I mark my return with this interesting email

So today I was reading Christianity Today's Music section, which I check out weekly for new music reviews. I don't listen to much Christian music these days, but I do like to keep up with what's coming out in an attempt to find out what's good or what I might deem good. On this regular Tuesday, I headed over to the site to check out what was new this week. There I found they had (finally) reviewed the new record by The Glorious Unseen. I thought the record was pretty good. It's moody, contemplative and just plain original in this day of manufactured worship music. Well apparently Christianity Today's Russ Breimeier disagreed. You can read his review here. I decided to send in a comment that I won't try to describe. I'll post it here for you to read:

"Christianity Today is one of those places I come first to check out the reviews of new Christian music. I've been reading for several years and have usually enjoyed the perspective of the writers. I've become increasingly disenchanted with the writers though, namely Russ. I know Russ covers alot of different bands and genres, but I'm seeing alot of negativity when it comes to music that he doesn't care for or connects to. My thought would be that someone who listens to indie music should be reviewing indie music like I would be the wrong person to review black gospel music. At least to me, Russ reviewing all sorts of styles negatively impacts the perspective of the reviews: case in point, the new Glorious Unseen record. Russ seems to favor mainstream Christian music and obviously not alternative underground stuff.

Granted this is all just my perspective. I'll continue to read the site.

Thanks

Zach Delph
Nashville, TN"

So no less than an hour later, I got quite a response. I was shocked at its tone. Take a quick moment to read this. It's quite a read.

"Zach, it'd probably help if you provided multiple examples with such a heavy criticism (and granted, you gave me one, the very one I knew you'd give based on your comments and the timing of your e-mail).

From our end, we receive the same ratio of praise and criticism in e-mails to us about our work. I've painstakingly researched the ratings we give to albums in a year, and it's been virtually the same ratio of positive to negative for 5 years straight. And if anything, we've become less negative in our write-ups. I'm the first to make sure our writing is irenic, never a personal attack on an artist. My editor thankfully does the same thing for my own writing. The last thing we aim for here is snarky, unChristian writing that blasts an artist personally (unlike a lot of the blogs and websites out there).

So I'm not sure where this "you're growing more negative" observation comes from. We're about the same as we've always been, according the ratings ... and if anything, my editors say we've grown less negative. (Incidentally, one site, www.patrolmag.org attempted to say that we're too positive, on the same level of positivism as CCM magazine. Thus the dilemna we find ourselves in.) I will say that when someone writes in to say we're negative, 9 out of 10 times it's because they're just ticked that we happen to have a different opinion on their favorite artists/albums. Such is the nature of album reviews--I can't possibly write in a way that everyone will agree with. I can only be honest about what I know.

As for The Glorious Unseen, you make it sound like I'm completely ignorant to indie music and worship. That of course is the excuse everyone gives when they disagree with my review--conveniently dismissing my opinion by citing inexperience or lack of understanding. Of course, I've been reviewing all Christian releases for nearly ten years, so I have a pretty good handle on what's been done before and how albums stack up to similar sounding bands. And I'm a worship leader for both contemporary and alternative worship bands, so I'd like to think I'm pretty experienced there as well. I don't say that with pride or ego, your honor--just stating the facts.

In the case of Glorious Unseen, I wanted to like it more--I truly did. I'd heard the buzz, read recommendations from readers, and I love me a good alternative worship album. But I've heard better. So if you want to say I just don't understand it, well, then I guess we can agree in that much. I don't understand what the hubbub is when I've heard so many similar projects in the last 5 years, among prominent Christian releases as well as indie projects submitted to us. Now I do wish there was more of it ... but better than this. Still, I certainly didn't strongly dislike the album; it was simply middling to me, and not on par with better projects in the same style. Hence the "fairly good" rating of 2.5 stars.

Incidentally, my colleague, the editor for teen magazine Ignite Your Faith, was eager to hear it too, since he had heard it was a worship album for people that don't usually like worship music, or "what Underoath would sound like if they did a worship album." He returned it to me promptly and said they would not be covering it. I don't mean to say that as definitive proof--I'm sure you can point to 30 people who love the album. For all I know, you're a member of Ben Crist's church.

All to say, sorry you feel the way you do. We'll try and do better, as we always do, but there's not much to be done as far as tone of reviews. This is the one we've established for the last several years, and it's the one that the majority of readers feel is the best out there. We'll adjust when the majority of those readers feel we're headed down the wrong path, not before.

And we thank you for continuing to read.

Blessings,

Russ"

So, as you can see, Russ seems to be quite offended by my criticism. I won't make any further comments about what he stated. I'm not gonna go low on him and start criticizing him. Just wouldn't be prudent. Anyways, hope that was a good read for you.