Writing a Good Review

Writing a good record review is an art form that requires imagination, wit, analysis, and honesty. The goal is not to hype or promote an artist, nor to harass or destroy. The goal is to write well about music.

While this Wiki focuses on writing album reviews, the basic principles apply to writing about music in general, whether

Here are some tips:

The lede (that's the first paragraph) is important. The lede should draw the reader in with a clever line, a powerful image, a controversial (but defensible) assertion, an original observation, or just a great sentence. It should also be concise: 30-40 words.

A good review will include brief and accurate biographical information that is germane to the review. If an artist is less known, more biography may be necessary, but should never exceed 4-5 sentences.

A good review will double check all facts and spelling.

A good review will discuss both the sound of the record and the lyrics (if there are any). Solely focusing on one or the other will not give a complete picture for the reader.

A good review will evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and support those assertions when relevant. However, a review is not just a pro and con, “this is good, this is bad” piece.

A good review will avoid obvious cliches: pounding drums, scorching guitar, killer solo, unique voice, interesting lyrics, catchy hooks, pop goodness, etc.

A good review will convey the emotion and musical content of the album or performance. The review will make the reader see, feel and above all, hear the album through the written word.

A good review will be descriptive and analytical, rather than just a recommendation or a consumer report. Never use the phrase “Buy this! You won't be disappointed” or anything similar.

A good review will be approximately 300-500 words. More is fine, but you should be able to accomplish the review in 500 words or less.

Sites that regularly feature reviews:

http://kdhx.org/blog/tag/cd-review/

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/reviews/recent/section/music

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/music/reviews

Notes on style

Focus on describing the band’s sound and style, rather than hyping or promoting them.

Use metaphors and images to convey the sound. A creative comparison can be both evocative and entertaining for your readers.

Keep exclamation points and cliches to a minimum.

Generally speaking, avoid the first person ("I"). Note: This rule does not apply to event or concert reviews.

Be attentive to your adjectives. Keep them fresh and relevant. Avoid overused modifiers: "interesting," "unique," "perfect," "emotional," "soulful" etc.

Be very careful of plagiarism. If you rely on outside sources (online biography, press releases or Wiki pages), you must never rephrase or rehash that material.

Use AP Style for your writing. Please review the Wiki article on KDHX AP Style below.

http://kdhx.org/wiki/doku.php?id=kdhx_web_style

Most of all, have fun writing.