Who’s Your Music Critic?
There are some writers whose recommendations I take seriously – if they like something, I know I probably will too – and others whose tastes are so opposite mine that their recommendations actually dissuade me. Of course, the vast majority fall somewhere in between the two extremes, but that makes for boring conversation. Who are the writers on the ends of your spectrum? Who totally gets you and who doesn’t?
I’ll chime in with my answers once the conversation gets going.
I’ll use this opportunity to talk about how much I hate Chet Flippo. the only thing that makes me madder than his column, where he spends most of his time trying to feign credibility by saying things to the effect of “yeah, country music is plastic right now, but in the past it had been plastic too, so it’s not lame that I am the editorial director for cmt.com” is that readers can’t comment on his column! Why you hidin’ Chet Flippo??????
Back to the point at hand, I don’t typically take a critic’s identity into account when I read their review. Hopefully they take the time to describe the record, and give me some idea of what to expect from it, and if that sounds up my alley, I may give it a chance.
Craig Shelburne over at cmt.com is usually a pretty good barometer of whether I’ll like something or not. Granted, most of his reviews tend to be positive, but I usually agree with him. Same goes for Jim Malec at the9513. Jim calls it like it is, and I am a big fan of his writings.
Chris Neal’s Country Weekly reviews are usually spot-on too …
As for writers whose opinions I disagree with mostly are the PopWatch weirdos over at Entertainment Weekly’s blog. Oh, and that Alison Bonaguro at cmt.com too – she tends to like all the crap radio is playing the hell out of. Or maybe that’s just what she’s told to write about … Either way, her taste stinks.
Thanks! I was gonna be secretly disappointed if nobody mentioned me.
Wow, JR covered almost all of the folks I had in mind when I wrote the question. I agree on all counts and would add Hazel Smith as someone who I disagree with more often than not… and, incidentally, whose writing style I cannot get into at all.
That does seem to be a running theme in Flippo’s column, Ben.
Oh yeah, and that Chris Neal is really something.
Except for Ben’s strong feelings toward Flippo, I pretty much agree with his thoughts on this subject.
I have no desire to name names on the critics that I don’t really like…wouldn’t be prudent.:)
However, is it sucking up too much to say that I really take CM Wilcox’s recommendations quite seriously? I mean, how can I not? The man is a genius!
In all seriousness though…for real!
Yeah, that would be sucking up too much. But thanks. By the way, you’re one person whose tastes are so similar to mine that I can pretty much take your star rating to the bank without even reading the review (which I do anyway, of course).
This blog is like the mutual admiration society for country music writers.
Right back at you. I knew we had a music connection from the beginning of your blog…a positive review of that small budget Paul Overstreet album, that Randy Travis post…I was sold.
Oh yeah, I really like that John Maglite guy too. What the heck ever happened to him anyway?:)
Speaking of the main The9513 writers, I agree that Jim is a very talented writer and I’m always interested in what he has to say.
Brady has convinced me to buy some albums that I might have otherwise overlooked without his recommendations.
I think Ben and I come from different angles when it comes to country music, but I’m forever in his debt for his Justin Townes Earle review. I really love that album.
I could go on and on about all of the music critics that I value. One can’t own as much music as I do without really valuing music critics recommendations. There are certainly those that I don’t like as much, but I’ve learned from the last time I put my foot in my mouth regarding a critic and I’d rather not experience that feeling again.:)
I’d actually probably say Kevin over at Country Universe
I also don’t really keep track of individual critics, but I find myself agreeing with slant.com on general music reviews. I think the writers at the 9513 are great too, I almost always agree with them, my largest discrepancy being Sugarland’s latest album.
I read so many reviews it’s hard to keep all the writers straight, so I gave up. xD
Slant.com has the worst reviewer I can think of, which is Jonathan Keefe.
I’m also a big Jim fan, as well as a fan of Leeann and Blake over at CU.
Grant Alden
I’m don’t always agree with Chet Flippo, but I like him better than most. Craig Shelburne is cool.
Hazel Smith is a different matter. She seems like a nice lady, but too nice. Most of her articles, if you could call them that, are all about how “cute” an artist is, and this and that. Nothing that really matters too much.
My favorite critic would have to be Kevin @ CU. I usually agree with him, and he’s turned me on to several different artists or to songs/albums of artists I already knew of.
Jim Malec and about everyone at The9513 I think are very knowledgeable and articulate about their opinions and I have high respect for them, and usually like what they write down lol.
There are some others, but I’m keeping it to a minimum.
I’m truly not sucking up to my boss when I say this, but I have to give a shout out to Kevin. I’m glad that others have mentioned him here. He’s the one who got me reading blogs in the first place. I have no idea what I was searching for when I stumbled upon his blog, but his one man operation of Country Universe is what made me discover this addiction that I’ve had for the last year. If it wasn’t for becoming a fan of his blog back then, I wouldn’t be in this community, for better or worse. It’s CU that helped me find all of the other country music blogs that I frequent nowadays. So, while we don’t always agree on music (and we’re both fine with that), he’s my ultimate favorite music critic. I love his humor, writing style, knowledge about the genre, not to mention his inherent sensitivity to the human condition.
Rainbow, did he write Faith Hill’s Fireflies review? That review was terrible! That’s the one time I haven’t really agreed with Slant.
Yes Chris, he did write the “Fireflies” review, among others. He seems very unprofessional.
Can we really count Hazel Smith as a reviewer? I enjoy her column very much but wouldn’t take her recomendations seriously at all. Last week she took a shot a Picklers wardrobe at the CMAs without mentioning her by name because she likes her peronally.
The one name I am surpirised is not mentioned is Brian Mansfield from USA Today. While I think the reviews themselves as pieces of writing sometimes are lacking, the content tends to speak to the type of listner I am.
My favorite critic (aside from Chris N, of course!) is Holly Gleason. Her writing just melts and awes me–I hope I’m that good someday.
Also, thanks to everyone who mentioned me. That’s very humbling and I really appreciate the kind words. It makes me want to work even harder.