The reason I am diving for pearls

…and not writing negativ reviews

Sometimes I envy my colleagues. Especially those of them who can do the balancing act between 'Do I have to hear this now?' and 'I have to hear this now.’ Unimagined widths and extensibilities of receptors and nerve cells are activated. This is sometimes more, sometimes less painful. In any case, you need a thick skin. On both sides. I assume all writers not only hear, but really listen. Either with the humorous creativity of a chemistry student or with the sober observation skills of a librarian.

Now before anyone accuses me of just trying to butter up on my blog...According to my nephew, butter is the best thing ever. Otherwise, I'll stick with the old saying: If you have nothing good to say about someone, say nothing at all. Or rather, don't write anything. A bit utopian, a bit Japanese - I admit it. But...

How do you manage to listen to "bad" music and write a review about it? How??? I ask with the naivety and frankness of a hopeless optimist. 

I had wanted to try it myself. Seriously. The category should be called 'Butter bei die Fische' (German Expression of being completey honest). 

It remained with the 'should'.

The first attempt I made was with Joss Stone's album 'Never Forget My Love'. Actually I am a fan of her music and wanted to review the songs extensively. But when I listened to it, I decided otherwise. I mean, how much drivel can you fit into an album like this? Love is known to be the only desirable thing, but like this? And how can you write about individual songs, what they do to you, how they sound, how they seduce, how they entice, when they have the talent of a fat eight-legged hairy spider in them? Uh... yeah, right. And for all my love of spiders and Joss, that's like me having to write about the desert as a fish. Would have stuttered all over the place: The chords have well a presence with which they well carry the melodic voice of the singer in the width and then hm well and then, then the Schlager music began to work.... I mean?

The second attempt was given to Beyoncé.

Beyoncé - who doesn't like her? Even outside of her music, she's - well - Beyoncé. I'm from the generation that wanted to sing and dance along to her Crazy in Love song in the first hour - throwing the scarf over the Jay Z of our choice. Once upon a time... 

I pricked up my ears, opened my streaming service, scrolled a bit and clicked on ‘Renaissance’. Beyoncé, like everyone, has the right to evolve. I had already heared how controversial this album was. I just didn't realize how difficult it would be to my ears. She began chirping and crooning in her usual manner. 80's synthesizers creatively underpinned the RnB bass. But all of a sudden she was ranting like a sparrow in bass. Like she was going all Dirty Harry on the rap business. Did I miss something? Look here, we can do like the Bad Boys! "Watchagonna do when they come for you?" Will Smith won several music awards in the nineties. On stage, he denounced Eminem and co, standing here with the award in his hand without throwing expletives around. These days, he's handing out slaps....

Beyoncé does this musically and that led to the experiment being abandoned. I just didn't want to do it to myself anymore. So how do others do it? Does money push all the ba-bad bitchy's into their ears? Well, some may enthusiastically twerk to their lyrics and beats and decry the mendacity of romantic acoustic ballads. After all, it's not about my taste, but about the question how to judge the other side in spite of them. Because, in my opinion, this is not possible. At least not without really suffering. But life is short and you never know when it's over. I myself was reminded of that this summer.  

To answer my question myself, I guess it can only be supporters of the music genre or people with a very strong tolerance level. And neutrality. Otherwise, a certain professionalism is not possible. And one's own musical taste should not tear artists apart, I think. There has to be that much love.

So I continue to jump into the sea and dive for my sound pearls. With those I then garnish the butter bread.

Listen and Love