I review lots of records on a consistent basis and pretty much have a policy of giving each album/EP its due. Usually that means a solid ten listens all the way through with extras for the songs which strike home. The reason? I once listened to an album a couple of times and sent a note to the artist explaining why I could not give it a straight-out five star review. It was possibly the most pompous note I have ever written and one I wish I could have taken back. Ten or so listens later, I gave it that five star review I had so bombastically refused and pledged to give every album from that point on a fair chance— a real fair chance and not one based upon a needledrop (a term which refers to radio in the sixties and seventies when the single was king— disc jockeys and music directors would listen to the first few seconds of each 45 submitted for airplay to “weed the crop”, i.e. to eliminate the clunkers). What? You didn’t think the records charted themselves, did you?
Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say 