Reviewers should be judged too.

But Kati, I feel entitled to criticise an album from a style I in principle like. And I believe that with the democracy of numbers, odd opinions get usually ironed out and the 'general opinion' emerges, even if everybody should understand that the general opinion must not match your own.

I mean, if ELP's In The Hot Seat or Yes' Open Your Eyes have the low ratings they have, it's because a lot of people find them weak. It would be silly to say that all those people who reviewed them as poor albums should have refrained from reviewing them based on the assumption that the musicians did their best or at least what they set out to do. And of course there will be some people who find them great albums.

There are weak albums, let's face it, same as there are brilliant ones. A lot of people try doing things and there are people who are better at it than others, there's the whole spectrum from very good to very bad. Denying that by saying that they all put their best effort is silly. You are a graphical artist and I'm pretty sure that if you see a painting by myself you will say that the best I can do with it is wrapping my lunch sandwich.

Then there are the odd cases which strongly polarise opinions, and we all know where were you coming from, and you must recognise that it's one of those strongly polarising cases, some people love it and some people find it very weak. Personally I belong to the latter, I was very critic with their first release and given that I felt the same about the 2nd one, I refrained from reviewing it, at least for the time being, because maybe I need to see it as an album from a genre I do not like, although in all honesty I don't think that's the issue in this case. It's genre is something I should in principle like, but I find it very weak, with all my respect for the effort they made.

Sonia, you are gem among an ocean of rough stones. But you do throw me sometimes as you knock some silly posts but than post a few of your own.

 

Don't worry, my wife is on your side. She keeps reminding me that it's a woman's prerogative! So she sends you many hugs and says that I don't deserve any! 

 

So from K. to you:

 

(Yea, all you women stick together!)

 

Find a reviewer that relates to you and that you have trust in, and all will be well in the Land of Oz.

 

It is the only path available.

 

 

 

(but I still have to sleep on the couch!)

hahahahahaha!!!!! I am laughing here so much, so funny

Group hug

Any review is by definition subjective, and we must allow critical comments if the reviewer honestly thinks so, but of course we must demand from reviewers to be polite, respectful, and articulate in their opinions. Just bashing an album without articulate reasoning is not acceptable.