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-- Album reviews (both old and new) insert constructive criticizm here -> _______
Album reviews (both old and new) insert constructive criticizm here -> _______
I got bored one night and started writing album reviews. Now it turns out I may be doing it as a regular thing for a friends website.
What I'm looking for is tips and general reccomendations on improving my work and writing reviews that are as non-bias as possible. Here are a few of my reviews, feel free to give me constructive criticizm and politely correct any mistakes I have, as I'm sure I've made some. I'm looking for what's missing, what drags on and what just shouldn't be said at all. Thanks for your time 
here are a few random reviews. NOTE: Half of these were just written briefly and didn't take more than 10-15 minutes, I find I'm most creative spontaneously.
Moby - Hotel
The nice thing about Moby is that his albums are usualy a mixed bag of goodies. You can listen to his album and get your fix of electronica and everything from a bit of alt rock to some more ambient sounds.
Hotel, has the same feel of variation but with a few pitfalls along the way. The album starts off with a promising intro, the ambient and electronica sounding side of Moby. It moves more into an alt rock type feel but with an electronica type tint to it and pretty much sticks with it the whole way through the album with minor variations.
Now I've never been crazy for Moby's voice but it works when used minimalisticaly or at least without a lot of repetition. This album has a lot more emphasis on lyrics, in my opinion for the worse. Moby's vocals become tiresome pretty quickly. While the lyrics aren't too bad and they suit the songs, they just don't evoke much emotion or make you want to dance. The whole mixed bag feel from his previous album goes a feel of getting all different types of songs to getting the same song recycled over and over again.
To me this could be best enjoyed when played quietly in a lounge or to relax yourself while at low volume. If you like Moby's previous work which included a lot of variation in songs producing classics like Go, Porcelain and South Side then you will quickly tire of his new CD.
6/10 - Go pick up Play instead if you want to hear Moby at his finest, otherwise dig up an older Fatboy Slim or Chemical Brothers CD.
50 Cent - the Massacre
Get Rich Or Die Trying was the type of album that you could find songs you enjoyed even if you weren't a hardcore rap fan, it was just entertaining. His follow up entitled the Massacre, is a cockier and somewhat wattered down version of it's predecessor.
Geurilla unit a.k.a G-unit has been around for years and 50 has been an underground rapper since before he was even shot. He was a lot more respected as a rapper when he was underground and in my opinion he was better. Now onto his second album, you can immediately see a difference by the number of cameos on his albums as well as the updated beats and slight change in the lyrics, which seam cockier this time around. This album has more "beef" in it too. Now he's moved from Ja Rule to include the likes of Shyne, who is currently in prison, to Jadakiss, Fat Joe and the well respected Nas.
A lot of the songs focus more on the same things that other rap albums have lately: sex, drugs, women, etc. That isn't to say it isn't entertaining, it is and there is some power in certain songs although by then you might be tired of the same old G-unit beats and lyrics. If you've been living inside of a hole and havn't heard much from 50 then I reccomend checking out Get Rich or Die Trying, or possibly some of his older mixtapes.
If you've heard 50 before though, then you've pretty much heard this CD and your money is better spent elsewhere, this CD is best enjoyed by the hardcore fans that love anything Fitty touches. If you're looking for hiphop with a message, with strong and powerful lyrics then go grab K-OS' or Talib Kweli's last CD. If you want violent, cocky, entertaining rap, however and you aren't tired of the typical G-unit beats then this might be your cup of tea.
5/10 - A watered down and played out version of his former glory
Mauro Picotto - the Others
Mauro Picotto has been one of the few techno artists I actualy like. Perhaps this is because of more refined sound or his attention to detail, which I find, most techno artists lack. I'm the guy who finds most techno just plain boring, with minor exceptions here and there. His second album, entitled the Others, has a resemblence to his previous album in terms of both quality and a similar sound that is recognizable right off the bat.
The album starts off with a bang, the Verdi mix of Pulsar, a classic track which shows his more progressive-techno side. What follows is a mix of bangin' techno a la Picotto and if you and if you were amazed by his first album then this album will come as no surprise as far as quality goes. There is a consistant sound that rarely makes you feel as if you're listening to the same song recycled. While I can't say it's better than his first, if you expected a one album wonder then you will be disappointed pretty quickly.
8/10 - Well known classics like Pular, Back to Cali and Joyenergizer as well as lesser known gems like Awesome!!!, Verdi and Like A Dog make this album a can't miss. If you enjoyed his first album then expect another home run.
Other reccomendations: Len Faki, Marco V - Combi:Nations (Album)
Blue:
Your reviews are fairly decent as capsule reviews: brief with a good overview of what's contained, and a touch of wit thrown in to make it entertaining. While I personally prefer internet reviews in more of an essay form, as the limitless word counts a writer has online gives them the freedom to embellish his content a little and make his work unique (check out mine here if interested by what I mean), the capsule format works as well for those who are in a bit of a rush.
A couple of things, though...
-Unless it is a very well known release, sometimes it's best not to reference previous material or other works. A reader may not know of it and be clueless as to what you're talking about. Of course, the beauty of the 'net allows us to link directly to reference material -just make sure you have a source handy if you do so.
-Gammor, grammer, grammar!
-Because there are so many capsule reviewers out there (especially at online music stores like Amazon), if you want to get noticed above the pack you are going to have to come up with some sort of edge. While maybe not the style you should go for, check out Mark Prindle's Rock Reviews for an example of what I mean.
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| Originally posted by Sykonee Blue: Your reviews are fairly decent as capsule reviews: brief with a good overview of what's contained, and a touch of wit thrown in to make it entertaining. While I personally prefer internet reviews in more of an essay form, as the limitless word counts a writer has online gives them the freedom to embellish his content a little and make his work unique (check out mine here if interested by what I mean), the capsule format works as well for those who are in a bit of a rush............. |
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