There are a handful of musical acts that I would say I follow. While my music collection includes hundreds of artists, only a few have earned the classification of anything they put out I'll buy status.
Over the past month and a half two such artists have released albums, and as I typically do with elite artists, I looked up as many album reviews as I could find. One thing I found in common with the review of both of these albums is that no reviewer was willing to say anything negative about either band. Reviewers seemed to be tripping all over themselves and it seemed to be as if they expected to receive compensation for the positive reviews (ala Belkin).
In one sense I agree with much of what the reviewers were saying. However, I believe that giving too many albums 5 stars (think Ebert and Roeper "Two Thumbs Up") makes the rating system--for all intents and purposes--worthless. Five star albums are in many ways similar to once-in-a-lifetime experiences. And many reviewers treat 5 stars like Ike Taylor treats once-in-a-lifetime experiences. The Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback is infamous for once saying "you only get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so many times."
So how should reviewers handle ratings of top shelf artists? Should they be allowed to give any album from such an artist the highest rating, or should they rate them on a separate scale? One option that I see would be for the reviewer to state that they are using a so-and-so artist scale (insert artists name here), and then rate the new album by the standard of all of the artists previous work. While Norah Jones' Feels Like Home was a good album, and worthy of recognition, it was no Come Away With Me, and so this is one example of where a separate rating system could come into play. A reviewer could say something like "while the new album can stand its own with anything else that is also being put out by other artists/bands, it falls somewhere between (insert name of the artists greatest record) and (a weaker, although still good album by the artist).
I am probably not alone in my dislike of the review process, but until a new method is thought up, and put into play, I guess I will have to just continue to work my way through reviews--trying to read between the lines to see what the reviewer is really saying.
About Me
- RvL
- I’m from New York but my driver’s license lists that my address is Ohio. My passport has a number of stamps in it. I’m the youngest of six, yet oldest son. I have a number after my initials, but not my name. I like music. I like coffee, beer and bourbon. I am a follower of Jesus. I watch bonus features on DVD’s. For four months each year my wife and I are the same age. “I pledge allegiance to a country without borders, without politicians.” I am an ordained pastor, but don't currently have a church. I’ve eaten raw horse meat. I’m fifteen inches taller than my wife, but I look up to her. I still prefer buying CDs to downloading music. I’m a night owl, who doesn’t mind getting up early. I like to play games. I moved to another country nine days after my wedding. I sometimes quote random lyrics. I believe in miracles. I prefer desktops to laptops. I like listening to audio books. I watch Buffalo Bills and Sabres games. I have five sons. I'm living life mid sentence.
