What makes a great music review?

[TheFlaneur]

I'm putting together a How to write a music review guide for our contributors and I wanted to get some feedback on what you reckon should go into a review? What type of writing gets your back up and puts you off? Do you ever like the band but dislike the review? Do you prefer humour in the review or just straight facts? What makes up a great review in your opinion?
Thanks for answering.

[migeo]

to me it happens quite often that i like the band but not the review. most of the time it is due to too much judging by the reviewer where he could be a bit more fair or have more respect for the musicians or band.

[me-festival]

You have to remember that everyone's tastes differ.
Music is a very emotive subject to write about. "Fans" can easily become irate to the extreme if you start slagging their idols latest work.
Humor is a must if you are giving something a slating.
There are ways so avoid the dreaded wrath of the "manic fan" Compare the crappy work to something better they did. This way your giving credit to the act while trashing it. It kind of calms the waters.

Having said that some uf like to make waves and just go hell for leather and even question the mentality of anyone who listens to the dross.

[DC]

No politics or kissing arse . Also don't focus of putting it into a box / genre lots of ppl make that mistake

[Manc1]

I think too many reviewers are too busy analysing every aspect of a performance rather than just kicking back and enjoying it for what it is. You should never be in a serious frame of mind when listening to music