How To Write An Album Review?

Tips –

The first paragraph should be a general introduction to what you’re reviewing. Include the title, artist, and an interesting fact about its success or how it was made. The main body of the review needs detailed observations. Use specific vocabulary (e.g. lyrics, fast-paced, catchy melodies ) to comment on particular songs and parts of the music. It is also important to give context. Link the music to the artist’s life, or what inspired them, and the political or social context of the album. Try to make the review interesting and relevant to the reader. You can relate the artist’s work to real-life experience (yours or that of people in general). Use compound adjectives (e.g. fast-paced, foot-tapping, best-selling ) to make your writing highly descriptive. Finish off with a summary of why this album/concert, etc. is important.

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What to consider when reviewing an album?

Download Article Download Article Reviewing an album can be a creative, interesting, and meaningful task. To be successful, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with musical terms, research the artist, and listen to the album multiple times. If you stay polite and back up your opinions with facts, you’ll have an honest and valuable review finished before you know it!

1. 1 Listen to the album multiple times. With every listen, new insights and observations should occur to you. If on the first listen you focused on lyrics or melody, try to stretch yourself to notice something different the next time and the time after. The album took a lot longer to make than it will take to listen to it, so try and respect the effort of the artists and appreciate the complexity.
2. 2 Listen in different places at different times. Try to bring the music with you as you go about your day. Let it play while you’re working out or doing chores around the house. You may notice things when it’s on in the background that you didn’t notice when you were intently listening – music is funny that way! Advertisement
3. 3 Familiarize yourself with musical terms. To best qualify, your assessment of the music, do a quick internet search for musical terms, and then try to incorporate them into your review when applicable. Here are a few examples of musical terms that could show up in a review:
   • Beat (the regular rhythmic pattern of the music)
   • Crescendo (growing or becoming louder)
   • Harmony (the simultaneous sounding of two or more notes, as in a vocal harmony)
   • Tempo (the speed the music is played)
4. 4 Write your initial reactions down. Describe how the music makes you feel, whether the album flows from song to song or if it sounds like each song stands on its own. Jot down any poignant or super catchy lyrics. Use these insights later, when you’re adding detail to your review.
5. 5 Notice what stands out. If an instrument gets featured more than others, or if the guitar riffs are especially prolific, make a note. Identify your favorite songs and lyrics and the ones that seem to be the most catchy or emotional.

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1. 1 Research the artist and compile interesting facts. Focus on where they grew up, what their musical influences were, how they were discovered or broke into the music business, and what their future goals are. Try to include information that helps the reader understand the meaning behind the album.
   • A recent breakup or the loss of a family member is worth mentioning if it influenced the tone of the album.
2. 2 Describe how this album relates to past albums or similar artists. If the band has released previous albums, describe how this album fits in and if it sounds different or shows progress. If this is the band’s first album, describe how it relates to other albums in the genre. Note if the artist or band is progressive, or very similar to other artists in the genre.
3. 3 Read other album reviews. The National Public Radio’s website, Rolling Stone magazine’s website, and the Pitchfork website are all great, free resources. These will give you a sense of structure and ideas for descriptive words and themes you might look for to expand your review.

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1. 1 Introduce the artist and the album succinctly. Your introduction should be more substance than fluff, and it should also catch the reader’s attention. They should be able to tell from your introduction whether you liked the album or not and what stood out. Include the album release date.
   • For example: “The Pipe Cleaners debut album, This is Futile, was released August 1st, 2017. Since then, it’s received critical acclaim and sold more than 1,000,000 copies. Even though the vocals seem to get lost in the loud instrumental solos and rushed tempos, the album shines as a modern throwback to classic hair metal.”
2. 2 Describe the artist and their history. Use your outline and the facts you gathered during your research. This is a great place to mention their previous work, if any, and whether any events influenced the album.
   • For example: “Originally formed in Denver, Colorado, The Pipe Cleaners feature William Uling on vocals, Sarah Uling on guitar, Matt Stein on bass, and Dirk Golding on drums. The Pipe Cleaners went through several drummers before settling on Golding and starting work on their first studio album. Before it was finished, legendary rock producer Brandon Wicks caught a live performance and signed the band to his label, Candle Wicks. He and Nick Paul share executive producer credits. During recording, William and Sarah Uling lost their mother, Patty Uling to cancer.”
3. 3 Describe the meaning and mood of the album. Look for emotional themes, such as empowerment, freedom, and loss. The mood can be discerned from the lyrics and melodies, and how they make you feel upon listening.
   • For example: “The frequent references to death, specifically in the songs “You’re Still Gone” and “When I Close My Eyes” set a dark, but the hopeful mood on this ambitious debut album. In the piercing ballad, “I Could Have Been,” the major themes of the album all come together, which seem to be death, rebirth, and regret.”
4. 4 Include emotive words and lyrical details. Try your best to describe the instruments, the melodies, and the lyrics by citing specific examples and referencing the actual lyrics in your review.
   • For example: “The lyrics, “This is painful, it’s so shameful, how much I don’t want to care,” from the song, “Give it Up,” shed light on the struggle to deal with Patty’s death. The haunting guitar riffs on, “So This Means Nothing,” and the harmony between the lead vocalist and backup vocalist Matt Stein on, “Say You Will,” were surprising and moving.”
5. 5 Write about what the band is doing next. If the album you are reviewing is from a band or artist that is still active, talk about their plans. If they’re going to go on tour, tell your readers when.
   • For example: “The Pipe Cleaners will be going on a U.S. tour with Melvin and the Marauders starting September 25th, 2017. Seattle, Portland, Austin, Denver, Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, and Miami are included in the 23 stops. After the tour finishes on October 31st in Los Angeles, the band will be collaborating with Brandon Wicks and Shawn Snyder on their next album, which will have a decidedly different feel. According to Nick Golding, we can even expect some country flair.”
6. 6 End with a recap. Concisely summarize the more important points in your review. Touch on how the album made you feel, and whether it was worth listening to, and why.
   • For example: “After everything they’ve been through over the last two years, The Pipe Cleaners let it all hang out on this raucous, up-tempo, and fresh LP. The ballads set a high note for vocals, the guitar riffs and solos were unplayable for the average musician and therefore incredible and complex, and the lyrics shine across every song. I’ll be looking forward to seeing them perform this fall on their tour and to hearing what they do with their next album.”

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1. 1 Proofread the review and ask for feedback. You’ll want to fix any spelling or grammar errors, and sentences or ideas that don’t make sense or aren’t developed. If you get questions, especially the same questions from multiple people, it might be worth answering those in the review.
2. 2 Write critically, but never cruelly. If you didn’t like something about the album, or maybe even the entire thing, provide examples and stay professional in your tone. “The album was terrible,” isn’t constructive or polite. Stick to the facts and use examples like, “The vocals were off-key and the pitch was a little grating,” or, “The instruments were out of sync with each other and it was difficult to understand the vocalist.”
3. 3 Choose quality over quantity with your word count. Unless you have a specific word count requirement, don’t feel as though your review needs to be lengthy at the expense of substance. If you can accomplish a review that summarizes the album and honors the many layers and ideas it conveys in a few paragraphs, that’s great!

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Add New Question

• Question How can I best conclude when writing a music review? I think you should conclude by saying what you liked best about the music and whether or not you would buy it.
• Question How amd where am I supposed to upload this? Type it up and post it on a blog or a musoc community site.
• Question What if I haven’t heard previous songs by a band? Can I write a good introduction without discussing the sound of previous releases? Maybe try listening to the other songs if you can’t then just focus on that specific song or album.

See more answers Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Article Summary X To review an album, begin by introducing the artist, including where they’re from, who influenced their music, and what type of music they’ve created in the past.

Then, describe the album in detail, such as the genre of music, notable sounds, and mood of the songs. You can also delve into the meaning of individual songs, or the album as a whole. To support your claims, quote lyrics from the songs and use emotive words, like cathartic, vulnerable, or electric. End your review with a preview of the artist’s next project.

For more tips, including how to avoid common mistakes, read on! Did this summary help you? Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 126,865 times.

How long should a music review be?

Do craft a strong outline – When it comes to short stories or novels, I prefer to write freely and see where my creativity takes me. However, music reviews — like all forms of journalism — need a tight, concise structure. Most people don’t want to read a 5000-word piece that goes off on tangents and takes forever to get to the point! That’s why it’s better to plot an outline before you actually begin to write.

Introduction : aside from general information about the work (title, artist, date, etc.), this first paragraph should include a hook, This key sentence (or two) is how you pull your readers into the review and make them want to keep reading. Oftentimes, it’s an interesting fact, quote or observation. Main body : 2-4 paragraphs that go into detail about the work. Conclusion : the final paragraph. This is where you’ll summarize your thoughts about the work. You should also discuss whether or not you’d recommend it –– and if so, to what kinds of people!

Personally, I like to start off by jotting down my ideas in point form. Then, I organize these points into a logical order and expand them into proper sentences The standard length for music reviews is 250-300 words, If you’re an independent writer, you could write more if you want to. But again, it’s better to keep your piece as short and sweet as possible.

How do you describe a music album?

An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution.

What should I look for in a good review?

A good review includes enough detail to give others a feel for what happened. Explain which factors contributed to your positive, negative or just so-so experience. You might also offer your view on what the company is doing well, and how they can improve. But keep things friendly and courteous!

Can you make money reviewing music?

4. Slicethepie – Slicethepie is an online platform that pays you to review and provide feedback on new music tracks. You can get paid to listen to music by listening to songs and sharing your thoughts on various aspects of the music. You need to create an account and share some of your demographic information to get started.

This allows the platform to send you music likely to appeal to your taste. Once you set up your account, you can start reviewing tracks. You receive a random song, and you’ll need to listen for at least 60-90 seconds before you can submit a review. After submitting your review and rating, the platform credits you a certain amount of money, which you can add to your account balance.

The amount you earn per review depends on your feedback quality and star rating.

What is a music review called?

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A music critic is someone who writes about concerts that have taken place or new music that has been written. They write reviews about this in newspapers or journals, What they write is called musical criticism,

What is a record review in music?

How to Write a Record Review It all starts with the listening, of course, ideally multiple times, ideally multiple ways: passively (play the record while you make fudge, grout the tub or knit a sweater for your cat) and actively (sit and really listen to the record, distracted only by occasional glances at its liner notes or maybe the artist’s website, so you know what the singer’s saying, and who’s playing what where).

• You hear different things when you listen different ways.
• Once you’ve digested the disc in this way, but before you set pen to paper, it’s time for analysis — both internal and comparative.
• Internal analysis has three elements.
• You can label them past, present and future.
• Or you can label them objective, subjective and speculative.

The past/objective analysis puts the disc in context, factually explaining from whence the artist came and how the record to be reviewed fits in terms of the artist’s known history and existing body of work (if there is one). The present/subjective analysis is your very own spin on what the artist has accomplished with the disc in question.

• This is the heart of the review — and don’t let people tell you that subjectivity is a bad thing here, since at the core, a record review is a subjective assessment of how you feel about the work.
• The future/speculative analysis provides your take on where the artist might go next, or how music in general may change as a result of the artists’ success or failure.

Comparative analysis is designed to give the artist’s work context and meaning in terms of other artists or sounds with which your readers might be familiar. You can compare your artist to other artists, so listeners who are unfamiliar with the disc you are reviewing can get a sense of whether they might be interested in it or not.

1. Or you can compare your artist’s music and lyrics to those of other poets or songwriters, or even to non-musical sounds, movements or emotions.
2. It’s helpful to not be needlessly obscure here, particularly if the record you are reviewing may be well of the beaten popular path itself.
3. Once you’ve listened and re-listened and organized your analyses, it’s time to write.

Note well that music criticism is one of the most cliché-heavy genres of journalism, and do your best to steer clear of stock buzzwords and catch phrases. Create your own imagery whenever possible, rather than relying on imagery you might have read in other reviews.

If you’ve read something once in a record review, it’s probably been used a thousand times before you encountered it. It’s better for guitars to sound like a rain of metal locusts or for drums to sound like a muffler dragging beneath a tank than it is for them to them “jangle” or “thunder,” for instance.

Avoid intellectual sounding, but typically meaningless, manufactured words involving the prefixes “retro-,” “proto-,” “neo-,” “aggro-,” “post-” and “trans-.” Likewise the suffix “-esque.” Steer clear, too, of “seminal” and “erstwhile.” Use ” ” at your own peril.

After you’ve written, it’s not a bad idea to tweak and tighten: music listeners and readers are notoriously short-attention-span types, and they’re not likely to read deeply into a long review unless they’re already deeply interested in the record you’re reviewing, in which case you’re just preaching to the choir.

When you’ve got your review as lean and elegant as its going to get, then it’s time to publish, since a review is nothing more than a diary entry if no one else reads it. Of course, you may not have a print outlet, but that shouldn’t stop you from sharing your views with others.

So put your reviews on your blog. Or on somebody else’s blog. Or e-mail them to your friends. Or bundle a bunch of them together (or with reviews by your friends), go to Kinko’s and make your own ‘zine. Or send them out to media outlets in the hopes that they might actually get some traditional print exposure.

However your do it, it’s important to get your thoughts and words about music out into the public domain if you’re serious about wanting to review records on an ongoing basis. Before you know it, people will begin to incorporate your thoughts when making their own decisions on musical acquisitions and investigations, and at that point, you’ll be well on your way to being able to market yourself as an critic of music.

How do you quote an album?

Explanation. Generally and grammatically speaking, put titles of shorter works in quotation marks but italicize titles of longer works. For example, put a ‘song title’ in quotation marks but italicize the title of the album it appears on.

Is 7 songs too long for an EP?

What’s the difference between an EP and an album? – What separates a single, album and EP comes down to 2 main things; 1. Length (i.e. the number of songs which feature on the track list) 2. Duration (i.e. the total running time) of the entire project An album or LP (Long Play) refers to a full length body of work, features between 7-29 tracks and has a running time of roughly 35-60 mins.

Do music reviews matter?

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO TAKE PART IN A STUDY ON THE IMPACTS OF REVIEWS In 2018 the Guardian newspaper (UK) ended its contract with Lyn Gardner, its theatre critic of 23 years, and the ‘ last reliable mainstream chronicler of contemporary British theatr e’. For many, this event symbolised a worrying trend; the disappearance of professional arts criticism from mainstream media. This was blamed on the influx of peer to peer and non-professional reviews in the online realm. Online word of mouth (OWOM) exists for just about every consumer product and experience, including the music market.

• Professional music criticism has weathered countless storms in the last two centuries, but OWOM may be its biggest challenge.
• Critical reactions to music can be found back as far as the writings of Plato and then medieval music theorists.
• The modern version of music review, following a performance, began in the eighteenth century in Europe, thanks to the increasing popularity and accessibility of concerts.

To begin with, music reviews focused on the evaluation of the work being performed and the composer, but as public performances increased so did references to the achievements of individual performers, in particular vocalists. In the modern world, professional music criticism has evolved into writing that encompasses evaluation, description, elucidation, classification, contextualisation, interpretation, and/or analysis of both live and recorded performances (Carroll, 2009, pp.13–14).

As well as the detail of the music itself, it focuses on the experience of listening to a recording. Amanda Petrusich, American music journalist, teacher of music criticism at New York University and staff writer at The New Yorker, wrote; ‘It is important that a critic know some things about music But writers also need to know what they think about a record—how it moves them’ (2016).

OWOM by comparison, rarely contains the depth, breadth or context of a professional review. There is also a risk that OWOM can be artificially generated, or ‘fake’ (Murdock, 2019). Even if it is genuine, OWOM may be limited to a small collection of words and a star rating does that matter? Are we as influenced by the passing judgment of a faceless online consumer as we are by a professionally trained critic? We don’t know the answer to this question. No studies to date have compared OWOM presentation to professional criticism. The inklings from the literature are that people still seek out, respect, and enjoy professional critique. Alessandri et al’s., (2020) study of classical music listeners confirmed that over two thirds read professional reviews. An infographic produced by Alessandri et al., 2020 in collaboration with Research Retold, For more results, see the link above Professional criticism of music, or any subjective experience, may be seen as a dying art by some commentators, but our research tells us that it continues to hold a position of respect and influence for music listeners.

Professional critics are part of an active community with a unique viewpoint and position in the modern music market. As researchers we want to understand the impacts of professional criticism and clarify what it takes to create a great review. Our latest study is the first active online test of review influence.

And you can have your say! To take part all you need to do is answer a few questions about yourself, read 4 reviews of either music or food (our all important control group) and rate them on scales of impact. Our survey is open to everyone! Worldwide, all ages, we have no restrictions,

You don’t have to be a musician or an expert in review. As long as you are confident reading written English (of the level of a newspaper article) then we would love to hear from you. As a thank you for taking part we offer you the chance to win one of 10 Amazon vouchers worth 50 Euros (or the closest upwardly rounded figure in your chosen Amazon denomination).

There is no obligation but if you do choose to enter then your email will only be used for the purpose of the prize draw. We will never share your details with any third party. The project is run by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Switzerland) and is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, For more information on the music review project you are welcome to click here to visit our project website at the Hochschule Luzern in Switzerland References Alessandri, Elena (2014). Evaluating recorded performance: An investigation of music criticism through Gramophone reviews of Beethoven piano sonata recordings,

Dissertation, Royal College of Music, London, UK. Alessandri,; Dawn,; Senn,; Szamatulski,; Baldassarre, & Williamson, V (2020). Consumers on Critique: A Survey of Classical Music Listeners’ Engagement with Professional Music Reviews. Music & Science, 3, 1-19. doi: 10.1177/205920432093133 Alessandri, E; Carreras Sandoval, V; Eiholzer, H & Williamon, A (2016).

A critical ear: Analysis of value judgements in reviews of Beethoven’s piano sonata recordings. Frontiers in Psychology / Performance Science, 7 (391), 1-17. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00391 Alessandri, E; Carreras Sandoval, V; Eiholzer, H & Williamon, A (2015).

How long does Spotify take to review music?

Releasing music Please allow up to 5 days of that time for the inspection process. Each partner site also needs time for their own review and processing. Spotify: 2 days to 2 weeks. Apple iTunes: 2 days to 2 weeks.

What are 5 words to describe music?

List of Adjectives for Music –

Alternative	Tempo	Frantic	Mellow
Ambient	Breathtaking	Fresh	Melodious
Baroque	Breathy	Funky	Mesmerising
Bluegrass	Bright	Gentle	Thrilling
Blues	Calming	Glorious	Monophonic
Ceremonial	Catchy	Gradual	Moody
Choral	Classic	Grandiose	Classical
Country	Groundbreaking	Groovy	Motivating
Cultural	Motivational	Happy	Musical
Hardcore	Complex	Harmonised	Natural
Electric	Computerised	Harmonious	Nostalgic
Electronic	Contemporary	Mythical	Orchestral
Folk	Dainty	Healing	Poetic
Hip-Hop	Depressing	Heartfelt	Polyphonic
Indie	Diminishing	Heterophonic	Radical
Instrumental	Distinct	Latin	Rap
Jazz	Dramatic	Dynamic	New Age
Opera	Drab	Inciting	Emotional
Pop	Eclectic	Indulgent	Refined
Progressive Rock	Relaxing	Inspirational	Rejuvenating
Empowering	Energetic	Inspiring	Restoring
Rich	Enigmatic	Invigorating	Rhythmic
Enthusiastic	Exciting	Joyful	Riveting
Soulful	Exhilarating	Life-changing	Romantic
Feel-good	Extravagant	Light	Sad
Acoustic	Faint	Loud	Saturated
Ballad	Flat	Lyrical	Upbeat
Beautiful	Fluid	Magical	Visionary
Biphonic	Fortissimo	Melancholy	Shrill
Simple	Warm	Sombre	Staccato
Smooth	Sonic	Steady	Stylized
Soaring	Soothing	Slow	Sublime
Soft	Sophisticated	Stratospheric	Synthetic
Talented	Transcendent	Uplifting	Vocal

The adjectives used to describe music are rhythmic, beautiful, electric, warm, lyrical, melodious, etc. The effects of music can be described using various adjectives like relaxing, calm, refreshing, soothing, etc. : Adjectives for Music

What is the oldest album on Spotify?

The Oldest Song on Spotify Believe it or not, the oldest song on is actually the oldest song in the world. Titled “The Hymn Of Ugarit,” the track is a modern recording by Al-Pha-X of what is the oldest known piece of music ever discovered. The song dates back to 14th century B.C.E.

And was on a clay tablet in the 1950s. Obviously this particular version of the song was not recorded 3,400 years ago, but rather in 2008, so it may not be what you’re looking for. With this in mind, we’ve also dug up the oldest recordings on Spotify. The oldest music recording available on Spotify is a French compilation album titled Anthologie De La Chanson Française, which has recordings dating between 1900 and 1920.

Singers included on the compilation include Henri Fursy, Lucien Boyer, Ainé Mevisto, Gabriel Montoya, and more. Recordings didn’t exist for before 1900, and especially not music recordings. It was a while before people fine-tuned the technology enough to produce the high-quality music recordings we are accustomed with these days.

Still, it can be interesting to hear music from a time past, and that’s why we’ve gathered here today. If you’re interested in hearing some even older recordings, albeit not music, Spotify also has a compilation called The Oldest Recorded Voices in History, This compilation includes speeches dating between 1888 and 1912, from people like Robert Browning, Thomas Edison, Florence Nightingale, and more.

Stream Al-Pha-X’s recording of “The Hymn of Ugarit” below. Check out the French compilation from the early 1900s below that, and at the bottom see the compilation of old recorded voices. Finally, for the curious, also see our post about the, : The Oldest Song on Spotify

What not to write in a review?

Tips for writing great reviews Writing great reviews will increase the likelihood that your review will get published, and helps others discover the places that are just right for them. Here are a few tips:

Be informative and insightful: Be specific and relevant to the place you’re reviewing, and describe what other visitors are likely to experience. Highlight what makes the place special, and try to share something unique and new. Be authentic: Review your own experience, and explain what the place was like and the service you received. Try to be as accurate as possible, and include both the positive and negative aspects of your visit. Be respectful: Business owners often use feedback to improve their offerings. Even if you’re frustrated, make sure your criticism is constructive. Additionally, please avoid profanity. Write with style: Check your spelling and grammar, and avoid excessive capitalization and punctuation. In general, a paragraph is a great length for a review. Avoid personal and professional information: Do not include the phone numbers or URLs of other businesses in your reviews. Additionally, do not write reviews for places where you are currently or formerly, an employee. Avoid general commentary: Certain locations may become the subject of larger public debate or conversation due to recent news coverage or current events. While we respect and value your opinion, Local Reviews are not meant for social or political commentary. Forums, like blogs or social networks, are much more appropriate for those types of conversations. Please write about your firsthand experience with the place and not general commentary on the place in relation to recent news.

Make sure you’ve also read our, : Tips for writing great reviews

What not to say during a review?

Extremes –

Avoid using words like “always” and “never” in employee appraisals. Employees rarely “always” or “never” do something, whether it is positive or negative. Using extremes can leave you open to employees who want to argue and prove that they did what you accused them of “never” doing. However, the problem really was that they do not do it nearly enough. Instead, use phrases like “has a pattern of” or “seldom.”