"Weepy Timbre"

To be honest, I hadn't noticed the poor quality of popular music criticism because I've never paid any attention to it! I'm admittedly intrigued by the trashy headlines and sometimes take a glance at the latest "musical criticism" just to get my laughs in for the day. For instance, today's musical headline that popped up on my Hawaii News Now app regarded a scuffle between Justin Bieber and Orlando Bloom. I enjoyed a chuckle and went back to bed.

Since I'm ill-informed on this topic, I did ran a search for music reviews, and the Rolling Stone album reviews appeared. I found this review on Robin Thicke's new album entitled, "Paula". http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/paula-20140709

This review is extremely brief and the only music-specific comment makes mention of his falsetto. The rest of the review is focused on how his shady hit, "Blurred Lines" contributed to the breakdown of his marriage and how this album is a pathetic attempt to win his ex-wife back. The musical merit of this album is not actually discussed; the brief, shallow review discusses Thicke's failing personal life. If I wanted to learn anything about this musical elements present in this album, I would not find it here.

While I'm sure that many music critics were irked by Ted Gioia's commentary, he has a valid point. I do think that the potential for an informed discussion of musical merit would appeal to the public. Gioia reminds us that we see the athletic equivalent on ESPN daily, and sports fans everywhere are glued to their TVs, soaking up this analysis and criticism. What other subject exists in American pop culture that people love more than music? The potential is there, if approached in a way that is made relevant and digestible to the average music consumer, but perhaps the general public needs to be shown what this looks like. Perhaps it's been so long since musical criticisms were read and appreciated that we've forgotten what they look like and what value they possess. In my personal experiences, my students have loved learning about the elements of music and how they influence our preferences. I'd even love to do an assignment with my middle school general music students next year where they write their own academic criticisms of popular music. I'm sure that the average American can appreciate thoughtful, informed criticisms of music, but somebody needs to take the lead set the tone before other critics will follow.