You are to write a CD review in two weeks. So in the meantime you've got to find a CD you wish to review. Whether you like it or hate it doesn't matter. The point is to review it.
But first you've got to brainstorm for ideas. To help you, you need a model or two models too. You can download these from the Net, with a few searching skills. Remember what I said in class, NO unprofessional comments, even though they look professional to you, from someone's webpage, an online CD sales site, etc. These cannot be relied upon for good grammar. You should choose reliable sources such as English-language newspapers (there must be hundreds of online newspapers).
Then you listen to the CD several times, assuming you haven't listened to it before. After that you brainstorm for ideas, including the 5 W's and H, or the other "topics of invention" we've discussed in class, such as Definition, Comparison, Analogy, Division, More and Less, Testimony (of other critics), or Example. Here's a model I just wrote:
JOHNNY'S GREATEST HITS
Barbra Streisand once wrote that when she saw a Johnny Mathis album in the discount bin of a department store, she bought it and ran all the way home in excitement. Coming from one of the greatest female vocalists of American music, that's high praise indeed!
Johnny Mathis was one of the most popular male Black singers of the early Rock era. His smooth, velvety voice became almost synonymous with romance. In an era primarily dominated by hard Rockabilly hits, his lounge-style vocals, complete with tinkling cocktail piano accompaniment, offered a refreshing alternative.
Mathis' vocal style was based on the use of a soft falsetto, especially effective on romantic ballads. He was often lucky in having a team of songwriters who submitted such great songs as "Chances Are," "It's Not for Me To Say," "The Twelfth of Never," and many others.
Finally, in a business where stars, like today, have to be instantly identifiable, there was no question that one could identify a Mathis vocal and arrangement instantly. So one bought a "Mathis record" like one bought an "Elvis record."
The first volume of Johnny's Greatest Hits set a record by staying on the Billboard albums chart for nearly ten years. It's an indication of how wide an audience Mathis had.
The songs on this album represent the best of Johnny's early hit records, including "Chances Are," "The Twelfth of Never," "When Sunny Gets Blue," and "It's Not for Me To Say."
They're all well-written ballads sung in Johnny's distinctive style, with almost hypnotic phrasing, as Johnny stretches out each syllable for its maximum musical effect. The arrangements make effective use of soft piano arpeggios with romantic strings.
Elvis of course was a great balladeer as well as a Rock singer. But where Elvis sounds aggressive in his ballads, Mathis sounds shy and somewhat vulnerable. His lyrics express this theme as well, as in the famous "Chances Are":
Chances are though I wear a silly grin
The moment you come into view
Chances are you think that I'm in love with you.
Compare that with the more aggressive coaxing or teasing of an Elvis ballad such as "Don't" or "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"
Even the title of a Mathis song conveys an impression of romantic diffidence, as with, "It's Not For Me To Say"! As if this lover lacked the boldness to find words to speak his love. Fidelity is another theme of Johnny's music, as in "The Twelfth of Never" (based on an old folk song, with changed lyrics), where the lover swears he will love his beloved until the end of time.
For those who never heard Johnny Mathis (though that's hard to imagine), they're in for a pleasant surprise. For those who, in this age of hip hop's mechanical beats, haven't heard Mathis in a long while, this album will be a great trip down memory lane.
It's true that not all the songs here were actually hits in the chart sense of that word (some were just B-sides of hits); but they're hits in the sense of being great records: vocals and arrangements that have stood the test of time and will as likely stand the test of the buyer's CD player too. Highly recommended.
ANALYSIS: I started out with testimony (quoting Barbra Streisand). I followed with definition (defining who Johnny Mathis is/was). I then defined (described) his vocal style. I divided that into singing and accompaniment. I also compared and contrasted Mathis' style with the hard Rock singers of his time, like Elvis. I divided Mathis success into several levels: his vocals; accompaniments; his songs; his message (identifiable style). I then appealed to Statistics (his record stayed on the charts for nearly ten years) and followed that with a before/after argument: in other words, that shows how popular his music was.
Later I compare Mathis and Elvis singing ballads in different ways. I give examples in Mathis' lyrics and the title of a song. I divide Mathis' lyrical message in terms of shy love and fidelity and mention songs as examples.
I follow with antecedent/consequence (before/after); an argument that goes, "If . . . then." "If you buy this record, then you'll enjoy it (or are in for a happy surprise, etc.).
I conclude with definition again (which shows that topics of invention can be used many times in a single text): I define what a hit is; that not all these songs were hits; but they're hits in another meaning of that word. Then I finish up with my recommendation.
REMEMBER: For next week you will simply collect all details about your CD and the class will help you with more ideas and their best order.
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