)
If I like it no matter how the critics dismiss it Imma jam to it till the end of the world
EDIT: The critics have better taste than the general public. But that's overall and I still believe in myself than anybody else
At the end of the day, critics do not pay the bills; the general public aka consumers are what brings the revenue in for labels and their artists.
Critical support is important because critics help to get some artists' music out there and keep it in the history books, but that is only a small sample size of people who care for or dislike an album. People have their own taste in music. Critics even disagree with one another. So, when it boils down to everything, it's you, the consumer, who makes the decision.