Would you say the same about more obviously artistic mediums? "Oh, their second album sounds exactly like their first which I liked!" isn't a compliment, usually.
Even if the succeeding effort is just adding polish and streamlining your previous sound, it's something different in my books.
In any case, in all the music discussion I've been, "artist that keeps making the same album" has always been a strong criticism very much like "one trick pony".
My favorite band started experimenting with different sounds and genres and while I still like their old stuff I don't care for their new stuff much
I would love if they made more that sounded like their old stuff.
Obviously it's their art and I don't begrudge them doing their own thing, but it was a bummer when I listened to it and felt it was no longer for me.