But I’m not a “reporter”, I’m a critic. When I “review” a concert my job isn’t to simply decribe costume changes or detail set lists – heck the artists’ management could submit that info themselves – my job is to judge what I saw. Was it good? Was it bad? In what way? That’s the whole reason I’m there.

I say shame on Shelburne for holding back when he sees bad things, his loyalty should be to his readers, not to the industry, and if he sees an awful concert, he should let his readers know.

also, though the artists may be pissed off or whatever, whenever I give a bad review I think of it as doing the artist a favor, there aren’t that many people who are going to work hard to give an honest uncompromising critical assessment of your work, they should appreciate it when they get it.

Obviously, I’m still working on it.

But I kind of agree with Shelburne’s idea – I prefer to just state the facts too as to take cheap shots at artists. And it’s actually harder to write a neutral review of something terrible than to just be venomous. There’s got to be a middle ground somewhere between taking shots and writing like Alison Bonaguro though.

ahh, that might explain it, that’s the record that I’m by far the most familiar with. I’ll have to go through more of his back catalogue I guess.

man, my drug use was so significant because it was dissatisfaction that drove me to drugs, but then I found out that being a druggie can result in even more dissatisfaction, drugs are bad

You have a real gift for summaries.

I disagree with you on Chris Knight, though. I think the songwriting is usually there in his case, but will concede that his most recent album is among his weakest (possibly at the very bottom). Songs like “If I Were You,” “North Dakota,” and “Enough Rope” are killer, though, and could hold their own next to material by some of those legends you name.

Also, I know I’m the only one, but I’m so annoyed by Jamey Johnson. The guy put out a song about how drugs are bad – not exactly a groundbreaking topic or one that takes great courage to tackle. Even for a “drugs are bad” song it’s weak. He groups pot in with cocaine and presumably speed, and he fails to address the existential angst that allegedly drove him to drug use in the first place. “man, my drug use was so significant because it was dissatisfaction that drove me to drugs, but then I found out that being a druggie can result in even more dissatisfaction, drugs are bad”. Thanks Jamey Johnson, you’re a prophet.

That’s kind of how I feel about a lot of Chris Knight songs too, they aren’t really smart at all. Like Johnson’s stuff, it’s all sort of dressed up as hard-edged “truth-telling”, but when compared to the music of guys who came before – Kristofferson, Steve Earle, Billy Joe Shaver, Townes, Guy Clark, etc – it all strikes me as really not very thoughtful.