Writing a Good Review

Overview

Writing a good review of an album or a concert requires imagination, wit, analysis and honesty. The goal is not to hype or promote the artist, nor to harass or destroy them. 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 for a Live at KDHX article, a concert review, an interview piece or anything other article type.

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: No more than 30 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," "this record is sure to please" 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. Note: Concert reviews may be as long as 700 words.

Sites that regularly feature reviews

• http://kdhx.org/tag/album-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, we).

• Be attentive to your adjectives. Keep them fresh and relevant. Avoid overused modifiers like interesting, unique, perfect, emotional, soulful etc. The word very can almost always be cut.

• Use active verbs. Do not rely on passive voice or "to be" verbs (is, are, was, were, etc.).

• When you have completed a satisfying draft, read the piece out loud, listening to the language. Revise to improve any awkward or unclear phrases.

• Avoid unnecessary repetition.

• Please review the Wiki article on KDHX online writing style.

• DO NOT plagiarize! If you rely on outside sources like an online biography, press releases or Wiki pages, you must never merely rephrase or rehash -- let alone copy verbatim -- that material. Please review our Plagiarism and syndication information for policy clarification.